"Baseball is at that awful point again, when the lawyers and
labor negotiators take over and the game is held hostage," writes
Gerry Fraley in today's DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Fraley adds while
MLB lacks a labor agreement, there will be teams for sale, teams
looking to cut payrolls, and teams in general "turmoil." Indians
GM John Hart: "The game itself is resilient, but until there's a
labor agreement, all the good things that have happened don't
address the root of the problem" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/31).
OWNERS TO LEAD OFF: In L.A., Ross Newhan reports "within
the next week or two," MLB owners are expected to make their
first labor proposal in 10 months. But Newhan adds there is "no
hint" of a deal and "no assurance" the '96 season won't be
"threatened" by labor problems. Agent Tom Reich: "There is no
immediate reason to be optimistic, but I think there's a
reasonable chance for a settlement this winter because of the
need for one" (L.A. TIMES, 10/31).
SERIES STAR: Tom Glavine, World Series MVP and a prominent
player rep, was on "Larry King Live" last night and was asked if
there will be an agreement. Glavine: "If there's anything we
can do to put baseball really back in its place, it would be to
get an agreement and show everybody that this bad relationship
that exists between owners and players isn't going to be there
anymore and people can worry about baseball and not whether the
players and owners can get along" (CNN, 10/30).
