After a week of internal debate among ownership, negotiators
for MLB's players and owners "appear to be ready to resume their
efforts to complete a new collective bargaining agreement" (N.Y.
TIMES, 8/21). If talks do resume, "all eyes will be on
management negotiator Randy Levine," according to Tom Haudricourt
of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. He writes, "Levine must find
a way to not only mollify a divided ownership group but also
satisfy union officials who have patiently waited for talks to
resume. It is a tightrope without a net, and Levine's renowned
negotiating skills will be put to the test." MLBPA Exec Dir Don
Fehr: "We'll see what Randy has to say" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
SENTINEL, 8/21). The question facing ownership, according to
Stefan Fatsis in this morning's WALL STREET JOURNAL, "is whether
the risks of scuttling a deal outweigh the benefits of completing
one that has seen both sides make major compromises" (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 8/21).
WHAT TO EXPECT: Sources on both sides cited by the
WASHINGTON POST said they expect the "finishing touches" to be
applied on a deal "by this weekend." Mark Maske reports, "Levine
might ask the union [today] for concessions relating to the
service time and second tax-free season issues. The union almost
certainly would refuse, prolonging the negotiations for a few
days. Still, the owners now seem intent on completing the deal."
The owners reportedly also will ask for the union to drop any
legal claims related to the strike, a point which could be
negotiable (WASHINGTON POST, 8/21). USA TODAY reports some on
the union side expect the owners to offer "partial service time,"
which the MLBPA "will never agree to" (USA TODAY, 8/21). Because
of the "indignation" among many owners concerning service time,
it is unlikely Levine has permission to offer full service time
in full without "substantial concessions" (Tom Haudricourt,
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/21). In L.A., Ross Newhan reports
Levine may attempt to "placate hard-line owners by offering the
union a percentage of service time as part of the final trade-
offs" (L.A. TIMES, 8/21). In K.C., Jeffrey Flanigan -- who notes
the union will not budge on service time, and the owners do not
have the votes to pass a deal with service time -- reports a
possible compromise of the owners granting half service time in
exchange for the second tax-free year (K.C. STAR, 8/21).
DEAL-BREAKER: Levine "is willing to negotiate the
problematic points," according to the WALL STREET JOURNAL, but he
has told acting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig "he would resign
before reopening the basic framework" (Stefan Fatsis, WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 8/21). While Levine has stated his desire not to
renegotiate concepts previously agreed upon, management sources
indicate "there are still open issues and still room for
compromise movement." One such potential compromise point is the
owners' desire for a three-person arbitration panel (Ross Newhan,
L.A. TIMES, 8/21).
COUNTING THE MINUTES? Noting that Levine has already told
Selig he will resign if hard-line owners "continue to undercut
his authority to close a deal," Dan Wasserman of the Newark STAR-
LEDGER reports that -- even with a deal -- Levine "already has
his sights set on life after baseball." New York Mayor Rudy
Giuliani wants him to become first Deputy Mayor. Wasserman
notes, "Clearly, Levine would prefer to leave baseball once a
deal is in place. Ideally, he would stick around long enough to
oversee the implementation of a new system. But first, Levine
needs to lock down the deal" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 8/20).
MOUNTAIN RETREAT: Royals Chair David Glass revealed that he
is flying to CO today to discuss the negotiations with fellow
members of MLB's labor committee to determine their "next move"
(Jeffrey Flanigan, K.C. STAR, 8/21).
