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Show The SalU.ake Tribune, Monday, January 20, 1986 D3 Owners Are Winning Escalating Player Contract War By Jerome Holtzman Chicago Tribune Writer The absence of a bidding war between clubs for free agents has caused a predictable reaction joyous cheering (privately, not publicly) by the club owners, distress in the office of the Major League Baseball Association. Players It appears that the clubs have rewritten the rules with the effect that there has been no free agency this year, conceded Don Fehr, the acting executive director of the players union. Of the 62 players who declared for free all with their agency, 25 have former clubs. And with two minor exceptions, neither of consequence, none of the 62 free agents have received a contract offer from a rival club. It is the first time in the 10 years since the destruction of the reserve clause that the owners refused to compete against each other. The result is that, at most, there will only be a slight increase, perhaps as little as 5 percent, in player salaries in 1986. The owners are entitled to view it as a victory, said Tom Reich of Los Angeles, a respected and veteran agent who represents dozens of players. Theyre feeling good that, for the first time, they were able to stick to Lendl Whips Becker in Masters Final Continued From gether. But I don't believe everyone should be so surprised. Theres no such thing as straight " up in economics. A correction was expected The owners contend that the correction was long overdue. The average major league salary last season was $363,000, an increase of 11 percent Lorn the year before. Fehr has been cautious in his remarks and has not directly charged the owners with collusion. He plans, in the next month or two, "to talk to everyone who was or is a free agent, obviously for the purpose of collecting data that would be used if the association challenges the owners in court. he negoBarry Rona, Fehr's counterpart tiates for management is aware of the possibility of litigation. But Rona insists there is no need for him or any of the owners to explain the absence of bidding The clubs have been moving in the direction of less bidding, Rona said. There is nothing in the Basic Agreement the collective contract that binds the owners and players together that stipulates a club must bid for a free agent. This is a club decision. Each club decides on its own. Still, it does seem more than coincidence that the 25 free agents who have agreed to a new contract are returning to their former clubs. Last year, for example, 23 of the 33 free before Opening Day agents who made a new connection Although precise figures are not available, the educated guess is that about 80 percent of the free agents before this year jumped to other clubs. In 1977, for example, in the first year of free conagency, 12 players signed million-dolla- r tracts. Reggie Jackson, jumping from Baltimore to the Yankees, was the money leader with a $3 million contract for five years At that time, and for several years thereafter, there was little attempt by the owners to resign "their players after they had filed for free agency. This was of no concern because other owners, such as George Steinbrenner of the Yankees, the late Ray Kroc of San Diego, Ted Turner of Atlanta and Gene Autry of California, repeatedly engaged in bidding wars for the quality players available on the open market. Times have changed, said Jim Bronner, a Chicago-base- d agent. The owners are a lot tougher today. Reich agrees. There is no sense in crying about it, but the entire negotiating environment has become more difficult. The momentum appears to have swung, the owners are trying to impose some new wrinkles and theyre succeeding. What I find significant is heart-stoppin- 2-- HIGH EFFICIENCY CARRIER 125,000 BTU FURNACE NO DOWN NO PAYMENT NO INTEREST Associated Press Laserphoto Utah middle distance runner Paul Cummings crosses the finish line to win Houston Marathon Sunday in time of 2:11:31. OPEN A price! & (till April 9, 1986) club. But Gibson, who has considerably more to lost than Ecldw.n, may have been more real 2.11:39. 