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Show Mow About The Baseball Strike By DAVE WIGHAM The baseball strike seems to be a big topic in the world of sports today. Many folks have stopped me on the street to ask my thoughts on the subject. Those many folks add up to my wife asking me once what I thought. AS FAR as I'm concerned I don't really care that there is no major league baseball. That's not to say that I'm against the game, I guess it's just the fact that living here in Utah we don't get to see the majors play so we really don't have the chance to miss it. One good thing about the strike that I see is that the local television stations really have to come up with local stuff to fill the slot where they used to rattle off the scores. Now I'm a sports fan from the word go, but I really don't want to hear the scores each night. Baseball isn't the only ones in this boat. I don't care to hear National Hockey League scores either, or the NBA scores each night. Just localize the thing, tell us how bad the Jazz got beat and I'm happy. SPORTS ISN'T the only gripe in this area either, while I'm on the subject, I for one couldn't care less what the weather was like in New York all all day. Just tell me what it's going to be like tomorrow here in Utah so I can plan my golf game accordingly. Well anyway back to the strike. My biggest question ques-tion would have to be where is Bowie Kuhn the Commissioner of the sport. Usually anything major happens and he steps right in and throws in his two cents worth and settles the issue. THE WHOLE strike revolves around the compensation compen-sation thing and the commissioner seems to want nothing to do with it. Yet he's the same guy that will veto a trade between two teams simply because in his mind it isn't good for baseball. Is this strike good for the game? Heavens Bowie step in and take control. They have some guy from the government trying to get the two sides together and this guy probably doesn't even care if baseball is ever played again or not. BASEBALL HAS always been run on a dictatorship dictator-ship level and yet when they need him the most Mr. Kuhn is no where to be seen or heard from. Another point that gets to me is the fact that the owners don't bargain for themselves. They have a guy, they must be paying a fortune to, to go in and argue for them. If I'm in a fight with someone I would just as soon be looking that guy in the face than some negotiator that he's sent in. THE PLAYERS have sent four of their own to battle this thing out. 1 honestly feel if the owners would do the same then baseball would be in action again in a short time. Try and tell me George Stein-brenner Stein-brenner wouldn't iron this thing out in a hurry. Then too, we the fans have to believe they are seriously trying to settle the strike when they meet for 15 minutes every four days. Come on guys, what goes on in these meetings that last about IS big ones. I can see it now, they all get in there and then Ray Greeby, the owners' main man, says we haven't changed our minds let's go home and watch Bonanza. NOW THE BIG thing is the owners' insurance policy that pays them for every game they miss. Pay them to the tune of $100,000 each contest. No wonder won-der the owners are in no hurry. Without salaries to pay and the such, they could make money without playing. Right now I don't miss the game. Even the Saturday Satur-day games with Tony and Joe were getting out of hand. Let's see this week do we get to see Cincinnati or Los Angeles? And I enjoy the sports on television televi-sion without all those boring scores, let's see more of that local stuff. IF THEY want to settle the strike I have two easy steps to do it.Number one get Bowie Kuhn to take some action on the matter "for the good of the game". And number two get rid of the middle man and get some owners in there. Maybe if the insurance company refuses to pay the owners would get going in a hurry. |