Mr. Met helps load the truck going to Spring Training...

Mr. Met helps load the truck going to Spring Training at Fanfest at Citi Field on Jan. 25, 2020. Credit: Corey Sipkin

The 2020 average major league baseball player contractual salary is approximately $4 million. Players will be paid their salaries on a prorated basis dependent on games played. No fans will be in the stands in the foreseeable future, but fans account for, by some estimates, 40% to 50% of a club’s revenue.

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark has dug in his heels that future salary adjustments will not be discussed based on this lack of revenue [“On Day 1, dollars on back-burner,” Sports, May 13]. Think of how many business owners have had no income because their revenue stream has dried up. Ironically, these people are the fans who generate the revenue for today’s huge baseball salaries. The players association’s lack of empathy for the financially struggling fan is reprehensible.

An average MLB player earning that $4 million might earn $2 million in the prorated season and, if no spectators, should accept 50% of that — a total of $1 million. The first part of the shortened season will have no fans in the stands. But defending their bloated salaries as a “concession” might cause the stands to be empty even when fans are allowed back in the ballparks.

Robert Gerver,

Kings Park

TV sports providers should credit us

So the baseball owners want players to reduce their salary before play starts anew [“Reality fouls off MLB’S pitch to play,” Sports, May 12]. Well, I want credit for the sports channels MSG, MSG2 and ESPN, and a reduced credit from CBS and the other broadcast channels for the lack of NCAA games and professional baseball, hockey and basketball games. These channels never fail to raise prices, and now it’s time for refunds. I don’t consider lawn mower races on ESPN nor 2017 golf tournaments worth the monthly cost. It’s time we all get refunds. Insurance companies are refunding some of our auto premiums because we’re staying home. It’s time for the TV providers to do the same. State Attorney General Letitia James said as much on April 30.

Darryl Dowers,

Syosset

Apply online for contact tracer jobs

Since having sufficient contact tracers is one of New York State’s requirements for Nassau County’s reopening, it is important that people seeking a job know that you can apply online for these positions. To apply, go to coronavirus.health.ny.gov/get-involved-how-you-can-help. Scroll down to “contact tracers” and click on “apply online.”

Lucille McArdle,

Garden City

Reopen and fund LI equine facilities

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was recently asked to consider a $10 million Equine Facility Disaster Relief Fund. Equine facilities, boarding-lesson stables and equine rescues contribute billions of dollars to the state economy. Everything in the letter “Reopen indoor tennis while we can” [May 14] applies to stables, which also have the extra cost of feeding, housing and paying employees daily. A tennis court can simply shut its doors. Groomers are deemed essential. Most stables, which are mostly family-owned, also have larger properties worth more for development than to stay in business along with higher property taxes. Boarding fees don’t cover all expenses.

As someone who doesn’t own a stable anymore but has been a lifelong horseman and understands these struggles, I wrote Cuomo, asking him to consider soon reopening stables for lessons and riding, the stables’ bread and butter. Thousands of middle-class Long Islanders, not just the wealthy set, send their children to summer riding camp and help support New York’s equine industry. Riding is an outdoor activity, and riders and workers wear face masks. Social distancing is built in by the horses’ size, similar to being in a car, with no more contact than in a supermarket.

Jerry Trapani,

North Great River

Reflecting on those against abortion

Laura Papa’s letter says Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is a hypocrite because he says all human lives are precious, and that doesn’t align with his stance on abortion [“Concerns about reopening NY state,” Letters, May 12]. I have always asked myself the same question about the anti-abortion activists who favor the death penalty. Many of these activists are National Rifle Association members who think nothing of carrying a gun to a rally, support the racial profiling of minorities, or protest bans on assault weapons. Everyone needs to look in the mirror once in a while.

Paul Spina,

Calverton

Aren’t I a first responder, too?

I keep reading about stimulus aid proposed for first responders, including pay increases and bonuses. Nothing, though, is mentioned for EMT volunteers such as myself [“NY delegation calls for added aid,” News, May 6]. I have a required 12-hour shift every Wednesday, and if I don’t show, I will be suspended or removed. I’m on the ambulance, without fail, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every week and every seventh Saturday. When the coronavirus ramped up, department members were required to add 12 hours every week. Are we not first responders, too? Do we not put ourselves and our loved ones at risk, too? I have not read a word about hazard pay or bonuses for EMT volunteers in talks about the new stimulus packages. Who advocates for us?

Mary Danz,

Babylon

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