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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

Enter Our Raffle To Win A Visit And Home-Cooked Meal From Drew Magary

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tip jar sweepstakes

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Chris Thompson

Thanks For The Bad Times, Ryan Zimmerman

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Ray Ratto

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 10: Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred answers questions during an MLB owner's meeting at the Waldorf Astoria on February 10, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Manfred addressed the ongoing lockout of players, which owners put in place after the league's collective bargaining agreement ended on December 1, 2021. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

MLB Owners Meetings

Rob Manfred Either Thinks The Owners Are Idiots, Or That You Are

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 03: National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor and human resources in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Major League Baseball, NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, Michael Weiner, general counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Gabriel Feldman, associate professor of law and director of the Sports Law Program at Tulane University Law School, and Jeffrey Standen, professor of law at the Willamette University College of Law (L-R), testify on Capitol Hill on November 3, 2009 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on doping in professional sports.(Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Roger Goodell; Rob Manfred; DeMaurice Smith; Michael Weiner; Travis Tygart; Gabriel Feldman; Jeffrey Standen

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Testifies On Anti-Doping Measures

Capital

Why Do We Need Commissioners Anyway?

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Lauren Theisen

League Championship Series – Boston Red Sox v Houston Astros – Game Four

Defector Up All Night

Do Not Even Dare Think About Joe West In The Baseball Hall Of Fame

Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marcnormandin.com/">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">support through his Patreon</a>. His baseball writing has appeared at SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, and TalkPoverty.

Marc Normandin

Rob Manfred, seen here perhaps inevitably wearing a vest and talking on the phone.

Allen And Company Annual Meeting Brings Business Executives, Media Moguls, And Politicians To Sun Valley, Idaho

MLB Owners Would Rather Play PR Games Than Negotiate

Union Heroes Day 55

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 57

TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK - JUNE 13: Barry Bonds attends the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on June 13, 2021 in Tarrytown, New York. Spectators are not allowed to attend this year, apart from dog owners and handlers, because of safety protocols due to Covid-19. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

To Hell With It All

<a href="https://twitter.com/cdgoldstein">Craig Goldstein</a> is the editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus and the co-host of <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/five-and-dive/">the Five &amp; Dive podcast</a>.

Craig Goldstein

An image of Rob Manfred, blessedly altered to obscure his face.

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Artificial Scarcity Is Baseball’s Present, And Our Future

Union Heroes Day 51

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 51

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg greets baseball fans as they arrive for the first game of the season on Opening Day before the start of a game between the Rays and the New York Yankees on April 2, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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The Rays’ Montreal Gambit Is Dead

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David Roth

The error-strewn back text of the Topps Now cards commemorating Atlanta's 2021 World Series win.

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Those Extremely Wrong Topps World Series Cards Might Or Might Not Be The Future

3 Apr 2000: Jeff Kent # 21 of the San Francisco Giants lies on his stomach after being tagged out at third base in the second inning at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Florida.

Marlins V Giants Kent

A Jeff Kent–Only HOF Ballot Really Puts Things In Perspective

Mass Vaccination Site Opens At Citi Field In New York City

If The Mets Want A Crosstown Rivalry, They’ll Need To Steal More Than A Hitting Coach

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Laura Wagner

World Series – Houston Astros v Washington Nationals – Game Five

Turns Out There Are Some Issues With MLB’s State Media Apparatus

Union Heroes Day 34

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 34

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Tom Ley

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Infinite Replay

The Lightning Strike That Rewired My Brain

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 26: The closed box office is shown at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 26, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees Opening Day game scheduled for today, along with the entire MLB season, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MLB Opening Day Postponed Due To Coronavirus

An MLB Network Freelancer Talks Life In Lockout Limbo

Union Heroes Day 16

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 16

<a href="https://twitter.com/justin_klugh" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Justin Klugh</a> is a writer for Baseball Prospectus. His work has appeared on FanGraphs, The Athletic, and  SB Nation. He hosts &#8220;The Diry Inning,&#8221; a podcast about the dumbest, funniest, or most obscure innings in Phillies history.

Justin Klugh

The 38-foot-high leftfield wall in York, Pennsylvania's minor league stadium, the Arch Nemesis.

York Arch Nemesis 3

In The Shadow Of The Arch Nemesis

Washington Nationals v San Francisco Giants

ESPN Boldly Asks: What If These Two Generational Athletes Were Just Average Athletes?

Union Heroes Day 13

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 13

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred talks to Astros GM James Click during the 2021 World Series.

World Series – Atlanta Braves v Houston Astros – Game One

MLB Owners Have Forgotten That They Always Lose Lockouts

Union Heroes Day 5

Let’s Remember Some Locked-Out MLB Players, Day 5

2019-01-01 00:15:14.989

Maitreyi Anantharaman

astros

Your Guide To The Sad Lockout Filler Blogs On MLB.com

Mets owner Steve Cohen and Mets mascot Mr. Met, seen at the opening of a mass vaccination site at CitiField in February of 2021.

Podcasts

Lockout Mindset And Dog Talk, With Lindsey Adler