When I saw that Zack Greinke’s broken rib came playing pickup basketball, my first thought was “man, that dude just cost himself some money.” Tom Haudricourt reports, however, that the Brewers don’t agree:
It’s been a while since I played basketball, but in my experience unsupervised pickup basketball was always way more physical than organized leagues. I mean, you never hear “no blood, no foul” during intermural games down at the rec center. Depending on what gym, park or playground you’re hitting for a pickup game, however, you could be taking your life in your hands.
[Doug] Melvin said Greinke did not violate his contract by playing a game of pick-up basketball, which is how he was injured near the start of camp.
“The contract stipulates against playing ‘competitive’ basketball,” said Melvin. “They don’t want you playing in men’s leagues or things like that. If he had suffered a severe injury playing in a men’s league, there probably would be repercussions with his salary.
It’s been a while since I played basketball, but in my experience unsupervised pickup basketball was always way more physical than organized leagues. I mean, you never hear “no blood, no foul” during intermural games down at the rec center. Depending on what gym, park or playground you’re hitting for a pickup game, however, you could be taking your life in your hands.
But hey, a contract is a contract. And I bet that future baseball contracts take out or at least redefine that “competitive” language in the future.