MLB At A Crossroads, Day 245: Strike Date Could Be Set Today

While player reps from all 30 MLB teams are meeting near Chicago today, "it's unlikely [they] will set an actual strike date," according to Hal Bodley of USA TODAY. But the reps will "discuss a walkout possibly in August as a weapon against implementation of new work rules by management after the World Series" (USA TODAY, 7/8). One management source: "We've said to [the union], 'What's the deal?' The answer is, 'We're going to Chicago to set a strike date." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig: "We keep making proposals, and they have no response. There is just no response. Our guys are frustrated." Another "highly placed" MLB exec added, "It's the old thing. They think they can walk; then we'll blink and fold. ... Selig, no matter how much they're throwing at him, he won't move. If [MLBPA Exec Dir Don Fehr calls a strike], he makes Bud Superman" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/4). Former MLBPA Exec Dir Marvin Miller: "If the union and players feel there's no possibility of a reasonable settlement, I think an (August) strike date would make more sense than a later one" (L.A. TIMES, 7/5).

STRIKE DATE, A BAD IDEA? In Denver, Mike Klis wrote, "If the players even announce a strike date, here's hoping the fans of Milwaukee boo the ballcaps of every player as they are announced during the all-star introductions [this week]." The setting of a strike date "would be a public relations disaster" (DENVER POST, 7/7).

Watch Mel Antonen Tell His Strike Views

USA Today baseball writer Mel Antonen: "It seems kind of ridiculous that the day before the All-Star Game, the showpiece game of baseball, the players are going to set a strike date and then expect everything to be just fine on Tuesday. It seems kind of ridiculous that the owners and the players are fighting so much they forget about the fans." Antonen said that after September 11, "Players and owners also said back then that we're going to put our game in perspective and we're not going to have any labor problems next summer. Well, they proved themselves wrong" (CNN, 7/7). In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck: "It would be a horribly bad idea to announce the date [today], even though some players have expressed the desire to throw a little dirt on Selig's All-Star party. ... The players could take the high road and set no strike date at all, leaving it to the owners to make the first move" (SUN, 7/7). FOXSPORTS.com's Dave Van Dyck wrote while the players will not boycott the All-Star Game, they have "nonetheless found a way to steal the spotlight," as their meeting today will "attract the nation's baseball media away from All-Star festivities and give the union sole control of the headlines." More Van Dyck: "Chances are the date will be settled on (privately, at least) and taken back to the entire union membership." But the two sides will "find a settlement in the 11th hour" (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/7).

CAN WE TALK? YES WE CAN: In N.Y., Murray Chass noted owners "have received a green light from ... Selig to talk about baseball's labor situation. The owners had previously been muted by the threat of a $1[M] fine." Owners were "given 'basic bullet points' outlining management's negotiating position." While one source said that "deviation from those points could result in" a $1M fine, MLB President & COO Bob DuPuy said that owners "were not told that they could not deviate from them." Selig quoted an owner as saying, "You're sitting there taking a lot of hits by people saying you're out there by yourself. Why can't we talk about things like that?" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/4).

ARE PLAYERS DRAGGING THEIR FEET? In Milwaukee, Don Walker reported that once the gag order was lifted, "several owners spoke up, saying the union was moving too slowly on the main issues dividing the two sides. Others complained that the teams were in deep financial trouble and were trying to survive in a flawed economic system where the average player salary is nearly $2.4[M]." But Fehr "has been more accessible to reporters," and has been "critical of the new, more public campaign." Fehr: "What we are beginning to see here is a renewed effort not to bargain, but to conduct a public relations campaign" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/7). Red Sox Owner John Henry: "We want to be at the table — every day. We ought to be at the table every day." Red Sox President Larry Lucchino added, "There's a misperception about Bud Selig that he's kind of a one-man band, marching to his own drummer. The reality is he's carrying water for a united set of clubs and pushing issues that are being thrust upon him by one of his constituencies. We're saying, 'Go out, do these things,' and Bud is being (criticized) unfairly" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 7/4). Padres Owner John Moores, who expects to lose $15M this season, said, "This sport is whacko. ... If the [MLBPA] is determined to do something stupid, there's not a whole lot we can do to stop it. ... I don't know how the [MLBPA] can accept a subsidy from guys like me and from the public in the form of publicly financed ballparks and contemplate another strike" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/7). MLB VP/Labor Relations Rob Manfred: "We've made many proposals, and received no response before a meeting as important as [today's]. We really made an effort over the last two weeks to move the negotiations. We were the ones who brought the core economic issues back to the table by making the proposals. ... There is no justification or excuse for the union setting strike date at this point in time" (L.A. TIMES, 7/6).

