Baseball Strike
 

I think it's ridiculous that they're even considering it. Those jerks need to push for better beer and nacho hats (as opposed to nacho chips) instead of whining so much about their pay.

-Rudey
--And people wonder why NASCAR has such a large audience when these chodes are ruining such a beautiful sport?

What the sport basically is banking on is that since it's the summer, and this is the "only" major sport going on, that the fans will eventually cave in and come back. They may be right, may be wrong, but that's basically what they want to rely on in terms of fan support in case they strike.

Every time since 1972 that the Players' Union has set a strike date, there's been a strike. If history repeats itself, the strike is inevitable. But there's two weeks left and I think if someone would just cave in then maybe something will happen. All it basically comes down to is the luxury tax.

What a season that would go to waste. The dodgers and Giants competeing for the NL wild card, the Angels actually not being Angel-Like and actually coming through in the clutch part of the season, The Mets...what a disaster.

I'll go back just because I love baseball (and sports in general) so much. But, it comes down to millionaires fighting with billionaires, and most people would think that's somewhat sad.

Ah well, at least there's Major League Soccer lol.

I totally agree with Rudey here... they are getting paid to hit a ball and run around... not to mention all the $ they make with endorsements and stuff like that... why would they complain about their wages again? I really don't understand it :confused:

It took my hometown team making it to the Series to get me back into baseball after the last strike.

This time, I don't see it happening.

i love baseball, especially the ny mets. over the years, i've gone to less and less baseball games, because it's ultra expensive. w/the economy in its present state, i think it's absolutely ridiculous that there is even talk of a baseball strike, much less the real possibility of one.

if the players strike and once play resumes afterwards, i'll still watch the games on tv, but my days of paying my hard earned money to go to shea stadium are finished.

I Agree with everything but hear is my Veiw!

These punk ass over paid crybabys suck!

I have been to Base Ball games 2 times since 1985 because it was free!

Why should they get paid $12,000 per game whether they play or not!

I played BB as a kid and was scouted by 3 NBL Teams and tried out for one!

Thank God I did not get it!

If not for the FANS who would pay for this when so many people are getting screwed by the US Govt and Corp American and do not have Jobs!

Hell let them go on strike and F--- them!

Start all over again with new kids who make errors but play with heart just like I did when I was a kid!

This goes to all PRO (?) Sports ego tripped butt munches!

Get a real job where you have to work every damn day like the peons who help pay the Money for you Asses!

Hell yes I am Mad! The KC Chefs are playing tonight on TV but I am with yall! More fun and informnative!

I am becoming more disinchanted with anytype of Pro anything except Golf! The man proves who is the best on His/Her own!

My parents and I were having a discussion about this subject this morning. My parents were like: "Who cares?!?! They are millionaires!!" I have to agree with them! Don't give them the raise!!

The only legitimate beef they have is steroid testing. Legal supplements and persciptions show up on them. You shouldn't loose job because of One Ad or ATP. Most baseball players obviously don't do illegal steroids. Look at giambi. One of my favorites but is fat and old. He wouldn't know steroids if they took him.

Raises are no really the main issue, luxury taxes for teams, etc are the main issues.

Update
 

Baseball Reaches Tentative Deal
Fri Aug 30,12:28 PM ET
By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - After a round of all-night negotiations, baseball players and owners reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract that averted a strike threatened for later Friday, The Associated Press learned.

"There is no strike," said Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, the National League player representative.

Commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr attended a morning bargaining session that wrapped up the agreement. It was the first time in nine rounds of labor talks since 1972 that baseball avoided a work stoppage.

No agreement had been signed, but the sides planned to announce the new pact at a 1 p.m. EDT news conference.

As part of a settlement, owners agreed not to eliminate teams through the 2006 season, a management official said on condition he not be identified. Owners attempted to fold the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins after last season but were stopped by Minnesota courts.

The deal was reached with little time to spare — about 3 hours before Friday's first game, between St. Louis and Chicago at Wrigley Field.

As the hours dwindled, lawyers had shuttled between the commissioner's office and union headquarters, crunching numbers and exchanging revised proposals.

Two lawyers from each side bargained until 2 a.m. before the sides broke for caucuses. Players gave owners a proposal during a 20-minute meeting that began at 4 a.m., and owners responded with a counteroffer about 6:30 a.m. The union returned with a response at 9:15 a.m.

The final meeting, which completed talks that began in January, lasted almost three hours. As soon as it ended, teams started heading to ballparks.

"The reason we set a strike date was to get something done, and we did," said John McDonald, the Cleveland Indians' player representative.

McDonald got the word from Tony Bernazard, a special assistant to the players' union.

"He said, 'We're playing tonight'," McDonald said. "That's all I wanted to hear. That's all any baseball player wanted to hear. Everyone should be thrilled."

With the deal, owners gained their most significant concessions in 26 years from a union that became one of the most powerful in the nation. The players' association has lifted the average salary of its members from $51,501 in 1976 — the last year before free agency — to $2.38 million this season.

As part of the agreement, high-revenue teams will have to share a far larger percentage of their locally generated money, and a luxury tax will be levied on high-payroll teams to discourage spending.

Since the last strike in 1994-95, a 232-day stoppage that forced cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904, the New York Yankees have won four world championships. For that very reason, commissioner Bud Selig and many team owners said they needed changes to restore competitive balance.

The mid-market teams figure to be the biggest winners in the deal, receiving much more of the their competitors' money.

The biggest losers are the Yankees, who generate the most money in baseball. The Yankees and other high-revenue teams will have to pay tens of millions of dollars to subsidize their competitors, and they may have to raise ticket prices to cover the increased revenue sharing. :mad:

"It's going to affect a lot of teams with high payrolls, there's no question about that," Yankees pitcher Steve Karsay said.

CNN confirms no strike! Thank God. Go Astros!

Kevlar281: I 100% agree with you!!!! Big Astros Fan!!! I was worried about not being able to go to a game. :confused:

ronnie

I always thought that the summer was just for looking forward to football and basketball season.

Baseball?? What's that???? :)

I'm glad there is no strike because if they did strike, the fans would never return to baseball as they did in the past. The last strike in 94-95, baseball has never fully recovered as it used to be. Last year and this year, the fans were finally coming back to baseball. And hopefully they (major league baseball) realizes that if they did strike, they would lose.
And for the salaries, my god no ones needs to be paid like Derek Jeter (by the way I hate the Yankees). No one is worth that much. I don't care people when people say oh they are professional athletes, they should get the money, Screw that.
More of my peeves.....I do think they should have a salary cap, or at least limitation oh how much an owner can spend on a player. Right now, whoever has the deepest pocket like the Yankees, have to best players money can afford. What about the owners who can't afford players like that, they can't compete with those with big bank teams.
All in all the fans lose, ticket prices are gonna rise because of this strike crap, the people who barely could afford to buy tickets now, are not going to come back because to the ticket price in the future. Sorry to say Baseball will not be American's favorite past time.
P.S. I'm also glad they didn't strike, because if they did my A's would be screwed (15 game winning streak, 1st place in AL West and 4 games in front of the Angels, YEAH!!!!!!). Just like in 94/95 the A's were in 1st place and the Giants were in 1st place and probably they was going to be another Battle of the Bay. Anyways, that's my take. :)

No strike! :D

Great news because I was really torn. A guy I grew up with is playing AAA for the Giants and he's really close to breaking through. I had vowed to not watch baseball again for a long time if the players went through with the strike, but if Tony had been called up, I think I would have been hard not to watch again.