The third time is supposed to be a charm, but this is the fourth time I am presenting this proposal and I have little, if any, confidence in its chance of being successful.

I initially made the proposal in May 2001, then again in November 2005 and a third time in October 2010. Bud Selig was the commissioner during that entire period, and I suppose the plan was too radical for him, even though he gave me the idea for my proposal with his phony plan for contraction.

As it turned out, Selig didn’t really want to eliminate two teams; he just wanted to threaten to eliminate two teams as a negotiating ploy to frighten the players into making a labor agreement that would be more to the owners’ liking.

To make contraction appear possible, Selig had what looked a legitimate …

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Lest there be any doubt that Major League Baseball has joined the National Basketball Association in a revolutionary effort to create legal gambling on sports events, check the statement baseball issued last week regarding proposed West Virginia legislation:

“Any sports betting legislation must include clear, robust and enforceable protections to mitigate any possible risks to our game. The law quickly advancing in West Virginia unfortunately falls short of meeting those critical standards. We are hopeful the legislature will complete a significant overhaul of the law and bolster the protections. We would be happy to work with legislators and the Lottery Commission to improve the current language.”

MLB’s position is somewhat curious. Several weeks ago, when the NBA stepped in front on the gambling issue, urging passage of a New York State law on legal betting, MLB was silent. Now, however, not only has MLB become openly aggressive on the issue, it has …

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The memory is vivid. In the time between the 1985 and ’86 seasons – the 10th season of free agency – any time I mentioned collusion Barry Rona laughed. Rona was the owners’ chief labor executive, and the laughter was his way of scoffing at the idea that the clubs were colluding against free agents.

I don’t recall when Rona stopped laughing, but the owners stopped conspiring after the 1987 season, the third of their illegitimate practice. They stopped only because they were caught by two arbitrators and negotiated an expensive plea agreement under which they paid the players $280 million plus interest.

How vile were the owners in conducting their conspiracy? They initiated it only weeks after …

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