Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, November 19, 1998
NBA negotiations to resume
Owners, players hope to save season
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The long silence between owners and players has ended. The opposing sides in the NBA lockout finally spoke after 11 days and decided to resume full collective bargaining talks later this week.
"We sort of sense that with the holidays approaching, if we don't start making progress soon, the season is in jeopardy," deputy commissioner Russ Grank said. "We'll give it one more try on Friday."
Commissioner David Stern, Granik and Steve Mills, the NBA's vice president for basketball development, met for two hours at a Manhattan hotel with union director Billy Hunter, union president Patrick Ewing and Herb Williams of the New York Knicks.
"It was, as usual, cordial but unproductive," Granik said. "We didn't get anywhere."
Still, by agreeing to a larger session tomorrow—the first involving the full owners' and players' negotiating committees since Oct. 28 —the sides showed a renewed sense of urgency to try to strike a deal.
The first six weeks of the season already have been scrapped, and with each passing day, the likelihood increases of the season not beginning until January. If a 5-game season were to be salvaged, a deal would have to be in place by mid-December.
"When serious negotiations begin, I would expect (Michael Jordan) will be back in there," agent David Falk said. "The next step has to be for the league to come in with a better offer."
Jordan took part in the last full bargaining talks Oct. 28, exchanging harsh words with Washington owner Abe Pollin in a meeting that preceded the 81/2-hour session. Jordan has not been heard from publicly since those discussions ended.
"What this thing is all about is the process of negotiation." Falk said. "Both sides are trying to be fair, but both have different understandings of what fair is. There is a range of fairness, and both sides
should make sure they don't over personalize this."
The owners and players are stuck on the main economic argument of what constitutes a fair split of revenue.
Players received 57 percent of revenues last season,
and are offering
no concessions to slow
salary
growth unless the percentage rises
to 60 percent.
Owners, who had the right to reopen the last labor agreement if the percentage rose above 51.8 percent, want the players to accept 50 percent.
There had
There had been an expectation around the league that a deal would be reached in time for NBC to televise its first games of the season — a Christmas doubleheader of Chicago vs. New
York and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix.
"My guess isn't better than anybody else's, but I hope we're showing games," said Ed Markey, an NBC spokesman. "If there are no NBA games, we might revert back to showing regular Friday night programming."
The owners have offered increased minimum salaries for veterans and have agreed in principle to the union's request for an annual salary cap exception equal to the average salary (which was $2.6 million last season), but have demanded other mechanisms that would limit salaries the highest-paid players could receive.
In some cases, the offer on the table from the league would cut superstar salaries by tens of millions of dollars per player over several years.
"I'm against the deal for one reason. It scales back the percentage of revenues going to the players from a projected 60 percent to 48 percent," Falk said. "That's an enormous reduction, and to suggest that it's good is foolish."
Gonzalez wins American League MVP
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Juan Gonzalez was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player yesterday, overwhelmingly defeating Nomar Garcia-parara and Derek Jeter to win the award for the second time in three seasons.
out the inference season.
Gonzalez, who had the most RBI in the AL in 49 years and led Texas to its second AL West title in three seasons, received 21 first-place votes and seven second-place votes for 357 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
"This is a great moment for everybody, for the whole team and the organization," Gonzalez said in a conference call from Puerto Rico.
Garciaparra, who helped Boston win the A1
playoff wild card, got five firsts, seven seconds and seven thirds and had 232 points.
Jeter, one of four players on the World Series champion New York Yankees to receive votes, had two firsts, six seconds and three thirds, finishing with 180 points.
Gonzalez beat Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez
290-287 winning the MVP two years ago.
"The first time was too tight," said Gonzalez, the first Latin American native to win two MVPs.
And it could be a Latin American sweep if Sammy Sosa beats Mark McGwire on Thursday for the National League MVP.
"I'm waiting for tomorrow's results ... and praying for Sammy." Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez hit .318 with 45 homers and 157 RBI, the most in the AL since Ted Williams and Vern Stephens each had 159 for Boston in 1949.
"He's a great, great hitter," McGwire said.
"But you know, the sad thing, if somebody said,
'Who was the 1996 MVP in the American
League? I bet you nobody really knows — Juan Gonzalez. Every year, year in, year out, he just puts up the numbers. It just seems like he doesn't get the notoriety he should."
Gonzalez had 101 RBI at the All-Star break, becoming only the second player topping the century mark going into the All-Star game (Hank Greenberg had 103 in 1935).
By the final week of July, he had 116 RBI in 105 games, bringing up talk he could challenge the record of 190. set by Hack Wilson in 1930.
"It isn't impossible," Gonzalez said in July. "I just need to stay healthy and keep working hard."
and the chance to teach that record disappears on Garciaparra, a unanimous choice as the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year, hit .323 with 35 homers and 122 RBI. Jeter, a unanimous pick as the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, batted .324 with 19 homers and 84 RBI, providing solid and sometimes spectacular play at shortstop from start to finish.
