Thread by @EugeneFreedman

This NYT interview with Dr. Fauci blows the biggest hole possible in @Ken_Rosenthal's reporting from 10 days ago. 1/

nytimes.com/2021/02/13/spo…

In his article, @Ken_Rosenthal wrote, "The union, by scheduling its own discussion with the same officials for a later date, avoided hearing what the government representatives suggested to MLB, according to sources: a one-month delay, with the idea of getting players..." 2/

"in time to start the season."

Within a day or two the Union had its own meeting with government officials. That was already reported, although perhaps not as widely as the original pieces claiming the Union didn't want to talk to government officials. In a previous thread 3/

I explained that the Union did not want to be on the same call with management because it would lead to the parties posturing on the call, rather than having an honest discussion with the experts, including Fauci. The Union never avoided the discussion, it just wanted 4/

a separate discussion, not a negotiation in front of COVID experts.

But, this interview undermines the original reporting further.

Fauci told the NYT:

The only thing I said was that, from a public health standpoint, it looks like the cases — if you look at the plotting of 5/

the cases — they have peaked, they’re turning around and are starting to come down. And likely, the more time that goes by, the less and less cases we’ll see. Unless — unless — and this is a possibility, we have an unexpected surge related to some of the variants. 6/

"So I think it would really be a close call and I didn’t want to get into any of the dispute about delay it or not delay it."

Apparently, of interviewing any of the government officials or even the Union, Rosenthal went with "according to sources." Those sources were 7/

interested management officials. They were peddling their story of the meeting (probably what they suggested themselves rather than the government) because they thought the government officials would never dispute it and they could get their narrative out in public fast. 8/

They were right. It got out really fast. It was wrong. And, now it's been corrected, 10 days later. But, the narrative remains in the public, at least through other MLB connected reporters and columnists, who continue to argue for a delay in the season "for health reasons." /end

Decided to reopen the thread with more.

You'll recall that the Cactus League wrote a letter asking MLB to delay spring training, MLB then cited that request as a reason to delay the season, and both were reported widely. It was only a few days later

that it was actually MLB who asked the Cactus League to write the letter. @joe_sheehan and others called it immediately, but the MLB media and many others just quoted the letter without any inquisitiveness about the original source.

This is the same thing. MLB asked the

government to delay the season, the government took no such position, but MLB told its reporters that the request actually came from the other party on the call. That got the wide reporting, even though it was false.

MLB manipulates the media, through direct and indirect

methods. Only a more investigatory press will uncover the falsehoods. Unfortunately, those paid by MLB will never do so.