Most media coverage of baseball's labor and economic issues suffers from two serious flaws: credulity and lack of historical perspective.

Baseball writers aren't economists, historians or lawyers. They cover labor issues much the same way they cover trade rumors: by calling their "inside sources" and repeating what these people say. They don't check this year's story against last year's, or note that what the owners say often bears no resemblance to what they do.

Elsewhere on this site I've collected data, and provided links to more data, intended to help observers of Major League Baseball evaluate for themselves the statements of Bud Selig, Donald Fehr & Co. My own observations can be found through the links below. Enjoy!

Summary of New 2002-06 CBA (last updated: 10-6-2002)

Weblog of 2001-02 Labor News and Commentary

Analysis of MLB's finances on Baseball Prospectus site:

Part One: Gate Receipts

Part Two: Local Media Revenues

Part Three: More Revenue

Part Four: Player Compensation

Part Five: National and Other Local Expenses

Part Six: Profits and Revenue Sharing

Part Seven: Interest Expenses

Part Eight: MLB vs. Forbes

Feature Articles	Date Posted
A Contentious History: Baseball's Labor Fights [ESPN.com]	9-6-02
Bridging the Gap [Baseball Prospectus]	8-16-02
John Henry's Moment of Truth [Boston Baseball]	7-28-02
Labor Negotiations: What Happens Next? [with Gary Huckabay; ESPN.com]	7-23-02
Documents from Montreal's RICO Suit Against MLB [available from Data section]	7-16-02
DuPuy Disinforms [Baseball Prospectus]	7-10-02
It's Time for Bud to Go [Boston Baseball]	7-10-02
Labor Forecast: Another Win for Players [Boston Baseball]	6-11-02
ESPN.com Chat Wrap	5-31-02
Numbers Reveal Teams Not Nearing Bankruptcy [ESPN.com]	5-30-02
Friday Afternoon with Bud [Baseball Prospectus]	4-26-02
March Madness: Has Selig Gone Too Far This Time? [Baseball Prospectus]	3-20-02
Roger Magnuson: The Bud Selig of the Law	12-18-01
.PDF copy of Just-Expired Labor Agreement (592K)	12-18-01
MLB's Official 2001 Financial Disclosures	12-09-01
Contraction Follies	12-06-01
The Secret of Bud Selig's Success	12-06-01
Results of the First Annual Bud Selig Prediction Contest	12-06-01
Quotations from Commissioner Bud	11-20-01
MLB's Biggest Lie Yet	11-15-01
The Last Lame Duck Season	11-15-01
CBA Provisions Implicated by Contraction	11-15-01
Contraction Update	11-15-01
The Annotated Contraction Announcement	11-15-01

---

Back to Doug's Business of Baseball menu