Classic Baseball Union

October 30, 1998 – In a never ending back and forth battle between the Classic Baseball Union and Major League Baseball, the CBU took a step back in 1998. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s chase for the home run crown drove attention away from the CBU.

Despite lower numbers, the CBU still remained profitable to the league owners and players. Unfortunately the dividend paid out to the numerous charities was severely cut back. The Durham Dragons and Augusta Murderer’s Row both continued to be large contributors, but only 8 of the 20 teams made the necessary revenue threshold to donate money.

It is unfortunate to have a down year like this, however we’re not out of the race by any means. We have a great product on the field and its getting better year by year. All of our charitable funds, programs and baseball academies are fully endowed and at this point are self-sustaining. It is unfortunate that the newer endowments for new programs will have to slow down a little bit. But we forecast growing numbers in the near future. We’re currently negotiating TV deals with several different entities which should guarantee better funding in the future. ~Commissioner JWay

The MLB are rumored to be interested in buying out the CBU, but there seems to be no sign stating that the league is for sale. While the money ran slightly dry this season, there’s still 20 happy owners who all made profits, and 500+ rostered players who have no interest in jumping ship.