Interesting Poll Results - MLB Division

MLBPA Head Tony Clark and 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred

It is beginning to appear that Major League Baseball will return to America's sporting stage at some point this summer in just about the worst possible circumstance:  At the point of a figurative gun held by Commish Rob Manfred.  We all know the circumstances surrounding the ugly labor negotiations between the MLB Punjabs and the MLBPA, so I won't restate them here.  What I will tell you about is a poll that I put out two days ago on a dedicated sports group page on Facebook that I co-administer and in which I actively participate.  

I posed three questions on the poll upon which I asked the members to vote:

1. At this point, I really don't care if MLB returns in 2020.
2. I really, really want MLB back in 2020. 
3. MLB owners and players can all rot in Hell.

After 48 hours on line, twenty-one people responded to this poll.  A very small sample size when one considers the entire universe of baseball fandom, but it represents  15% of the entire population of the Facebook group page, which I think is significant.  Keep in mind that these 21 respondents are true sports fans, too, or else they wouldn't be a part of the group.  Here are the results.

As to question #3, which I put in there as a bit of gallows humor, three people cast their votes for that option, and one of those guys was Dave Finoli, a friend, a SABR member, a local sports author of some note, and a dedicated baseball fan.  When a guy like Dave tells baseball to "rot in Hell", that's noteworthy.

Three people opted for the second option.  They really, really want MLB back this summer.  Okay.

Fifteen people, 71% of those who responded voted for the first option, they just don't care if MLB returns in 2020.  Among those who voted this way are people like Tim Baker, a Pirates full season ticket holder since the Three Rivers Stadium days, David Cicotello, a dedicated baseball and Pirates fan who has written a book on Forbes Field, Al Cotton, a friend of mine from fantasy baseball days who is as about as dedicated a baseball fan as I know, Elena Avlon, whose family has been full season ticket holders forever and to whom the word "passionate" doesn't even begin to describe her feelings about baseball and the Pirates, Rich Morgan, who is a part off the game day staff at PNC Park, and ME, whose love for the Pirates and the sport goes back over sixty years.  Think about people like that saying "I don't care."

It is an old saying in show biz, sports, and electoral politics that "apathy is worse than anger."  If that is indeed the case, and I believe it is, and if there is any validity at all in this one small admittedly unscientific poll, then MLB is in trouble.