It’s a baseball squabble older than pine tar.

Money.

It makes the world go ‘round.

Even amid the coronavirus global pandemic.

MLB owners want to keep more of it. MLB players want to receive more of it. And until the billionaires and the millionaires figure it out (while meanwhile hurting the players and team employees who are neither billionaires nor millionaires — not even close) we won’t see the MLB return.

On Sunday, there were two live sporting events to take in — NASCAR returned with a race in Darlington and golf teed off again with a quartet of pros competing in a charity exhibition.

That’s what we’re excited about now in the age of corona.

It is nice watching an event and not knowing what will happen — like a first-lap wreck in Darlington.

But I still long for baseball.

MLB baseball. Not the KBO — which is not to be confused with the KBL, the name of the fantasy baseball league I used to run out of the Butler Eagle newsroom.

MLB players are digging in. So are the owners, who want the players to take another pay cut.

Players are balking at that, not surprisingly. Some have expressed their displeasure publicly — and haven’t exactly framed their arguments very well, like Rays’ pitcher Blake Snell.

Still, some of their points are valid ones.

The owners and players already negotiated a pro-rated salary. Now the owners want to renegotiate that. It doesn’t take Rich Uncle Pennybags to realize the owners want to negotiate that player price tag down, not up.

That’s a non-starter for players, who are also cognizant of the risks associated with returning to the field.

On Sunday, the MLB released a 67-page safety memo on how baseball could return.

Some of the guidelines are startling.

Like no spitting, high-fives, fist-bumps, finger-licking, touching the face to give signs or hugs (awww).

Fielders will be “encouraged to retreat several steps away from the baserunner” between pitches, which would make pick-off throws to first base interesting.

A ball will be thrown out of play after it is touched by multiple players and throwing around the infield will be frowned upon.

No mascots — grab some pine, Phillie Phanatic.

And tests. Lots and lots of tests — the MLB estimates it will conduct as many as 10,000 per week throughout baseball.

Of course, all of that is moot if the money issue isn’t solved.

Owners are claiming they will lose as much as $4 billion if baseball doesn’t return. That’s $133,333,333 per owner — who are all billionaires.

They have employees than cannot afford to lose $133.

Not every player is a millionaire, either.

Expect this fight to go on.

But remember, no spitting.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.