Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

Baseball Strike Would Affect More than Players, Fans, Owners

Aired August 16, 2002 - 14:33   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We want to return now to the story we started with, baseball, the impact. There is talk that a strike deadline -- actually, a strike deadline has been set. August 30 is the date.
Jeff Flock joins us now from Chicago. He is outside of Wrigley Field. They have got a day game going on, and fans are there -- Jeff, what are they saying?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Marty, we talked to both players as well as fans, and I don't think anybody wants to have a strike come up right now, but it is not a happy day at the ballpark. We came out -- just outside the advanced ticket window. Perhaps you can see the venerable Wrigley Field off behind me here. Trying to talk to some guys that maybe were thinking about buying advanced tickets.

What did you tell me? You just turned in some tickets from April...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had four tickets from a rain out from April 27, and I cashed them in for September 11 and September 4.

FLOCK: Well, if there is a strike, that may not happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is what I hear, and I am not happy about that.

FLOCK: Baseball going to be badly impacted if this goes down?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it might. The last time around, there was a lot of people that left and didn't come back. I still came back, but it might not happen this time.

FLOCK: Appreciate it, that is great. You said you also stayed away from the ballpark about a couple years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did, yes. It was unfortunate the last time in '94 that it took a special occasion in '98 with Sosa and McGwire to bring the fans back, and I just hope they get their issues worked out this time a little quicker, and hopefully they won't actually have to use the strike date that they have set.

FLOCK: Still some optimistic Cub fans back there. We'll let you go in and do it. You know, one other thing, Marty, we talked to one guy who had to go into the stadium, but said, You know, what they ought to do this time, what President Reagan did with PATCO, the air traffic controllers. That is, fire them all and start again. Some of the other people that are upset about this are guys that make their living selling things outside. If there is a strike, you are shut down aren't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. There is my money for college and everything, so, I mean, if they do have a strike, a lot of guys like me are in trouble, so...

FLOCK: Doesn't just impact the fans and the players and the owners?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. There are at least 100, 200, 300 people inside that are -- this is their livelihood, this is how they feed their families, so -- you know, a strike will not be good for anybody, players, owners, right down to us working guys.

FLOCK: I hear you. Well, good luck to you. Hope it doesn't come off that way.

There you go, Marty. Obviously, if this thing were to come off and, of course, the players -- we talked to Mark Grace out on the field earlier who said, This can't happen. This can't happen, but we are ready for it to if it needs to.

You figure it out.

SAVIDGE: We are all trying to figure it out, Jeff. Thanks very much. Jeff Flock reporting to us from Chicago.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com