2B
Tuesday, May 2, 1995
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Let the games begin: tickets on sale now Hundreds line up to order tickets to Atlanta Olympics
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Thousands of people, some in Atlanta lining up before dawn, turned out yesterday to be among the first to order tickets to the 1996 Summer Olympics.
"I figure it's once-in-a-lifetime chance," said Gabe Owens, a student at Emory University who was among about 150 people standing in line at a suburban Atlanta grocery store when booklets containing ticket order forms were released at 6 a.m.
"They told me a lot of people were going to be here, and I didn't want to miss out." he said.
Lines ranging from 25 people to 400 were reported at Atlanta area Kroger and Home Depot stores, where the first brochures were distributed. A total of about 36 million brochures were to be distributed yesterday at more than 15,000 outlets across the country, including Home Depots and groceries that sell Coca-Cola.
However, for some would-be ticket buyers it may be a few days before they get a chance to order tickets. Spot checks across the country found that some stores listed as distribution points in Oregon, Indiana, Kentucky and North Carolina did not have the brochures available.
Mark Pygot, manager of a Food Lion in Raleigh, N.C., said he hoped to receive the booklets from a Coke bottle later this week. "We've been getting many calls for them. It's been generating a lot of excitement," he said.
Mark Preisinger, a representative for the Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta, said there were a few areas that were not yet distributing the brochures but they were few and far between.
"In general, May 1 is the date the brochures are available nationwide," he said. "There will be cases, like with any promotion — and this one is on a grand scale — where the retailer and the bottler are going to decide they're not available for a week."
In Louisville, Ky., for example, Coca-Cola is running a major promotion tied to Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Stores there won't put up the Olympic displays until that program is completed. Preisinger said.
In most places, however, the rush for ticket books was the first real event of the 1996 Atlanta Games. Now the waiting begins — ticket orders won't be confirmed until September.
"I wish it was this easy to get up every day," said Michael Dannman of Atlanta, who was among the predawn crowd at a suburban Kroger.
Ordering tickets for the Atlanta Games
Ordering tips
While filling out your Olympic ticket order form will be easier than completing your 1.040 tax return, there are still some do's and don'ts for your order to be processed by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
PLAN CAREFULLY: Plan your visit before filling out your form. Make sure you aren't planning to order tickets for two seasons that will be held at the same time.
PRELIMINARIES: Request tickets to the early rounds of competition if you really want to see a particular sport. That should increase your chances of getting tickets since the demand for medal round tickets will be heavier than the demand for prelim-
ALTERNATES: Once you've selected preferred sessions make sure you fill in alternative selections in case you don't get choices. Tickets for every event will be available to the public, but the chances of getting a ticket to the first round of men's basketball will probably be higher than getting tickets to the gold medal game. Make sure none of your alternative ticket selections cost more than your preferred selections. You can list up to two alternative selections for each choice.
GETTING THERE. Leave sample transportation time between sessions.
nary rounds.
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE: If you just want to go to the Olympics and aren't particularly concerned about what events you see, avoid the popular sports.
**SEASON TICKETS:** If you want to see every season of a particular sport, you can order a "season ticket." ACOR has not released the prices for all season tickets, but a season ticket for football will cost $346.
ONE FORM PER CUSTOMER: Use the original ticket form to order tickets and put your entire order on one form. The computer AC0A is using to process the forms and conduct the ticket lottery for oversubscribed events will only process one form per customer.
**DON'T FORGET YOUR CHECK:** Include full payment for all of your preferred choice, including the $18 processing fee and $1 per preferred ticket "fulfillment" fee.
Scott Anderson, the chief ticket official at the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, said his reports from the field indicated the brochure distribution was going smoothly and that demand was steady throughout the day.
SOURCES: Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Exquiver
- IT'S KIND OF LIKE TAXES: Like your taxes, remember to keep a record of your order form and before you mail it, double check to make sure you have signed it.
Though demand was strongest in Atlanta, it was not limited to the host city.
Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, Knight-Ridder Tribune
Bill and Kathy Gettys of Albany, N.Y., who picked up a brochure at a Home Depot store, said they would take tickets to whatever events are available.
"We're beggars, and we can't be choosy," Bill Gettyts said. "I'd like to just see part of the Olympics."
Umpires, baseball now safe at home
New five-year deal gets okay; players' contracts still KO'd
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Baseball owners who still haven't settled with their players, agreed to a five-year deal with umpires yesterday to end their 120-day lockout.
The regular umpires will return to the field tomorrow. The agreement means the end of picket lines outside stadiums and removes the prospect of a showdown on Sunday, when replacement umpires no longer would be allowed to work in Toronto.
"Their scab strategy was exposed for what it was — a fraud," said Richie Phillips, the umpires' union head. "These people were incapable of officiating at a major league level."
The regular umpires get raises this year ranging from 25 percent to 37.5 percent.
Since the contract is front-loaded and pay will remain the same during the length of the agreement, management calculated the increase at 16 percent over the contract's five years.
The deal was agreed to at 12:30 a.m. yesterday and approved 9-0 by the umpires' board at about 6:30 a.m.
Jerry Crawford, the umpires' union president, said a majority of umpires already had said it would vote to ratify the deal.
In their proposal last week, owners had offered a salary scale of $70.000 to $215.000.
"The agreement passes the rest in fairness," said Gene Budig, American League president. Budig is in his first year as AL president after serving as chancellor at the University of Kansas from 1981 to July 1994.
Replacement umpires will wind up having worked the first eight days of the season and — barring rainouts — the first 86 games. The regular umpires will be paid 100 percent of their 1995 salaries.
"Major league baseball is now
finally safe at home," said Len Coleman, NLpresident.
A planned demonstration yesterday by regular umpires in Baltimore was canceled. Players, who struck for 232 days before a federal judge ordered owners to follow the rules of their expired deal, were relieved to see the regular umpires returning.
"Everything will be back to normal." Orioles catcher Chris Holles said.
Under the deal, rookie umpires — all with at least one year of major league service from their time as vacation fill-ins — will be guaranteed $100,000, up from $75,000 under the expired four-year deal.
Thirty-year veterans, guaranteed $206,000 under the old deal, can make up to $282,500 under the new contract. The only umpire at the top level is Harry Wendelstedt of the NL.
"Having labor peace with the umpires for the next five years is a welcome and necessary development," acting commissioner Bud Selig said.
Under the agreement:
the salary scale for base pay will be $75,000 to $225,000, up from the previous range of $60,000 to $175,000.
all umpires will receive a post-season bonus of $20,000; under the old deal, young umpies get $10,000 and senior umpies get $20,000
■ bonuses for the All-Star game rise to $5,000 from $2,500; for the league championship series to $15,000 from $5,000; and for the World Series to $17,500 from $5,000. Umpires working the new round of playoffs will get $12,500, and they will be allowed to work in the World Series in the same year.
On Friday, the board said it would enforce its law against replacement workers and ruled that the regular umpires would have to be allowed back at the SkyDome starting Sunday, when the Toronto Blue Jays start the season's second series.
"It created tremendous legal problems for them," Phillips said. "There was a chance that we could extrapolate that Canadian decision into an American unfair labor practice decision."
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