Yankees still undecided about acquiring Belle
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Now that the New York Yankees have met Albert Belle, they still seem unsure if they want him.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman returned Tuesday from a dinner with Belle and his agent in Tucson, Ariz. But George Steinbrenner hasn't met with the controversial outfielder, and the owner sounded as if no offer had been made.
Stainbrenner said he was awaiting a recommendation from Cashman, manager Joe Torre and his other advisers.
"That's up to others to tell me if they're interested," Steinbrenner said after a ceremony opening a Yankees World Series exhibit in the Tweed Court House next to City Hall. "It's what my GM wants and my manager wants."
Belle, under a special clause in his contract, is a free agent but has until Dec. 2 to return to his deal with the White Sox, which
Boston general manager Dan
Duquette met with Belle last week, and the outfielder said then that the Yankees and Red Sox were the teams that interested him most.
"They were both successful meetings," said Belle's agent, Arn Tellem. "We should be hearing back from them shortly."
However, the Yankees may not be that hot for Belle, who doesn't play center field. Brian Jordan, another free-agent outfielder, was due to visit New York yesterday, and New York has put out feelers about the possibility of trading for Jim Edmonds, Rondell White or Ray Lankford.
In addition, a source familiar with
the Yankees, speaking on the condition he not be identified, said some New York officials are pursuing Belle as a bluff.
Steinbrenner reiterated that he was afraid of Belle's volatile personality.
"We got the same kind of questions when Jimmy Key left us and we got David Wells," Steinbrenner said. "We got questions with Darryl Strawberry. We got questions with Doc (Dwight Gooden)."
Cashman said the dinner with Belle was pleasant.
"It was the first time I ever had a chance to meet with him," Cashman said. "Seems like a good guy."
The Associated Press
DENVER — Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has little to say about the behavior of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos improved to 10-0 Monday night with a 30-7 rout against Kansas City, a game that ended with the Chiefs being penalized five times for personal fouls.
Broncos going strong after win against Chiefs
On Denver's final scoring drive, linebacker, Derrick Thomas drew three flags, two for grabbing Shannon Sharpe's face mask and one for hitting Bronco quarterback Bubby Brister in the head after a sack.
"The way that football game ended wasn't a first-class matter." Shanahan said Tuesday. "But I'm not going to talk about the Kansas City Chiefs. I'm going to talk about the Denver Broncos.
As for Denver's prospects for winding up 16-0, Shanahan said the Broncos are approaching the season one game at a time.
"I was pleased with the way we held our composure and controlled ourselves, and we took the 15-yard penalties," he said. "For our guys to handle themselves the way they did speaks volumes about the character of our football team."
"I think it's great to talk about this, but our players are smart enough to understand that you don't talk about six games," he said. "You talk about one game."
"That's the only way you have a chance to do the things that we've done thus far is to have a team mature enough to understand that we've got a heck of a football team coming in here, and if we're not ready to play, we're not going to win. It's a credit to them what they've done thus far. So hopefully we can keep it going."
On Sunday, the defending Super Bowl champions try to creep closer to perfection against the Oakland Raiders (7.3) at Mile High Stadium, where Denver has won 21 consecutive regular season home games. The Broncos' last regular season home loss came against Seattle on Dec. 10, 1996.
Shanahan said he was uncertain whether John Elway, fullback Howard Griffith and receiver Ed McCaffrey would be healthy enough to return Sunday.
Elway, who has nursed a strained hamstring and a stiff back, has missed two consecutive games with sore ribs. Terrell Davis' leading blocker, was out with a partially torn left knee ligament, and McCaffrey left Monday's game late in the first quarter with a strained right hamstring.
O'Donnell loses position as starter in Cincinnati
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI — Neil O'Donnell was replaced yesterday as Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback by Paul Justin for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Justin had been the No. 3 quarterback.
O'Donnell, who started the first 10 games this season, is listed as the No. 2 quarterback for the Ravens' game, with Jeff Blake sliding to No. 3.
"We're looking for a spark on offense, and Paul deserves a chance," coach Bruce Coslet said.
The Bengals (2-8) have lost seven of their last eight games, including Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Justin had said this week that he understood why Bengals fans were calling for change.
O'Donnell during the Bengals'
Nov. 8 loss in Jacksonville.
Justin led Cincinnati's offense to its only touchdown of the last two games when he replaced
"The main thing is that people just want something to happen," he said.
The Bengals already have lost a game this season to Baltimore (3-7).
O'Donnell, signed during the off-season as a free agent after being let go by the New York Jets, won the starting job in preseason but has struggled in the last month. The offense has managed a total of two field goals in the last two games under O'Donnell's direction.
Justin and Blake have replaced O'Donnell in the fourth quarter of games recently. Blake has struggled nearly as much as O'Donnell.
CALL FOR GTA AWARD NOMINATIONS:
The Graduate and Professional Association and the Graduate School invite nominations for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards. Information and nomination forms available in 300 Strong Hall.
Questions? Call 864-4141
Deadline For student nominations: December 9
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