2-- X The indications are that Doug Baldwin, Gibsons agent, did not want him to accept the offer of $4 2 million. Baldwin Tigers was apparently convinced that the May 1 penalty could have been avoided because Gibson could have made a better deal with another - 5-- 5, at a Brand There were three possibilities- (1) Gibson would have signed with another club, (2) lacking a better or more attractive offer, he could with the Tigers but in doing so have would not be eligible to play until May 1, thus missing the first six weeks of the season; or (3) he could have sat out the entire year. HOUSTON (UPI) Paul Cummings of Ogden, Utah, broke away from Canadian David Edge in the final mile Sunday to win the Houston-Tennec- o Marathon by eight seconds. Cummings finished in 2.11.31 to win the 14th annual race, which drew more than 3,800 entries. Edge, from Burlington, Ontario, finished in 3-- Efficiency d Cummings Wins Houston Marathon 5-- 3, Carrier "I experienced a minor regret when Kirk Gibson signed," said Brian David, another Chicago-baseagent. "Just for the sake of my own curiosity, I wonder what would have happened if Gibson hadn't signed." 3,800 Runners D-- l Lendl didnt give him many. Becker changed his racket four or five times he said they were all and had some strung too loosely words with his coach, Gunther Bosch, seated at courtside. The latter is strictly against the rules, but umpire Richard Kaufman let it slide. I was talking to him Bosch before, but not today, Becker said. Today there was nothing to talk about. That was especially true of the first set, which was replete with spotty play by the German and which Lendl won with ease in 32 minutes. In the second set, Becker broke Lendls serve in the second game, then held his own serve for a 0 lead. But serving for the set at Becker netted an easy forehand volley off a Lendl service return that gave the Czechoslovak a break point. Despite the loud exhortations and rhythmic clapping of the hundreds of West German visitors in the crowd of 16,227, Becker followed with a long forehand drive to drop his serve. At Becker held serve from and Lendl followed by holding serve from saving a set point in the process with one of his nine aces. In the with Lendl ahead Becker employed one of g his patented, dives to spear a backhand volley and send it deep and across the court. Lendl wheeled and raced backward, snaring the ball with a backhand flip that carried it down the line and past a disbelieving Becker. Lendl didn't lose another point in the and it was two sets to love, not one set all. I felt that point at 1 was a very important point, Lendl said. I got very excited after that, and I had a run of points. I think it broke him down mentally." that none of the players who have signed have been given more than a three-yea- r contract Also significant is that rather than give the entire market a full test, Kirk Gibson of the Tigers, Donnie Moore of the Angels and Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, the three 1986 prewith their mier free agents, chose to i former clubs DESERET FEDERAL INTEREST PLUS CD . . . Veronique Marot of Leeds, England, won the womens division in 2.31.33, followed by Francie Larrieu Smith of Buda, Texas, who finished her first marathon ever in 2.33.36. Cummings and Marot each received $25,000 and a $150,000 life insurance policy for winning the $150,000 event. Cummings and Edge ran shoulder-to-shouldinto the final mile before Cummings gradually stretched his lead to 100 yards at the finish line. They were more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field, with Jerry Kiernan of Dublin, Ireland, finishing at 2.12.44 and Roy Anderson of Oslo, Norway, in 2.12:57. Donald Janicki of Tucson, Ariz., the top American finisher at the Chicago Marathon, was fifth in 2.13.11, followed by defending champion Marty Froelick, who had been favored to win his second straight Houston title. Marot, who finished third in last years Houston race and was fifth at Chicago, led the entire way over Smith, who has won 16 national distance running championships in 15 years and is the top American woman in the 10,000 meters. Third in the womens division at 2.33:39 was Bente Moe of Oslo, Norway, who finished fifth last year. West Germans Christa Vahlensteck and Heidi Hutterer were fourth and fifth at 2.35:42 and 2.35:55, respectively. Laverne Achenbah of Birmingham, Ala., outdistanced seven competitors to win the handicapped division in 2.06 21. STANDARD 975 THE CARRIER GS GAS FURNACE Quality and efficiency in an affordable furnace. mu Helps Engines Last Longer Saves Gas Easy-pou- r, Resealable Plastic Container $6.95case $.58 per 0) POLLARD MMTiNC i iAlUiAl quart (with mfg. rebate) Mobil 1 in Performance and Protection Allows 25,000 Miles Between Oil Changes Flows at 55 F and Pumps to Critical Parts at 35 F -- -- Jm. 5W-3- 0 & 15W-5- 0 AH CONDITIONING CO 566-712- $34.95case 1 $2.91 per Presently employed earning 30,000 t per year A prolessional that would like to develop an additional six figure income without leaving your present position A proven recruiter and closerThen I want to talk