NBA Quiz: 1) Name the top 3 in rebounds, career? 2) Name the
top 3 in games played? Answers below.
The Owners Screw Up Again
Now I”m one of those who wants to see contraction in baseball
because I”m sick of the bloated offensive numbers of the past
few seasons, due in no small part to the dilution of pitching talent
when you have 30 major league clubs. Just think back to 1960,
when there were only 16. You can”t tell me the overall quality of
pitching is better today with 300 “major league” hurlers
compared to 160, which was the case back in ”60. But having
said that, the owners have really blown it in how they are
handling the possible elimination of two franchises. Or, as the
Washington Post”s veteran writer Thomas Boswell put it.
“Sometimes baseball”s owners deliberately confront the players”
union, even when it is unnecessary and counterproductive.
“Sometimes they do it within hours of a contract expiration.
“Sometimes baseball”s leaders try to extort new ballparks, built
with public money.
“Sometimes they provoke lawsuits by outraged citizens that
serve no purpose and harm the sport.
“Sometimes they choose the moments when baseball is most
popular to behave in their greediest and most arrogant manner.
“Sometimes the commissioner of the sport is sent out before the
public to make statements that so misrepresent the facts that the
phrase ”more lies” leaps to the minds of longtime fans.
“And sometimes.they do it all at once.”
Following are some quotes from the leaders of the two sides,
Commissioner Bud Selig (acting on behalf of the owners) and
Donald Fehr (players union president).
Selig: “It makes no sense for baseball to be in markets that
generate insufficient local revenues to justify the investment in
the franchises. The teams to be contracted have a long record of
failing to generate enough revenues to operate a viable
franchise.”
Fehr: “Over this last season, and, especially, over the last several
weeks, we have been reminded, vividly, of the special place
baseball holds in America. This makes it all the more
unfortunate that the clubs would choose this moment to dash the
hopes of so many of its fans.
“And, of course, this is the worst manner in which to begin the
process of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.
We had hoped that we were in a new era, one that would see a
much better relationship between players and owners. (This)
announcement is a severe blow to such hopes.”
“Imprudent and unfortunate, this decision has been made
unilaterally, without any attempt to negotiate with the players,
apparently without any serious consideration of other options,
including relocation, and seemingly with little concern for the
interests of the fans. We consider this action to be inconsistent
with the law, our contract, and perhaps most important, the long-
term welfare of the sport.”
Now what happened the other day is that the owners voted 28-2
to eliminate two clubs. While the vote is supposed to be secret, it
is rumored that the two dissenters were Minnesota and Montreal,
the same teams that are to be folded. But there is a lot more to
the story.
Supposedly, part of the deal is that the Expos” owner, Jeffrey
Loria, who wants to stay in baseball, would take over the Florida
Marlins franchise, while the Marlins” owner, John Henry, would
then take over the Anaheim Angels from the Disney Corp.,
which apparently wants to get out of the baseball business. The
two clubs that are folded were to receive up to $250 million
apiece as a buyout, so in the Disney scenario, Disney would get
the $250K that would have otherwise gone to Loria.
The remaining 28 teams would then retain a bigger share of all
the licensing and broadcast revenue going forward. The current
TV contract, for example, is worth $2.5 billion.
Of course one of the issues concerning both Montreal and
Minnesota has been the fact that they were unable to secure
public financing of new stadiums, so there are some who say this
is all a ploy by Selig to get the respective cities to approve new
parks. That”s not likely to happen.
All of this occurs as the players contract has expired, and now
they are expected to suck it up and accept the loss of 50 major
league positions, as well as over 200 minor league jobs between
the two franchises that would be folded. It”s going to get messy.
Aside from the inevitable labor issues involved here, there is a
small chance that Congress will get all huffy over the issue of
relocating one of the struggling teams to the Northern Virginia /
Washington area. The chief impediment to this is Baltimore
Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who is one of the truly awful
people on the planet. Angelos claims, of course, that his
franchise”s attendance would be severely impacted by the
addition of a new club in the Baltimore / Washington metro area.
Put a good club on the field, Angelos, and it won”t matter, you
dirt bag. [Oops, he”s a big attorney…we better delete this…]
Lastly, as the Star-Ledger”s Mike Vaccaro put it, “The owners
are trying yet again to invent bargaining chips out of thin air, the
better to end their 29-year losing streak against the players
association. The owners plead poverty every year, then act as if
a gun was held to their heads forcing them to sign the contracts
that turn every free agent of the moment into a mogul.”
To be continued.
President Bush…November 6
[Another in our ongoing effort to make sure we don”t lose focus
and stay patient. Excerpts from the president”s speech to Central
and Eastern European leaders, one in which he lays out the
threats in rather stark terms.]
You are our partners in the fight against terrorism, and we share
an important moment in history. For more than 50 years, the
peoples of your region suffered under repressive ideologies that
tried to trample human dignity. Today our freedom is threatened
once again.
Like the fascists and totalitarians before them, these terrorists –
Al Qaeda, the Taliban regime that supports them, and other terror
groups across our world – try to impose their radical views
through threat and violence. We see the same intolerance of
dissent, the same mad global ambitions, the same brutal
determination to control every life and all of life.
We have seen the true nature of these terrorists in the nature of
their attacks. They kill thousands of innocent people and then
rejoice about it. They kill fellow Muslims, many of whom died
in the World Trade Center that terrible morning, and then they
gloat. They condone murder and claim to be doing so in the
name of a peaceful religion.
Al Qaeda operates in more than 60 nations, including some in
Central and Eastern Europe. These terrorist groups seek to
destabilize entire nations and regions. They”re seeking chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons. Given the means, our enemies
would be a threat to every nation and, eventually, to civilization
itself.
