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Major League Baseball's Players Likely Setting New Strike Date

Aired August 12, 2002 - 10:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Eight years to the day today since Major League Baseball's most recent work stoppage, and the players just happen to be meeting today in Chicago, likely setting a new strike date. Insiders say there's been some progress this week and good reason for at least a little optimism that baseball will not grind to its ninth stoppage since 1972. As always, the two sides are split over player's salaries. The owners want cost controls to reign in the skyrocketing pay scales. Players want the free markets to decide.
Joining us to lend some expertise and perspective, a guy we turn to often, Tom Verducci, a senior writer for "Sports Illustrated," joining us by telephone this morning.

Tom, good morning.

TOM VERDUCCI, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing good. How are those players doing? Will they, or won't they set a strike date?

VERDUCCI: I think they will, Daryn. There's been talk all along that they feel like they need to strike date in order to interject some urgency in the negotiations. In other words, set a deadline, and hopefully that will speed up the pace of negotiations.

It also tells owners that they're serious, that if they have to, they will work out.

KAGAN: It's a whole other message to the fans, as well, though.

VERDUCCI: Yes, we've heard that message before, haven't we?

KAGAN: If I'm not mistaken, because the players also trying to tell us, well, just because we set a strike date, doesn't mean we're going on strike. But if I'm not mistaken, every single time that they've set a strike date in the past, they have indeed gone on strike.

VERDUCCI: That's right. We've never been able to get a new labor deal without some sort of work stoppage, whether it's been a strike or whether it's been a lock-out. You're right, when they do set a strike date, they have come through every time in terms of going ahead and walking out on the fans.

KAGAN: Tom, I heard two different takes on why there wouldn't be a strike over the weekend. One, from the player's standpoint, this is an entirely -- not entirely, but basically a different group of players since 1994. This is not as militant or as angry a group of players, and they don't have the stomach for a strike.

VERDUCCI: Well, I don't buy that, Daryn. We're still dealing with the same management group, in terms of who's running the unions, Donald Spear (ph) and Gene Orza (ph). Their philosophies have not changed. They still totally believe in a free market. They want to protect the status quo. Those things don't change. And to the union's credit, they have held on to those beliefs from generation to generation, player to player.

I do agree, there is not as much acrimony as their have been in the past. The biggest problem here is the luxury tax that owners want. They want some mechanism to drag salaries; that's a luxury tax. So far, the players have shown no interest at all. They've made no counter proposal for the owner's offer. That's why I can't be optimistic. Yes, they've made progress on smaller issues, big there's a big, big problem with the luxury tax.

KAGAN: As for those owners, we hear them time after time cry poverty. Hard for some of us to believe. But if indeed things are so tough, then you would think then the owners couldn't afford a strike, so they would do everything possible to make sure that there is no stop to the season.

VERDUCCI: That depends which owner you are talking about.

KAGAN: George Steinbrenner, or somebody in a poorer market?

VERDUCCI: Somebody in poorer market. If you believe former commissioner Faith Insit (ph), the banks are the ones who are going to settle a strike very quickly, because they will call in the notes on all of these debts that a lot of the small market owners are carrying.

For instance, the San Francisco Giants have a $20 million a year mortgage on their ballpark, the only ballpark that was built without taxpayer funds. How long can you stay out when you don't have the money coming in. That's the difference between players and the owners, there is a lot more agendas on owners side than the players.

KAGAN: Tom, quickly, I have to ask you about this concession that players made last week in agreeing to be tested for steroids. When it first came out, it was considered huge. Now a lot of people are saying, big deal, it doesn't have a lot of teeth, it's not that expansive.

VERDUCCI: Yes, philosophically, it was a big deal, only because they never agreed or even wanted to think about steroid testing in the past. So yes, it's a step forward. But when you look at the details, there's not a whole lot of teeth in this. There's no penalty for using steroids. They said only, we will find out how bad the problem is in the next couple years. And if even 40 or 50 players are using it, in their opinion, that's not a problem.

So, yes, have you to look at the details to know it is not exactly all that it's been cracked up to be. KAGAN: That's disappointing, as would be a strike. If they do set a date, what do you think that date will be?

VERDUCCI: Judging by happened in '94, they went out about two weeks after they set a strike date. So I think you're looking at sometime in the neighborhood of August 26, August 29. That still allows time, if they do go out on strike, to get an agreement in a couple of weeks and save the season, and hopefully the postseason. So probably the latter part of this month you will see players go out.

KAGAN: We will be watching it, not as close as you will, and we will stay in touch.

Tom Verducci, from "Sports Illustrated" magazine.

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