to you. CALI1272I923ir0DAYi quart (with mfg. rebate) ira nang IF YOU ARE ... for a confidential 1 Synthetic Motor Oil FEDERAL OSkO AV.IM cause this is Johns tour and because this is the only time he has played in Utah, hell will want to live up to his reputation as being ranked as the top player in the world for a number of years. The intensity level may not be as good as you would see in a tournament, but the tennis may be as good. Still, tennis exhibitions of this sort do have their detractors and one local official who isnt certain hes fond of them is University of Utah tennis coach Harry James. While saying he is glad to see any kind of good tennis come to Salt Lake City, he said the town could support a good tournament. Im not particularly thrilled with the exhibition aspect of tennis, he said. There is a lot of feeling pro and con. The idea is that exhibitions of this type bring tennis to small communities that couldn't support good tennis. I wouldnt put Salt Lake in that category. We deserve a good tournament. James said he wr uld i.ave preferred to have seen a local star like former University of Utah NCAA national champion Greg Holmes test McEnroe in an exhibition rather than Wilander. Jan Dowse, executive director for the Utah Tennis Association, said the exhibition is good for local tennis and that she has detected plenty of interest in the match among tennis fans. Were always pleased to see some of the big names in town, particularly if theres a good response, she said. These two have created a lot of response. I think McEnroes done a great deal for tennis, even though he is controversial. That just makes people want to watch tennis. Super 10W-4- 0 DESERET fiAM In the meantime, there has been considerable cheering in the owners' box. Said Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox: "I dont think well see a decrease in salaries, but I do believe we have diminished the rate of escalation Unbelievable Prices. PLUS GREAT GIFTS! AN ft bidding Reich insists that if one of my quality players" finds himself in an identical position, he will go the route. "Well hold our ground and look for other offers," Reich said. 2 GREAT OILS. You Can AiVlNiA There was no real test on the Kirk Gibson with his situation," said Reich. "He former team and so there was no need for By Tom Wharton Tribune Sports Writer While few tennis fans will defend John McEnroes behavior on the court, the controversial player does inspire a sort of perverse curiosity which makes people want to see him play. Thats why interest locally seems to be building as McEnroes Feb. 7 exhibition match with Mats Wilander in the First Security Tennis Challenge at the Salt Palace approaches. "This town is funny when it comes to tennis, said Canyon Racquet Club manager Warren Eber. Its not a real tennis town. But, as much as people say that McEnroe is a real jerk on the court and a bad image for the game, hes still a real draw. Hes colorful and people know his name. A lot of people will pick up a ticket because theyve heard of McEnroe. Eber said interest will be high because of the caliber of the two who are ranked No. 2 players and 3 in the world at the present time and because exhibition matches are a bit different than the pressure of a tournament. McEnroe will be a little more subdued, he predicted. Exhibitions and that type of thing are different than a tournament. This is a little more low-keI think the kids who come will be very surprised. Gary Swain, the player representative for McEnroes Tennis Over America Tour, said the quality of play in an exhibition can often be better because the players are more relaxed. These events feature excellent tennis because of the committment of the players, he said. Be HIGH RATES MODEL 58GS125 Its not likely," said Fehr, "that Gibson is worth a whole lot of money to the Detroit Tigers and zero to the other teams. Still, Gibson received no other offers Had Gibson gone the route and eventually signed with another club for what was in effect no more than Detroits original offer, the players' union would have had stronger evidence of collusion. Curosity Makes Em Wild About Mac Have Your Cake and Eat It Too INSTALLATION istic It seems likely that if he hadn't signed by the Jan 8 deadline, he would have received offers from other clubs. But the question is whether or not these new offers would have been better. I doubt it. Obviously, Gibson doubted it, too. Salt Lake City, 1901 South 300 West, Ogden, 2185 Wall Avenue, Logan, 1070 West 200 South, i interview. Resume required. INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES I 467-386- 6 7 393-022- 753-493- 0 |
