Spring has not reached Hanover yet, but in Florida and Arizona, the sun is shining brightly on Major League baseball in more ways than one. This summer, for the first time in three seasons, baseball will see its first complete season and players and owners are now closer than ever to signing a new contract.
Both sides are hopeful that they can reach a labor agreement by opening day (March 31). Representatives for the players and owners have been negotiating since mid-November. The most refreshing part of the negotiations has been a virtual press blackout. The nation does not want to see bitter players in limousines whining about how much they are not getting paid.
Last week the owners agreed among themselves to modify their current system of sharing revenues. Under the new system, several small-market teams will receive needed transfers for as much as four million dollars next year.
Major League baseball also has renegotiated its television contract. This year television audiences will see the return of the Game of the Week, as well as complete coverage of the playoffs.
For all the new changes in baseball, several issues remain unresolved. Most importantly and despite progress, a labor agreement. Negotiators for both sides have been intermittently swapping numbers for the last year, but last week's cut in the demands of owners is a strong sign of hope.
At issue still is the service time credited during the 1994 strike, and a tax on teams with high payrolls. Service time determines a player's eligibility for arbitration and free agency. In effect, the more service time a player has, the more money he will make. Players have made the absurd demand of getting credit for the time in the 1994 season when they were on strike. They chose to go on strike. One of the consequences they must accept is the loss of service time.
Another thorn in the side of baseball is the lack of a commissioner for the fifth straight season. The so-called interim commissioner, Bud Selig, has been at the helm for the entire time. The search for a new commissioner still continues, but if they can not pick a commissioner after four years of searching, there is no way they will find one anytime soon.
Also yet to be decided is the fate of the designated hitter. Players want to see its use expanded to the National League, while owners want to eliminate it from the American League.
It may appear that the negatives outweigh the positives, but compared to a year ago at this time, significant progress has been made. Owners say ticket sales are up over last year, showing that fans do forget. We always do.
