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This story appears in ESPN The Magazines Dec. 12 issue. Subscribe today!The elation of the World Series is now behind us, and thus begins the season when every player joins the same team against an opponent that happens to pay them. Major League Baseball is on a tenuous 21-year streak of labor peace since the beginning of the last work stoppage, when the 1994 strike devastated the sport, destroyed the Montreal Expos and paved the way for the steroid era. Uncomfortable truths, all, but truths nevertheless.The truths of the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (the current one expires Dec. 1) arent necessarily heroic from the selfish eye of the fan, who couldnt care less about labor unless a lockout or a strike looms. Its players vs. owners, millions vs. billions. There dont appear to be any apocalyptic issues that would stop the game, but that doesnt mean a work stoppage wont occur.The issues that would radically shape baseball for the better-determining once and for all whether the game continues down its path of everyday interleague play and, if so, whether it adds the DH to the National League or abolishes it in the American-are likely not on the table. Nor is the nonstarter of shortening the season to accommodate the increase of playoff teams (which has reduced the necessity of a 162-game season) and to avoid bad postseason weather. What is on the table is, in a sense, climate change. Baseball has slowly been trying to turn its culture closer to footballs-look at how the commissioners office has pushed for more power (see: Alex Rodriguez being suspended for a full season in 2014 during the Biogenesis scandal without failing a drug test), and witness the primacy of baseballs odious qualifying offer, which, although it might survive the negotiations, shouldnt.On its face, the qualifying offer -- which can be extended to eligible free agents who have been with a team for the entire previous season -- seems to work for everyone. It mimics the NFLs franchise tag with one major exception: Unlike NFL players, MLB players can reject it -- and they have, roundly, over its four-year existence. In football, not one of the 27 quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame was ever a healthy, in-prime unrestricted free agent. In baseball, a player who has accepted the qualifying offer would earn $17.2?million for the 2017 season and would get to become an unrestricted free agent after. The player makes a lot of money and puts off free agency for a year. The team, meanwhile, doesnt have to compete for its own player but isnt tied to a long-term contract. A win-win, right?Wrong. Since the inception of the new system in 2012, 64 qualifying offers have been made by teams, with only five accepted. This year Neil Walker of the Mets and Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies accepted. The other eight players offered this year did not, aware of their worth on the open market. Yoenis Cespedes, for example, rejected the Mets qualifying offer, knowing full well some team will likely commit to him for more than one year; in turn, the Mets will receive a draft pick from whatever team signs him.The qualifying offer isnt destroying baseball, but its not helping either because it continues to expose old wounds. The sport is a $10?billion industry and yet, 41 years and untold profits later, ownership still hasnt been willing to accept the concept of player movement without some form of compensation in return. The philosophy behind free agent compensation has always been specious: that if a team loses a player to free agency, it deserves compensation for having developed the talent. The counter is more sensible: Baseball controls a drafted player until he hits six years of service time. Then that player should be free to join the marketplace to shop his services, the debt to his club paid.The gap between MLB philosophy and reality is wide. The qualifying offer is really designed to dampen free agency and depress salaries, to give teams pause before signing free agents because they dont want to lose the draft picks attached to signing one. On the other side, it discourages teams from retaining their own players with long-term deals and encourages them to acquire draft picks. A team, for example, that needs Cespedes might not sign him because it doesnt want to give up compensation, which means not doing what it takes to win. Winning, in fact, often falls a distant second to making and saving money. The pursuit of the World Series is the summer game. That game is over, giving way to the winter game: owners vs. players battling over money and control.Cheap Giants Jerseys .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Wholesale Custom Giants Shirts .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. http://www.customsfgiantsjersey.com/custom-mel-ott-jersey-large-79f.html . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Authentic Custom Giants Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Custom Giants Jersey China . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said.Arizona and Gonzaga are set to resume one of the best rivalries in the West, with the Bulldogs talking about payback.The perennial Top 25 programs have played in each of the past three seasons -- all Arizona victories, including in the 2014 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 and a 68-63 win in Spokane, Wash., last season.Like I said, weve got something for them. Send a message Saturday, Gonzaga guard Josh Perkins said after a 97-63 home victory over Mississippi Valley State improved the Bulldogs to 7-0 on Thursday night. We feel like we owe them some payback. Its been some years building up. Saturdays a time for us to get back at them.Their chances appear to be good when No. 8 Gonzaga plays 16th-ranked Arizona (6-1) at Hoophall LA, a one-day doubleheader event in Los Angeles on Saturday. Arizona-Gonzaga tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET followed by BYU vs. USC.The Wildcats are expected to have only seven available scholarship players after the teams latest injury.Starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright suffered a high ankle sprain Wednesday in a win over Texas Southern, with coach Sean Miller saying the junior would be out for a considerable period of time. Arizona previously lost two players to torn ACLs, an incoming freshman turned pro and sophomore guard Allonzo Trier, the teams top returning scorer at 14.8 points per game, hasnt played yet because of unspecified eligibility issues. The school has not commented on the matter.Where we go from here, I dont know, Miller said.Gonzaga reloaded this season, despite losing frontcourt players Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer from the team that reached last years Sweet 16. A new Pac-12 transfer backcourt of point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington) and Jordan Mathews (Cal) adds scoring punch to a returning unit that features center Przzemek Karnowski and Perkins.ddddddddddddWilliams-Goss leads a balanced scoring effort with 12.9 points per game, to go with an average of 4.9 assists. Perkins averages 12.7 points and is shooting 53.1 percent from behind the arc (17 of 32). Freshman 7-footer Zach Collins is averaging 11.6 points per game off the bench.A third starting transfer, forward Johnathan Williams (Missouri), is averaging 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. Karnowski is the fifth double-digit scorer at 10.7 points per game. Mathews is a high-volume 3-point shooter who has made 15 of 39 for 38.5 percent.I admire their program, their coach, I love their team this year, Miller said. Were not there yet in terms of dealing with them. ...They can run you completely out of the city of L.A. if youre not ready to go because of how great they are. Were a work in progress. Were the furthest thing from a great team.Arizona has three double-digit scorers, all freshmen. Lauri Markkanen, a 7-footer forward with a sweet 3-point shot, is averaging 18.3 points and is shooting 46.9 percent from beyond the arc (15 of 32). Guard Kobi Simmons, likely to move into the starting lineup, is averaging 13.0 points. Wing Rawle Alkins is at 10.9 points.Senior Kadeem Allen, who started most of last season at point guard, will move back from shooting guard to fill the primary role while Jackson-Cartwright is back. Simmons will be the backup at point.The programs have met seven times, all since the 2000 season. They played a classic double-overtime game won by Arizona 96-95 in the second round of the 2003 Sweet 16.Were going to continue to play Gonzaga because theyre one of the best programs in college basketball, Miller said. ' ' '