	Vince Naimoli

Selig: "Many of the players who have taken shots at me, I've never met them. My door is always open. I'm saddened by it, I'm disappointed by it." Selig added teams' financial losses are "horrible, even worse than I thought. This is what I've taken all the abuse over. But where have I taken the abuse? In Washington, from people who have never seen the numbers. Those who have seen the numbers are profoundly worried" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/7). D'Rays Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli: "For the life of me, I can't understand why revenue sharing and a competitive balance tax is not acceptable. And the irony is that the clubs have agreed on it" (ST. PETE TIMES, 7/5).

THE UNION'S STANCE: Despite the owners' claims of the union not bargaining in good faith, Fehr said, "I am 100[%] certain that no neutral observer fully informed of the facts would hold the view that we are delinquent in negotiating or anything like that" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/6). Fehr also said that talks between the owners and players "continue and are planned weekly through this month." But he added of negative comments from management, "It's typical of the owners. They are more interested in public relations than they are in bargaining" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/6). D'Backs player rep Brian Anderson said the owners "make stone-age proposals. ... This whole Montreal contraction thing was a bargaining chip they created for themselves, and I'll admit, it was a brilliant move. But people wonder why we have a hard time trusting them." More Anderson: "They are the absolute worst when it comes to marketing. It's the only industry I know where people who own the industry bad-mouth the product their trying to sell" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/8). Reds SS Barry Larkin: "Owners are trying to force things on us. We are trying to hold onto each and every right we have (won) through the years" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/7). Braves player rep Tom Glavine: "I have no reason to say this, but I believe everyone is going to come to their senses before this goes down a road nobody wants to go down. ... I just have that gut feeling" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/8). Red Sox SS Nomar Garciaparra noted the owners "want a salary cap. And if you put a cap on, fine. There goes Pedro [Martinez], there goes Manny [Ramirez], and there go other guys, because the cap says so" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/7).

ANY SOLUTIONS IN SIGHT? CNNSI.com's Mike Fish wrote, "Word from the union is if they can get past the history of bad blood shared with the owners, the key issues are eminently solvable. And, they say, the parties aren't really that far apart on the issue of revenue sharing, either" (CNNSI.com, 7/5). A MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL editorial: "What baseball needs is obvious: genuine revenue sharing, similar to what the [NFL] has had for decades" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/7). In K.C., Bob Dutton added, "The catalyst to meaningful negotiations ... could be roughly a week away," as both sides "expect a ruling from arbitrator Shyam Das by mid-July on management's attempt" to contract two teams unilaterally. One management exec said, "Once the arbitrator rules, then very quickly baseball has to give a schedule to the union showing who is going to play who next year. That means the two contraction teams have to be named. Then we get really serious about negotiating" (K.C. STAR, 7/7). Giants Managing General Partner Peter Magowan: "I would like to see it go down from 30 teams. The quality of baseball would improve and we wouldn't be subsidizing teams with no chance" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/8).

SENTIMENT IN OWNERS' FAVOR? In Chicago, Phil Rogers: "It's time for the players to stop looking at labor negotiations as a holy war and acknowledge that the system that has allowed their salaries to grow by more than 45[%] over the last three years can't go forward in its current form." But Fehr "believes he'll give up less if he pushes owners to the limit, as the union always does" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/8).

	Johnny Damon

In Boston, Bob Ryan wrote owners "seem to realize that a work stoppage is in no one's best interest. ... At least the owners offered up a no-lockout pledge. The players have never been willing to reciprocate with a no-strike pledge." More Ryan: "In the best of all worlds, [MLB] would have a salary cap." Red Sox player rep Johnny Damon: "I think it will come down to whether (Yankees Owner George) Steinbrenner is willing to share more with the middle markets or the smaller markets. It does seem that every plan we hear seems to benefit Milwaukee" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/7). On "The Sports Reporters" yesterday, Ryan added, "Baseball came back too far from the '94 strike in my mind now because it's teased and confused the issue. It has the (MLBPA) thinking things are much better than they really are and that's a bad mistake. If we do shut down again there will be casualties, and the only way we're going to advance forward is take a couple of giant steps back" (ESPN, 7/7).

THE STEROID ISSUE: In a front-page Special Report on drug testing in MLB, USA TODAY's Mel Antonen reports that 79% of MLB players polled June 12-23 said that they would "agree to independent testing for steroids. Even though the players union resisted testing, only 17% of the polled players back the union's stance. But 44% of players acknowledge there is some pressure to take steroids to compete in the majors." The poll also showed that 75% of players "believed less than half of major leaguers used steroids; only 3% believed no one used them" (USA TODAY, 7/8). N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica noted the "vague charge against (Cubs OF) Sammy Sosa" last week via SI's Rick Reilly. Lupica: "This is the climate that is created in this sport when the (MLBPA) views drug testing as a chip in a (CBA) and not something that's essential to the future of the sport" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 7/7).