Well, OK then. I did tell you the dangers of being optimistic about baseball. As it turns out, my hope yesterday was not just misplaced, it was wildly, completely and utterly out of step with the cold realities of this game they make it so hard to love. Baseball’s owners and players did not reach a deal on Tuesday. Turns out, they did not come close to reaching a deal. The commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred, canceled games in a travesty of a press conference* that made it pretty clear that both sides will go to the mattresses now.