Krukow sounds off on Manfred's work in MLB lockout talks

Thursday brought us within four weeks of the original MLB opening day, but it was another day without much progress.

Representatives from MLB and the MLBPA met briefly in New York, but there were no signs that the lockout will be lifted anytime soon. It's a frustrating time for players and their fans but also for team's broadcasters, who ordinarily would be spending this month calling exhibition games to prepare for a long season. 

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow joined KNBR on Thursday and said he's disappointed because he thinks all of this could have been avoided with more proactive negotiating early in the lockout. Like most players and fans, Krukow has strong feelings about commissioner Rob Manfred, who has led negotiations for the 30 owners.

With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!

Subscribe  SIGN UP HERE

"I say replace him. Let's go, he's got to go. Marcus Stroman said 'Manfred's got to go,' well I'm kind of on board with that," Krukow said. "If that happens he's going to fall out of this job and he's going to land on his two feet. He will be the next villain in the Batman movie and he'll be a good one."

Krukow said he saw the same tactics the last time the CBA was negotiated, when Manfred and the owners tried to "bull rush the issues at the last moment." It worked out for the ownership side and players right away felt they got a bad deal. This time around, they have been adamant about holding strong and getting a fair CBA.

"That really laid the groundwork for what's happening now, the resolve that's steady within the players union," Krukow said. "They're together, they're not going anywhere, they're going to go as long as it takes. It's the same feeling that was there in '81, it's the same feeling that was there in '94. These guys aren't going to break." 

Manfred and the owners haven't shown any inclination to budge, either. The 30 owners have just about entirely avoided making public comments, but Manfred has taken center stage since the lockout was put in place at the start of December.

San Francisco Giants

Find the latest San Francisco Giants news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

What we learned as Jung Hoo Lee bounces back in Giants' extra-inning win

Giants still confident in Hayden Birdsong but no guarantee in his rotation spot

RELATED: Wilson taking lessons learned from Crawford

Krukow said he hasn't been impressed, noting that past commissioners did a better job of trying to make sure both sides got a win during negotiations. Krukow said he's still optimistic that the sides can resolve this and hopefully do it soon enough to avoid losing more games, but like most, he doesn't have much confidence in the man leading negotiations. 

"I've been telling you for months, there's no bad guy in this deal -- I'm changing that. There is a bad guy," he said. "I'm not impressed with him. I haven't been impressed in seven years, and I think he's taking us down a rabbit hole and I don't know how long it's going to last, but I'm pissed."

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Contact Us