Anthony Rizzo is tired of playing in the snow, and he’s right to feel that way.
There’s no question that Cubs star Anthony Rizzo loves playing baseball, but there are limits to his passion. The biggest issue he has with MLB at the current time is the requirement to play games in the frigid temperatures of April.
Rizzo didn’t mince words when he was asked for his thoughts about playing in the snow. He plainly stated that he believes it “sucks.” He went on to articulate his concern that playing games in cold weather negative impacts the fan experience. Rizzo deserves credit for understanding an obvious reality that has escaped MLB officials to date.
Some purists claim the game would be forever tainted if the schedule varied from its current 162 game slate. That’s complete nonsense. Almost every sport in the world has experienced a change in it schedule length at some point during its existence. It might take some adjustment to the game’s venerable records, but the sport could stand to shave a few games off the schedule.
Amazingly, some MLB officials seem to believe that shortening the schedule would necessitate lowering player salaries. Namely, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is among those suffering from this disillusion. He claims that players will need to be paid less if they intend to “work less.”
Even more surprising is the fact that Rizzo agrees with the commissioner’s assessment. You can only imagine that his fellow players won’t be thrilled to hear that Rizzo is willing to give up compensation in exchange for shortening the season. Expect the Players Union to put up a massive fight if ownership ask for them to give back any percentage of player salary.
Next: Cubs place Rizzo on the DL
Expect to see more of Rizzo’s teammates speak up about the possibility of shortening the season as the year progresses. Some warm weather players don’t feel the issue the same way he does, but cutting games from the schedule will make everyone happy.