Cape Cod Baseball League VS. Major League Baseball

by Cape Crusader
(Somewhere in New England)

The Cape Cod Baseball League may be facing a severe hardship at the hands of Major League Baseball, in what amounts to a David VS Goliath battle over the use of MLB team nicknames.

It seems that Bud Selig and his multi billion dollar enterprise, known as Major League Baseball, don’t have enough black eyes. They now want to tarnish their already poor reputation by trying to strong arm the Cape Cod Baseball League into either cutting them in on the profits, or losing the 100,000 dollar annual grant that the Cape League receives from MLB. Maybe Mr. Selig doesn’t know that the Cape Cod Baseball League is not about money, but about playing baseball. Leave it to MLB to try to taint something as pure as the volunteer staffed Cape League.

Apparently, the six teams that share names with MLB teams have been given an ultimatum: Buy all their uniforms and other merchandise from MLB licensed vendors, effectively cutting out the local merchants that help to make the Cape League what it is, or lose the annual grant. MLB also wants an 11 percent royalty on next summers sales of existing merchandise from the six affected teams. Are you kidding me?

The six teams are the Chatham A’s, Yarmouth/Dennis Red Sox, Harwich Mariners, Bourne Braves, Orleans Cardinals, and the Hyannis Mets. All the teams are considering changing their names in order to protect the local merchants…GO CCBL!

Here’s an Idea: Major League Baseball…Instead of spending your time and money trying to strong arm our FREE, VOLUNTEER STAFFED, Cape Cod Baseball League, why don’t you put your money and resources into dealing with your major league steroid problem!

Here’s my solution: Change the names of the six affected teams. Whether we like it or not, we need the $100,000 to help run the league. Continue to promote the league for the LOVE OF THE GAME!

Oh…And one more thing…We take up a collection at every Cape Cod League baseball game and use the money to have an image of Bud Selig’s face printed on every Cape League baseball, so that the players can pound the hell out of him, for finding yet another way to erode the game that we love.

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