For you gamers
On a more positive note, Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning is hosting an APEX Legends tournament on Thursday, Feb. 24 with NRG Content creator Lulu Lovely. The tournament and event will take place at 7 p.m. Central Time on the MS Company’s Twitch page. The purpose of the event is to raise funds for the National MS Society (Multiple Sclerosis). For more information on the National MS Society, you can visit their website. The event will allow players to join a team of three and one of eighteen current or retired MLB players. Players include White Sox ace Lucas Giolito, former Ranger Derek Holland, current Rangers receiver Jose Trevino, Rays World Series Game 5 savior Brett Philips and many more.
Save this date! @ddunning33 hosts a @PlayApex tournament with sound @MLB friends and @Tic Partner @LuluLuvely for the benefit of @mssociety. 2/24 at 8 p.m. EST on the MS Society Twitch channel. There will be unique giveaways, prizes and experiences https://t.co/JjlBpsBBDm pic.twitter.com/Dly7v7TrgI
— Stream to End MS (@StreamToEndMS) February 1, 2022
You can visit the event page for more information about the event, participating players and where you can donate. I can tell you this, MLB players are competitive beasts, so don’t take them too lightly (see MLB The Show competition in 2020). It will be a night for all to forget what could end up being a bad start to the 2022 MLB season.
The current state of MLB lockdown
As expected by many, the CBA negotiations are going just as well as the lines at the DMV. A lot of back-and-forth (well, a lot of back-and-forth per se) happened in February. If we stick to the old start times, pitchers and catchers would show up in less than two weeks, but now MLB is in month two of the 2021-22 lockdown. Although it seems likely that spring training may or may not exist in 2022 with a delay of the regular season, commissioner Rob Manfred can lift the lockout at any time, then it’s time (a new CBA does not is not necessary). What does it mean? Well, that means yes, Manfred and the owners can open things up anytime (say February 17). As a result, things have returned to normal for fans, something we can all agree we need.
For Rangers fans who were planning on heading to Arizona for spring training, don’t give up just yet. If you have flexibility in your plans and your travel expenses are refundable at any time prior to your arrival, I wouldn’t necessarily cancel those plans, at least not yet. Most of the team’s facilities have state-of-the-art packaging technology. A significant delay in spring training equals a setback in the regular season, condensed spring training and possibly more injuries.
Just so you know… The league could lift the lockout and everything could still start on time. Negotiations could continue with spring training and the ongoing regular season. No deal doesn’t mean no baseball. A lockout means no baseball. MLB fears a union strike.
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) February 4, 2022
Ultimately, from a talent on the pitch, locking players down towards the end of February doesn’t help anyone. Rangers’ first spring training game is Feb. 26 against the Royals (and of course, that’s tentative). Each team has thirty spring training games on its schedule (with some split-team days). The question now is, will Manfred and MLB allow all thirty February/March games to play? Hope to see you Rangers fans in mid March.
