Snake Bytes: 2/9 - The Lockout Continues

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh Offers Services
The U.S. Labor Secretary has reached out to both parties to offer his services in finding a resolution to the lockout in hopes to avoid what is quickly becoming an inevitable delay to the start of the 2022 season.

MLB Fights Over Short-Term While Ignoring the Long-Term
The labor negotiations are important to the game. They are also the only issues likely to find any sort of “resolution” before play resumes. Unfortunately for MLB, the larger issues facing the game are not even being talked about in these negotiations, and those could have much longer, more serious detrimental effects on the game.

Drug Testing Halted During Lockout
Urine testing for PEDs with penalties for violations began in 2004 under a series of a repeatedly tightened drug agreements. Testing for banned amphetamines started in 2006, and in 2012 blood testing for Human Growth Hormone began, though it was suspended last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. All of that came to an end when the CBA expired and the lockout was imposed. As such, players no longer need fear any penalties for engaging in the use of performance enhancers, so long as they can clear their systems before the start of play.

Trevor Bauer Will NOT Face Criminal Charges
Bringing to an end a five-month long investigation, the District Attorney’s Office reached its conclusion after reviewing evidence from the civil restraining order proceedings and all other physical evidence in concluding that it was unable to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.