MLB's owners and players still are without final agreement
on a new collective bargaining agreement. In New York, Murray
Chass outlines the two obvious courses of action in the wake of
acting Commissioner Bud Selig's "telephone marathon" in search of
consensus: Either the owners make a deal "and the fight will be
over," or they reject it "and the fight will escalate." Chass
adds that as more days pass without a management response, "the
more likely it is that a blowup will occur" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/18).
In Chicago, Dave Van Dyck writes, "Veteran labor watchers say the
next two days could be the most important of the entire baseball
war" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/19).
IT'S UP TO BUD: The AP's Ronald Blum notes the "next move"
is Selig's to make. Blum notes, "In the past, when Selig hasn't
been able to get a unanimous or near-unanimous consensus on an
issue, he's tended to let the debate continue, sometimes for
months" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/18). But Murray Chass writes, this
time, Selig "may have to abandon his characteristic style of
trying for a consensus before a vote and call for one, anyway"
(N.Y. TIMES, 8/18). IT'S NOT JUST SERVICE TIME: ESPN's
Peter Gammons reports the "hang-up" is the players' desire for a
second tax-free year at the end of the deal. Gammons: "This is
something they have to work out. The deal is going to get done,
but it's going to take some time" ("Baseball Tonight," 8/18).
Fox's Chip Caray cited a source on the owners' side who said
there are "seven or eight other issues still hanging up a deal" -
- including the structure of a proposed luxury tax in Year 2
("Fox Saturday Baseball," 8/17).
SERVICE TIME: Citing former MLBPA head Marvin Miller, the
L.A. TIMES' Ross Newhan writes the granting of service time "is
far less liberal in baseball than most industries." Owner reps
note that by paying no price, players will be sure to strike
again. One NL exec: "This proposal is no different than the
Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I and guaranteed World
War II" (L.A. TIMES, 8/18).
CREDIBILITY GAP: Newhan writes, "If collapse ensues, the
owners, who will have gone through at least five negotiators in
four years, will have trouble hiring another, and trouble
convincing the court they are at impasse" (L.A. TIMES, 8/18). A
person on the players' side: "This is the biggest crisis in the
labor history of this sport. ... If they pull out the rug from
under that guy (Levine), it will dictate the course of the
relationship between the two sides for the next 30 years" (Murray
Chass, N.Y. TIMES, 8/18).
PREDICTIONS: Gammons, noting Selig's claim of no split
among the owners: "The owners get their tax on the big-spending
clubs, they get their damages dropped, they get a larger share of
the postseason pie, they get a chance in the arbitration
procedure, and they get revenue-sharing. ... The players get
service time and they retain the [DH] in the AL" (BOSTON GLOBE,
8/18). N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Bill Madden: "Don't expect a labor deal
before Labor Day" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/18). In Milwaukee, Tom
Haudricourt writes, "Owners probably will cave in and award
service time to the players, which virtually guarantees another
strike one day" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/18).
SOME DAY, WHEN ALL THIS IS OVER: Gammons' list of possible
commissioners: Paul Kirk, Bill Bradley, Paul Beeston, Sandy
Alderson or George W. Bush (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/18). In THE SPORTING
NEWS, Peter Schmuck reports the end of hostilities may bring an
end to the term of MLBPA Exec Dir Don Fehr. Fehr could work as a
consultant (TSN, 8/19).
