SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, September 8, 1994
3B
Players, owners to play hard ball as the Friday strike deadline nears
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Signaling that serious bargaining may soon begin, several baseball owners and the players' negotiating committee made plans to travel to New York late yesterday.
No talks were set but management officials said several owners would be arriving, so a session could be called on short notice. The sides were negotiating against a tentative Friday deadline for canceling the season, which acting commissioner Bud Selig announced last week.
The officials did not know which owners would be arriving, but they speculated that among them would be Colorado Rockies owner Jerry McMorris, Boston Red Sox chief executive officer John Harrington and Atlanta Braves president Stan Kasten. Those three were involved in a Monday conference call with officials from the players' association.
The union, according to several sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, asked players on its negotiating committee to go to New York.
Since the strike began Aug. 12, the sides have met just twice. But informal conversations have taken place since an Aug. 31 meeting that included McMorris and union head Donald Fehr.
Discussion appears centered on a taxation plan in which owners would drop their demand for a salary cap in exchange for having clubs share a larger percentage of their revenue if they go over certain thresholds. The
plan could be based on payrolls, revenue or various revenue streams.
On Tuesday, the players' association filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
"We actually thought they'd file it sooner," said Lou Melendez, management lawyer.
The union is contesting management's failure to make a $7.8 million payment to the players' benefit plan following the All-Star game. The money was due Aug. 1.
Otherwise, not much took place on the 26th day of the strike. Acting commissioner Bud Selig, owners' negotiator Richard Ravitch and players' union head Donald Fehr took off most of the day to observe the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins front office voted to take a one-week unpaid vacation in order to ensure that no full-time employees will be laid off in September. Between 15 and 20 workers were facing layoffs later this month.
Tuesday was the midpoint between the start of the strike on Aug. 12 and the scheduled end of the regular season Oct. 2. Fourteen more games were called off, bringing the total to 338.
Yesterday was the second anniversary of the date baseball last had a commissioner. On Sept. 1, 792, Fay Vincent was forced to resign by owners, who have delayed hiring another commissioner until there is a new
"Baseball's a good lesson in what I would call 'cooperative vs. non-cooperative bargaining.'"
Gerry Meehan Sabres executive vice president
labor agreement.
The lack of movement between players and owners is being noticed by other sports that are facing similar problems. The National Hockey League did not have a labor contract last season and still does not have one. Hockey training camps opened this week.
"Baseball's a good lesson, I think, for all of us in what I would call 'cooperative vs. non-cooperative bargaining,'" said Gerry Meehan, executive vice president of the Buffalo Sabres, an NHL team.
"It doesn't seem like they're making any progress. And I would hope that our people who are negotiating on behalf of both players and management are paying attention to that," he said.
Baseball strike a blessing for Braves' father
The Associated Press
"To be honest, I haven't really followed the strike," the Atlanta Braves left-hander said. "I've treated it as the off-season and just relaxed. I wouldn't be ready to go back right now."
MARIETTA, Ga. — Steve Avery has paid little attention to the baseball strike. He's been busy getting to know his son, who was born three months prematurely on April 10.
Evan Avery weighed less than 3 pounds at birth, but is getting healthier every day. He now weighs 9 pounds, and the oxygen tube he wears in his nose to help accelerate his lung growth will soon be removed.
Now Avery, 24, is learning to be a dad.
From April to June, Avery commuted to the hospital between starts, and that took a toll on his pitching. But when Evan came home after the All-Star break in July, Avery's pitching improved.
Since Evan was born at the start of the baseball season, Avery didn't see much of him until the strike began Aug. 12. The child spent his first three months in a Dearborn, Mich., hospital.
"He's been good (with Evan)," said Avery's wife, Heather. "No, make that real good."
There are still numerous visits to doctors, but the long-term prognosis is good.
"He smiles at you and lights up every time you call his name," Avery said. "It's good to spend as much time as we have together. He needs it after not getting a whole lot of attention his first three months."
The Averys have settled into a home in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta. They still don't have much furniture, and there are no curtains on the windows.
For now, all their attention has been on Evan.
"It's different than I thought, that's for sure." Avery said.
"I guess you just figure you're going to have a tote bag, you just throw him on your shoulder and walk around with him.
"The situation we're in is a little different because he can't be around people right now. I'm just looking forward to the time I can walk around and hold his hand and take him everywhere I go."
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