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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Bob May
Aired August 17, 2002 - 08:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be criminal to have a strike. They have to think about the fans a little bit more. I mean, there's some millions and millions of dollars, you know, they shouldn't complain as much as they do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's just a matter of greed for the players and I think they should just open up their eyes and realize they're making enough money as it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Say amen somebody, will you? I just, you know, billionaires versus millionaires. Really what we should do is have a representative of the fans at the bargaining table. And I suspect our next guest on the line now with us from Texas, Bob May, would happily fulfill that role.
Bob, good to have you with us.
BOB MAY, PRESIDENT, BASEBALL FANS UNITE: It's great to be on the show. And you're right, I would love to be sitting there and...
O'BRIEN: All right, if you were there, this is your opportunity now, offer us your diatribe. I assume it would be a diatribe to both the owners and then the players.
MAY: Well, let's put it this way, we've got 13 days to make a decision because a work stoppage is going to destroy this game. And this $3.5 billion...
O'BRIEN: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Bob, Bob, we've heard that before.
MAY: OK.
O'BRIEN: In '94 they said the same thing.
MAY: OK.
O'BRIEN: Destroy the game, still going. It's like the Energize bunny, can't kill it.
MAY: Well, there's something different between now and 1994.
O'BRIEN: All right, explain that.
MAY: In 1994, when they went on strike, we did not know we were going to lose a World Series. This time around, we know there's a very good possibility that we will. And I think fans have definitely had enough. And what we want fans to do is to do a hundred percent boycott for the next 13 days. Don't go to the ball park. Don't watch it on TV. No Internet. No radio. No purchasing of licensed products. And demand that they give you your money back.
Now, there's a policy that says they won't, but we're going to have on our Web site by the end of today a way that fans can do that where we will have all the contact information for their teams, for Commissioner Selig, for Donald Fehr, and we're going to want them to get to them, complain, demand refunds. And what could help right now is if the players were to take the strike date off the table and in return the owners guarantee that they'll be no lock out of players or make unilateral changes to the collective bargaining agreement following the
O'BRIEN: Bob, before I forget, what's your Web site?
MAY: Web site, www.baseballfansunite.org. We're a non-profit.
O'BRIEN: All right, let me ask you this, do you think that it is more the owners now or is it the players now that are really at the source of this impasse? Or are they both equally guilty?
MAY: Right now I'm going to lean a little bit more on the players. I think the players would have been much smarter to set a -- they had about three weeks to get bargaining done rather than this little charade of the last week of Monday delaying for three days and then setting it on Friday.
I think the players need to care more about the good of the game rather than the highest salary you can get, because the lack of competitive balance is killing this game.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this, though, really, you say let's have a fan boycott, and we've heard from a lot of fans this morning who agree with that concept. But the bottom line is they still show up at the turnstiles. They always have.
MAY: Well, right...
O'BRIEN: And implicit in the players' stance right now is that, perhaps arrogantly, they presume the fans will always be the for them.
MAY: And, Miles, you know what? The challenge I want to throw out to fans is they've got to realize that $3.5 billion comes from us. And if we keep just not forcing the issue, then we're going to end up paying the price.
O'BRIEN: What do you...
MAY: So I think it's time -- we've got 13 days to save this game and I think fans play a mighty critical role in this. O'BRIEN: That sounds a bit apocalyptic, Bob.
MAY: Yes, well, I'll tell you what. Here's, I think we've seen the worldly wisdom of the owners and players failed miserably. And I...
O'BRIEN: What worldly wisdom? I haven't seen any.
MAY: I -- well, wait a minute.
O'BRIEN: Have you?
MAY: I would recommend that everyone in the baseball community, that includes answers, players, fans, employees, media, anybody that believes in god, you'd better pray for divine intervention before August 30. And a specific question for Mr. Selig, Mr. Fehr, the owners and players, what would god do if he was in your situation? And I do not believe he would accept a work stoppage.
O'BRIEN: All right, wwgd is what Mr. May says everybody should be saying there as they continue their talks in New York City. Baseball Fans Unite. If you want to check out his Web site, through the magic of television we bring it to you live right there. That's at www.baseballfansunite.org.
Bob May, thanks for being with us. Good luck with your efforts.
MAY: The update of the Web site will be later today.
O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. Well, you can still go look at it now but check it later, too.
MAY: Thank you much.
O'BRIEN: Check it early, check it often.
Bob May, thanks for being with us.
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