So we”re determined to fight this evil, and fight until we”re rid of
it. We will not wait for more innocent deaths. We will not wait
for the authors of mass murder to gain the weapons of mass
destruction. We act now because we must lift this dark threat
from our age and save generations to come.
The people of my nation are now fighting this war at home. We
face a second wave of terrorist attacks in the form of deadly
anthrax that has been sent through the U.S. mail. Our people are
responding to this new threat with alertness and calm. Our
government is responding to treat the sick, provide antibiotics to
those who have been exposed, and track down the guilty.
And we fight abroad with our military, with the help of many
nations, because the Taliban regime of Afghanistan refused to
turn over the terrorists.
And we”re making good progress in a just cause. Our efforts are
directed at terrorists and military targets because, unlike our
enemies, we value human life. We do not target innocent people,
and we grieve for the difficult times the Taliban have brought to
the people of their own country.
Our military is systematically pursuing its mission. We”ve
destroyed many terrorist training camps. We have severed
communication links. We”re taking out air defenses. And now
we”re attacking the Taliban”s front lines.
I”ve seen some news reports that many Afghan citizens wish the
Taliban had never allowed the Al Qaeda terrorists into their
country. I don”t blame them. And I hope those citizens will help
us locate the terrorists, because the sooner we find them, the
better the people”s lives will be.
The defeat of terror requires an international coalition of
unprecedented scope and cooperation. It demands the sincere,
sustained actions of many nations against a network of terrorist
cells and bases and funding.
Later this week at the United Nations, I will set out my vision of
our common responsibilities in the war on terror. I will put every
nation on notice that these duties involve more than sympathy or
words. No nation can be neutral in this conflict, because no
civilized nation can be secure in a world threatened by terror.
The war against terrorism will be won only when we combine
our strengths. We have a vast coalition that includes many Arab
and Muslim countries. The head of the 22-nation Arab League
rejected the claims of the terrorist leader and said he, Osama bin
Laden, doesn”t speak in the names of Arabs and Muslims.
Increasingly, it is clear that this is not just a matter between the
United States and the terror network. As the Egyptian foreign
minister said, there is a war between bin Laden and the whole
world. All of us here today understand this: We do not fight
against Islam. We fight against evil.
The last time I was in Warsaw, I talked of our shared vision of a
Europe that is whole and free and at peace. I said we are
building a house of freedom whose doors are open to all of
Europe”s people and whose windows look out to global
opportunities beyond. Now that vision has been challenged, but
it will not change. With your help, our vision of peace and
freedom will be realized. And with your help, we will defend the
values we hold in common.
—
Stuff
–I have to admit that I haven”t been following country music the
last year as closely as I normally do, but should I be surprised
that Toby Keith and Tim McGraw won ”best vocalist” and
”entertainer of the year” at Wednesday”s CMA awards? I think
so. [I noticed that McGraw didn”t thank his father, former
baseball pitcher Tug McGraw. Of course they haven”t had the
closest of relationships.] I was hoping George Strait would
win.now no one puts together better albums than he does. And
this rambling is just another excuse to give a plug for going to
Nashville and catching the Grand Ole Opry. It is a great show,
plus now I think the editor has to make a special trip to see the
new Country Hall of Fame!
–Boston College / Miami: Ah, can I change my bet? I didn”t
realize that the nation”s leading rusher, BC”s William Green, has
been suspended for the contest. Hey, maybe this will be one of
those Timmy Smith deals and the #2 RB will step up to have the
game of his life? Smith, you”ll recall, was the guy who ran for
204 yards in Super Bowl XXII against Denver, 78 more than he
gained the entire regular season. He was out of football two
years later at age 26, having gained just another 476 yards.
–Here”s another sign of the coming apocalypse. The AP reports
that the head of an anti-violence group was arrested and charged
with punching a referee during his 7-year-old son”s flag football
game down in the Sarasota, FL area.
270-pound Trevor Harvey, coach of his son”s team, had to be
pulled off the referee, who had earlier penalized him twice for
unsportsmanlike conduct. Harvey is president of a local chapter
of MAD DADS, a group that steers young people away from
crime. He was arrested for battery.
–Harry K. was disturbed over the story of the NC woman who
was attacked by a deer while doing her laundry.
“Hitherto I had been hoping that Bambi wouldn”t end up draped
over the hood of some hunter”s car, but after this senseless attack
on that old lady, I say turn the evil young buck into venison and
hang his stuffed head on the rec room wall as a deterrent to
others of his ilk. In the past we were prepared to attribute these
deer shenanigans to youthful exuberance, as the young bucks
gathered at the water hole to rub the velvet off their antlers, but
no longer. Lock and load, gentlemen, and end the threat of these
marauding ruminants once and for all.”
[The preceding totally represents the opinion of the editor of
StocksandNews as well.]
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/9/63: #1 “Sugar Shack” (Jimmy
Gilmer & The Fireballs) #2 “Deep Purple” (Nino Tempo &
April Stevens) #3 “Washington Square” (The Village Stompers)
NBA Quiz Answer: 1) Rebounds: #1 Wilt (23,924) #2 Bill
Russell (21,620) #3 Kareem (17,440). [Actually, the rest of the
top ten is kind of interesting. #4 Elvin Hayes #5 Moses Malone
#6 Robert Parish #7 Nate Thurmond #8 Walt Bellamy #9 Wes
Unseld #10 Hakeem Olajuwon (who should move into the 9 slot
this year) 2) Games played: #1 Robert Parish (1,611)
#2 Kareem (1,560) #3 John Stockton (1,340)
Next Bar Chat, Monday…some items for Veterans Day.
