Major League Baseball Finally Starts...Should I Be Happy?

After needless delay and posturing, Major League Baseball ended its owner/player contract negotiation standoff and finally began its regular season last week.  As is usually the custom during this brief initial period, some of the team-based baseball channels at the end of my TV dial are showing the games free as an inducement to subscribe.  Since I get off from work nights at 10, coming home gives me the only options of either watching western U.S.A. games or replays of one of our two Florida teams.  I happened to tune in one night to a San Diego-Arizona game that the Diamondbacks were hosting.  Through six innings I discovered that not only were the Padres blanking Arizona 2-0, but were in the middle of a no-hitter....how exciting!  I watched the seventh inning and sure enough, the San Diego starter put down the opposing batters easily...I couldn't wait to see what happened in the next inning.  But to my surprise the Padres manager had yanked his starter and replaced him with a reliever, one with some pretty mediocre stats at that.  And he promptly delivered a base hit, ending the prospects of even a combination no-hitter.  To my further surprise I discovered that the same manager had pulled his starter the previous game after six no-hit innings and replaced him with the same reliever, who had also quickly spoiled the no-hitter by giving up a hit.  I mention no names here because, maybe, that's the way the owners want it...capable but anonymous players they know can win them games, but without milestones and special accomplishments that might garner them more money during contract negotiation time.  And money seems to be what it's all about with Major League Baseball.  It costs an arm and a leg to attend these games in person and a pretty penny to watch them on TV, unless you're a Rays or Marlins fan.  And I have trouble, in this Internet area of widespread media access, even getting radio play-by-play.  The San Diego manager's rationale for pulling his two starting no-hit pitchers was that they didn't get enough spring training practice and he wanted to conserve their arms...I don't buy it.  These are special moments in a pitcher's career that they may never again recapture...the wear and tear they go through is over the course of a 162-game regular season in which they may get more than 30 starts...some many more.  No, I believe this was an underhanded attempt to suppress these players' resumes. But the manager's actions were also a slap in the collective faces of the fans, who need these special moments to keep their interest in the game strong. I totally get why complete games are so rare nowadays...but no-hitters? Are you kidding me?  So I ask myself: am I really happy that Major League Baseball is finally underway?