Reserved Parking
Wander Franco parked in Rays GM Erik Neander’s parking spot so they drove his car right onto the field during workouts
If baseball’s latest lockout was any indication, the MLBPA—even in a post-COVID world with teams’ finances rocking and some players still unwilling to get vaccinated in areas where it is required for private employees by law—continues to have enormous sway. Long “the most powerful union in sports," the MLBPA has weathered yet another CBA storm and come out the other side with league concessions no one expected them to get. This might lead you to believe that MLB workers have finally seized the means of production, but don't get it twisted. There is still a clear hierarchy in baseball, and Rays young gun Wander Franco found that out the hard way on Friday when he made the mistake of parking in GM Erik Neander’s parking spot.
Only at spring training amirite? After discovering Franco’s Range Rover in Neander’s parking spot, manager Kevin Cash had them swipe the former number-one-prospect-in-baseball’s keys and pull his car onto the field in the middle of workouts. Franco, strapped to a weight bag at the time, had no choice but to stand there and take it. The whole thing had a very Costanza feel to it.
Like any good bit, however, the punchline was saved for last …
Aw shucks. It’s good to see everybody getting along again. It's truly amazing how fast millions and millions of dollars can heal old wounds.