Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black on layoff, return, Nolan Arenado, David Dahl, and you

After the 1981 season, the Mariners traded for infielder Manny Castillo in exchange for a player to be named later. That player was Bud Black.

As Black said, his career may have never panned out as it had if not for that trade as Black went on to be a key starting pitcher for the Royals throughout the 80s and he helped them to a World Championship in 1985.

Towards the end of his career, in 1994, was the next (and most recent) work stoppage due to labor negotiations. The final 50 or so games of the season were canceled as well as the 1994 postseason, most of spring training canceled, and 18 games shaved off of the schedule in 1995.

The 28 MLB owners actually had replacement players ready in the event that the players wouldn’t return but future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ruled in a federal court that baseball must return and return with the regular players.

Most free agents (including Black and future Hall of Famer Larry Walker) signed with teams during the three week period between the strike ending and the regular season starting. That three weeks became Spring Training and, as Black described it, it was “like a fire drill” because everything came together for Spring Training so quickly.

Black lived in San Diego and signed with the Cleveland Indians (for a second go-around as he played for them from 1988 through 1991). They were training in Winter Haven, Florida at the time so Black had to go across the country to go to Spring Training. Corrigan was an Indians TV broadcaster in both of Black’s tenures there.