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American Morning

Baseball Fans Waiting for Word on Strike

Aired August 29, 2002 - 08:29   ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to the baseball talks right now. Getting down to the bottom of the ninth for baseball, two outs, full count, baseball needs to score. Negotiators for the players and the owners continue their talks today in New York after failing to reach agreement yesterday. Players set to trade baselines for picket lines tomorrow afternoon unless there is a new deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUD SELIG, MLB COMMISSIONER: These things generally go to the last second. But you hope that somehow you can avoid that. You do get on dangerous ground when you don't have a deal done late in the day, late at night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Bud Selig in New York, apparently, though, not taking part in the negotiations just yet.

Now, if the negotiations strike out, it could be last call for baseball.

CNN's John Zarrella from Florida now spent some time with fans who may have seen their last game in the season. For their view, here's Zarrella in Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stu Hoffman (ph) and Irving Levinson (ph) came to watch their beloved Mets. Bob and Jackie Morse came just because they love the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fat, the ball, glove, catch, that's, to me that's everything.

ZARRELLA: Marlette Cabrera (ph), well, she loves someone who plays the game, even though he doesn't play for either of the teams playing here.

MARLETTE CABRERA (ph): I love you, Jeeter. I'm always going to be your number one fan. I love you.

ZARRELLA: On a drizzly night in Florida, when there weren't enough fans to fill an arc, the diehards, the loyalists of baseball fans came out to what might have been the last game of the season for the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets. Neither team plays again before the strike deadline, a strike that, if it happens, lots of folks in the stands admitted they'd do the biblical right thing -- turn the other cheek again and come back when it's over.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like the game so I'd be back no matter what.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I hate to say it, but I would.

ZARRELLA: Of course, the pool of fans the owners and players have to worry about bringing back are those so disgusted with the game they're going on their own permanent strike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the ball players go on strike, that's it. After 50 years, no more baseball for me. I'm out. Football.

ZARRELLA: It's difficult, the players admit it, getting fans to appreciate that while it's a sport, baseball is big business.

TIM RAINES, FLORIDA MARLINS: It's just hard to comprehend because there's no, not too many fans that are up in the stands making the type of money that we're making out on the field.

AL LEITER, NEW YORK METS: Fans don't care about luxury tax and thresholds and percentages and revenue sharing and everything else. They just want to make sure that they can watch their baseball team play.

ZARRELLA: Neither does the guy trying to make a buck hawking beer in a green hat with ears and a trunk.

(on camera): One thing I'm going to miss if the players go on strike is a bag of peanuts. It just goes with baseball. But here in south Florida, as you can see by the empty stands, the fans aren't likely to miss baseball.

(voice-over): The Marlins have the worst average attendance in the game. They're next to last in their division, trailed only by the Mets. So a strike would actually bring a merciful end to two disappointing seasons.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, thank you, John.

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