LWIB: The Pirates and the Revenue-Sharing Debate, Cubs "Non-Sale Sale", Local ESPN.coms and MLB Local Digital Rights

This week in LWIB, the abysmal performance of the Pittsburgh Pirates calls in to question the usefulness of revenue-sharing in MLB, the “nonsale sale” of the Chicago Cubs and will ESPN’s growing collection of local websites bring more urgency to the issue of control of local digital rights in MLB? THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES AND THE REVENUE-SHARING DEBATE The Pittsburgh Pirates last winning season was 1992. Even in that context, their dismal September performance has been noteworthy. LWIB, Dejan Kovacevic wrote for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “This is, officially, indisputably, the worst baseball seen in Pittsburgh in more than a century.” Earlier this month LWIB reported that in reaction to the on field dominance of large payroll clubs this season, some small payroll clubs are agitating for increased revenue-sharing in the next CBA. Pirates President Frank Coonelly is among that group. The continuing, long term, on field futility of the Pirates inevitably leads to a debate which has...