Show rnihTtm mm jmmm The bottom line: The average salary has risen from about $325000 in 1984 to perhaps $800000 this season Three franchises Boston Los Angeles and Oakland now have payrolls in excess of $30 million “Seattle’s total revenue will be less than the Boston Red Sox payroll this year” says baseball commissioner Fay Vincent “Sure it seems strange” Lasorda says “None of us ever envisioned this” Opening Day is Monday But already baseball big shots like Roger Clemens Jose Canseco and Darryl Strawberry BASEBALLhasdone a pretty I good job holding down ticket prices as salaries soar In 1984 you could get into a Yankees game in New York City for a buck and a half Today general-admissitickets run $350 to $450 But prices at concessions and parking lots have ballooned And the specter that ticket prices might skyrocket to salaries — or that fund ever-risiTV might be on baseball’s horizon — makes fans shudder “It’s insanity” says Pittsburgh lawyer — and former Pirates fan — Bill Helzlsouer “They’ve already lost me They may lose an entire generation” Helzlsouer 43 grew up attending Pirates games at Forbes Field for a dollar Now he says he can’t afford to take his four kids to a game the tab runs $75 with tickets food and parking Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale now a Dodger broadcaster says that as long as the owners don’t raise ticket prices too much it’ll be OK “But once that day comes look out” (Attendance dipped slightly last year to 548 million from 1989’s record 551 million) At stake is one of the game’s most basic foundations: Parents who pass their love of baseball down to their children with a trip to the ballpark Such a family atmosphere flourishes in Buffalo where the Class AAA have made minor-leaghistory by drawing more than a million fans the past three seasons Owner Robert Rich Jr is going after a franchise in the majors and Buffalo is one of six finalists for either of the two new National League teams to be birthed in 1993 But Rich is so worried about baseball’s new economics that he is considering withdrawing from the race “Right now we’re offering afford-SO FAR are changing the game on with their huge new salaries The fans might ng be left holding the bag BY DAVID LEON MOORE his is Tommy Lasorda’s time of year In his 42nd season with the Dodgers — his 15th as manager — the blustery ever optimistic King of Spring hasn’t changed a bit Cut him he says and he’ll bleed Dodger blue But Lasorda and all of baseball is preoccupied this season with another colon green More specifically the megabucks being paid to ballplayers Pay has escalated so dramatically that as the 1991 season begins it pops up in baseball talk before anyone can speculate on whether the Cincinnati Reds can repeat their stunning World Series triumph of 1990 “It’s all people want to talk about” Lasorda says “They say ‘When is it going to stop? What’s going on?’ ” strikThe questions are heart tie of the at grassgame’s ing roots popularity Will ticket prices rise to the point that baseball becomes unaffordable as family entertainment? Will money change the game we see? Will players play to win or simply to cash their monstrous paychecks? 4 USA WEEKEND April 5-- 7 1991 T - fifwttefflaiss MlSe i -- Jbd Soi £J&v4n a nttf r Boston f- tort contract : - -- V Jgag ‘ J TV?-- '- 1b The salary figures as of mid-Mar- ch were staggering: Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox was No 1 at $538 million a year Other top earners: Jose Canseco of the Oakland A’s $47 million Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres $408 million Darryl Strawberry of Lasorda’s Dodgers $405 million At press time New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden was balking at a $46 million offer A third of major leaguers make at least At least 40 players make more than $3 million a year although that number might have gone up in the past hour or two $1 million a year i3 Z-'- s - -- 'V -m Brothers Randy and Alan Hendricks agents who negotiate contracts for about 60 players (roughly 10 percent of all major leaguers) negotiated new contracts for 18 clients this winter Value of the 18 deals: $86487 million Though salaries have exploded in the past year they’ve been rising steadily since players won the right in 1976 to offer themselves to the highest bidder what baseball calls “free agency” Salary arbitration raised the ante further And the spending spree really got going after owners attracted national TV contracts from CBS and ESPN to- taling nearly $15 billion starting last year and running through 1993 Bi-so- ns ue |