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Show eJJtah Statesman CLASS ADS GET READ. \FL players go on market BY D A V E GOLDBERG The Associated Press NEW YORK - The NFLs 13 years of labor peace are over. Or so it seems after owners needed only 57 minutes Thursday to affirm their standoff with the players union. The action left the salary cap at $94.5 million for Fridays start of free agency, meaning some players will have to be cut. That will cast more players onto the market, but leave little cap space to sign them - many teams had assumed a labor agreement would be reached, giving them about $10 million more to spend. That also will have an impact on the best players in the free-agent class, led by two running backs: NFL MVP Shaun Alexander of Seattle and Edgerrin James of Indianapolis. They will certainly find fewer buyers and less money available, although two of the teams with a lot of cap room are Minnesota and Arizona, who could certainly use them or Baltimore's Jamal Lewis, another running back. The quick action by the owners - who affirmed Wednesdays rejection by their Management Council, of the unions last offer - cast a pall around the league as general managers struggled to find cap room and agents tried to figure out how to sell clients in a market with less money and a potential glut of players. "The situation is about as dire as dire can be," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said after a meeting so short that a lot of people who expected a 12-hour session arrived after most of the owners had departed the New York hotel where they met, braving a mix of ice and snow to try to get home quickly. Agents and even some league officials held out hope for a last-minute agreement or an extension of the freeagent deadline. But, unlike earlier in the week when there seemed to be hope, there was only rhetoric. "I won't come down," said Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, who is asking for 60 percent of league revenue for players, four percentage points more than the owners are offering. "The players know that. Only the owners can make a proposal." That the situation seems so dire is unusual in that there are two years left on the labor agreement first signed in 1993 and extended continually before the deadline. But unless there is an agreement, there will be no salary cap in 2007, which could create big-spending "haves" and low-revenue "have-nots," a situation that has prevailed in other sports such as baseball. That also has traps for teams and players: a player would be eligible for free agency only after six years instead of the current four; there would be no salary minimum, and annual raises would be limited to 30 percent. That is complicated by an internal dispute over revenue sharing between big- and small-money teams, a battle that has accelerated as outside revenue has increased from sources from stadium naming rights to local radio. That money is expected to be included in the new labor contract for the first time. Upshaw contends that internal dispute should be settled before the labor agreement is reached, but the owners didn't even discuss it Thursday. "Sure we should discuss it," said Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson, one of the have-nots. "But we didn't." The ramifications for this year go beyond free agency. Cap problems will make it hard for teams to sign their draft picks, especially the high ones. "We can always find creative ways to do things," said Leigh Steinberg, the agent for Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart, expected to be chosen no later than third in the draft. "But I hope by draft time we will be beyond that. As teams peer into the abyss, as they peer into the apocalypse, sanity will return. When the NFLPA and management truly recognize the nature of no agreement, their intelligence and rationality will force them into making a deal." Leinart won't be the only one to wait. So will many free agents. In addition to Alexander, James and Lewis, among the most desirable players on the market include San Francisco linebackers Julian Peterson and Andre Carter; wide receivers Antwaan Randle El of Pittsburgh and David Givens of New England; cornerbacks Charles Woodson of Oakland and Ty Law, a Pro Bowler with the Jets last season. (AND EVERY 10TH CLASS AD PLACED RECEIVES A FREE T-SHIRT! YOU CAN'T LOSE!) DONATE a Children's Book at the Basketball Game on Saturday March 4 and get a FREE Large Popcorn Renting for Fal|v University Pines 400 N. 500 E. FRIDAY FANATIC $2500 for School Year includes: All Utilities Furnished Wireless Internet Cable TV Dishwasher, Microwavt Private Bedrooms 435-770-5741 Second-Tier Tuition PUBLIC HEARING March 8, noon Taggart Student Center Sunburst Lounge •Base Deficit Redadicn 'Enrnfhmmt Services •Stodait Initiatives Everyone is invited and comments are welcome. Grammy Award Winning Tylerbrson/onlarson^ccusu.edu UTAH STATE SENIOR JUSTIN GRIFFITH cheers for the Aggies in their 87-77 win over Fresno StaetThursday night in the Spectrum. Griffith is majoring in marketing. >Loss From page 7 shot 44.1 percent and took a 37-21 advantage into the break. "I think the way we shot in the first half was really unfortunate," Pebley said. "We had some good looks, especially on the perimeter. We broke down their press, but just could not hit any shots." After shooting 46.7 percent in its last game against Nevada, the Aggies hit just 32 percent from the field against F$U. The Aggies hit just two of 16 three-pointers, but had success from the free throw line making 12 of 14 charity attempts. Jenny Gross chipped in 10 points for USU, while Lindsey Freeze added eight points off the bench. Point guard Camille Brox matched her career high with six rebounds for the third time this year. Despite the loss, the head coach found some positives as the Aggies head into their final regular season game. "I really liked the way we played the last 10 minutes of the game," Pebley said. "They played inspired and played hard" Utah State will'close the regular season at San Jose State on Saturday at 8 p.m. mountain time. The Aggies will then head to Reno, Nev. for the WAC Tournament with a game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Renowned classical guitar duo: The Assad Brothers in concert Manon Came Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall Wednesday, March 29,7:30 pw Tickets *15, USU Students free with \9 For ticket reservations and information call 797-3011 |