Will McDonough: Locked-Out Until Christmas

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

                                [The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
                                [Boston Globe Online / Sports]

                                Yankee cable hookup?

                                Steinbrenner mulls selling franchise

                                By Will McDonough, Globe Columnist, 09/19/98

                               <snip>

                                There might be NBA games this year ... but maybe not until Christmas. As the
                                lockout continues, word is that commissioner David Stern has rallied the
                                owners into a tighter group than he's ever had. They are ready to play
                                hardball.

                                How the labor strife plays out will depend upon a ruling by an arbitrator who
                                has conducted a hearing on whether some players with guaranteed contracts have
                                to be paid. If he rules no, which the owners expect, the decision will be easy
                                for them. They'll wait for the rank-and-file to start missing paychecks and
                                beefing to their union leaders.

                                This lockout was triggered by the owners' desire to eliminate the so-called
                                Larry Bird Exception - which allows a team to pay whatever it wants to a free
                                agent already on its roster, regardless of the salary cap. At present, only 22
                                players fall into that category.

                                As a compromise, look for the owners to offer to grandfather the Bird Rule
                                players for three or four years. This way, most of them will be covered for
                                the rest of their careers.

                                Then the owners will try to do a deal without the Bird Rule that would
                                guarantee more money to the middle class and reserves.

                                If the arbitrator rules in favor of the players, which means that the owners
                                would have to pay about half the players in the league during the lockout
                                (wouldn't that be a crazy scenario?), then it would be harder for them to hang
                                tough for a long period.

                               <snip>
                                Will McDonough is a Globe columnist.

                                This story ran on page G01 of the Boston Globe on 09/19/98.
                                © Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -