Oakland has gone from A's to Z's in two years

Sporting News, The, June 13, 1994 by Peter Pascarelli

Meanwhile, the owners are concluding a meeting this week in Cincinnati, presumably to formulate what would be their first proposal to the players. However, that could be difficult amid indications that there are growing divisions among several factions of owners. Some are intent on being firm against the union in search of a salary cap; others are unwilling to jeopardize a season or take the public-relations hit that a work stoppage would inflict; and still others are frustrated at their lack of input into the process or have lost confidence in their negotiator, Richard Ravitch.

If all this sounds familiar, then you're right. It has happened in one form or another the last eight times baseball has negotiated a labor contract.

But what's different now is real evidence that at least a dozen clubs are losing money. What's different now is a new playoff system that has yet to be widely accepted and would become a joke if a significant number of games would be lost to a strike. What's different now is the new Baseball Network, which can ill afford to lose games after making encouraging strides in generating corporate interest. What's different now is the growing gap of earning within the union between groups of players making millions and a large group making substantially less. And there is one less commissioner to intervene in negotiations.

So as repulsive as all this stuff might be to hear about, keep an eye on the next few weeks because the immediate future of the game could hang in the balance.

Chamberlain deal

After giving thought to acquiring Ron Gant, Larry Walker or Darryl Strawberry, the Red Sox ended up dealing for West Chamberlain. The price was not steep from Boston's perspective: middle reliever Paul Quantrill and outfielder Bill Hatcher.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain's development into a legitimate power-hitting outfielder has stalled in recent years. And there is much question about his work ethic and attitude. So the deal is hardly a certain cure-all for the Red Sox.

However, it is illustrative of the caution being shown by many clubs and the difficulty of making deals for big-name players such as Walker or other free agents to-be Gregg Jefferies or Mark Grace. As Blue Jays G.M. Pat Gillick says, the combination of labor uncertainty, the new divisions that keep more teams in contention, the lack of pitching everywhere and the desire of most clubs to trade expensive veterans for young prospects is going to make it very difficult to make significant moves.

Around the bases

At this point, the best guess among baseball people is that Strawberry, waived by L.A., will wind up in San Francisco. However, the big question is whether Strawberry plays this season. His legal problems and uncertain physical condition make him very questionable for the '94 season. . . . Cincinnati has begun shopping disappointing righthander Erik Hanson. . . . Sluggish attendance in Houston and Cincinnati would seem to indicate that realignment may have hurt those N.L. Central clubs, as much as any. For one thing, Astros and Reds fans miss hating the Dodgers, Giants and Braves, who have been bitter rivals for years. ... Peter Angelos, the Steinbrenner clone who owns the Orioles, Killed a deal that would have sent Walker to Baltimore. ... The Orioles are quietly fearful that a groin injury to durable Ben McDonald could linger for weeks.