MLB, in hopes of accelerating the talks, or at least getting a neutral party’s input, believe the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would provide valuable assistance in reaching a compromise. The player spoke on the condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak publicly by union officials or the executive board. The union is unlikely to accept the request, at least at this juncture, with one veteran player, with direct knowledge of the talks telling USA TODAY Sports, “It’s nothing more than a publicity stunt.’’ Federal mediation cannot enforce a settlement. The Major League Baseball Players Association, which was directly informed of the request by MLB officials Thursday afternoon, declined to publicly comment or reveal whether they would accept MLB’s offer. Major League Baseball, believing negotiations with the players union are close to reaching a stalemate, formally requested immediate assistance of a federal mediator Thursday to help resolve their differences towards reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The millionaire investor who loses half his wealth is still in a stronger financial position than the person making $50,000 a year who suffers the same loss.Watch Video: Joe Buck shares his favorite World Series memories The lords of football think that because their sport is so revered, that even if the 2011 season is affected by the lockout, fans will still return when the lockout ends. The thought that football could not possibly go away because of its extreme popularity is exactly why it can go away. I fear the NFL lockout will become the baseball strike of 1994. He seems to have taken a page from Bud Selig's book on how to behave like a commissioner who can't connect with fans and appear so meek that he inspires zero confidence in his leadership. Roger Goodell, on the other hand, appears strangely aloof. Smith lays on the invective like few other leaders in the sports world. The powers that be seem set on leading us in that direction.Įvery time DeMaurice Smith speaks, Roger Goodell must want to punch a wall. As I failed to do in 1994, we must be ready for this reality. Football, like baseball, can be taken away from the fans. Yet most fans seem to think the lockout will be over before the season begins. Surely, those who shepherd the National Football would not, could not, take it away.Īt the moment, they have. Like baseball in 1994, there are great story lines all around the game. Aaron Rodgers has ascended to the join their ranks as one of the premium quarterbacks in the league. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are a joy to watch. It's superstars are recognized the world over. Last year's Super Bowl drew more than 110 million viewers. It is infinity times more popular than every other league in America. The National Football League is a nine billion dollar revenue-generating giant. I fear the same thing may happen to a new generation. It could take from you the things you love, even the things that seemed too large to ever disappear. When baseball canceled the reminder of its 1994 season, including the World Series, I lost a part of my youth. We need to feel like we belong to the larger world. As youth, we cling to things that are bigger then ourselves. Those were tough days in the fall of 1994. I was even willing to put aside Marge Schotts' (owner of the Reds) alleged affinity for Hitler. My dad and I agreed that these were the only two teams we could ever root for again. I still remember the two teams who voted against it: the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds (and I didn't even have to use Wikipedia to look them up). There had been speculation for days that the owners, feeling their negotiations with the players were at an impasse, were going to vote to cancel the rest of the season. I remember the SportsCenter when it happened. In September, the hammer fell and my childhood ended. Surely baseball wouldn't betray such a depraved fan base. They had been a laughing stock for as long as I had followed baseball. The Montreal Expos (the Expos!) were in first place in the National League East. Two of the most important marks in the annals of baseball were within reach surely they wouldn't stop Gwynn and Williams. Matt Williams was on pace to break Roger Maris' single season home run mark. When the player's strike hit, Tony Gwynn was hitting.
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