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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

You DID Hear It From Us: There's Normal Gossip Merch

NEW NORMAL GOSSIP MERCH!

Merch v3

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Ray Ratto

SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 12: Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), attends the annual Allen &amp; Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2019 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every July, some of the world's most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, and technology spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive weeklong conference. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Allen & Co. Holds Its Annual Sun Valley Conference In Idaho

What’s The Price Of Shame?

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Lauren Theisen

Detroit Tigers v Los Angeles Angels

I’m Stuck With Baseball

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Tom Ley

MLB Owners Meetings

Opening Day Never Stood A Chance

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

Red Sox owner John Harrington and Braves president Stan Kasten, seen listening to Bud Selig during the 1994 MLB strike.

BBA-STRIKE-OWNERS

MLB Owners Are Still Trying To Win The Labor Battles Of The 1990’s

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred leaving the MLB owners meetings with that look on his face.

MLB’s Owners Want To Make Their Favorite Loopholes Into Law

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)

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

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

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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

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

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 26: Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred looks on prior to Game One of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on October 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Who’s Ready For The MLB Lockout?

Rob Manfred Reaches A New Low

SUN VALLEY, IDAHO - JULY 08: Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred walks to a session at the Allen &amp; Company Sun Valley Conference on July 08, 2021 in Sun Valley, Idaho. After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, and technology worlds will converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Rob Manfred Throws Fans Some Crumbs From The Table

Boston Red Sox v Tampa Bay Rays

Garrett Richards Is What A Sticky-Stuff Casualty Looks Like

Patrick Dubuque is a writer and editor at Baseball Prospectus.

Patrick Dubuque

Giovanny Gallegos, seen here not being bothered about whatever sticky stuff he does or doesn't have on his glove.

The Dirty Little Secret About Breaking The Rules

<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

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, seen here in Cooperstown, being weird.

Rob Manfred Has No Feel

Ex_aPHhU4AEvfys

MLB Moves All-Star Game For Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law, Braves Immediately Throw Pathetic Hissy-Fit

<a href="https://twitter.com/ericnus">Eric Nusbaum</a> is a writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of the book <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/stealing-home-los-angeles-the-dodgers-and-the-lives-caught-in-between-9781541742222/9781541742215">Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between</a>. He is also a former editor at Vice.

Eric Nusbaum

Kids photograph a pitcher for the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Acorns in 1952.

MLB’s Minor League Power Play Is An Offense Against Baseball History

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 07: Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred attends Game Two of the National League Division Series between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Globe Life Field on October 07, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Rob Manfred