European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 1985 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary baseball players will lose drug Issue with a possible strike by the baseball play ers in the the drug problem is certainly one of the main topics in the of Fandon negotiations be tween the owners and the players there have been Many views expressed about drugs in americas favorite Here is a column by Houston Post columnist Mickey Herskowitz that was forwarded to me on the Issue of the baseball players Union has grabbed the Bull by the Tail and looked the problem squarely in the this is the viewpoint of one who thinks he has been sympathetic to the players to the pressures and loss of privacy they and their manipulation by Man but this is not an Issue with two the or the people who represent Are and one Way or another they Are going to the Only question is whether they take the sport of baseball with lets see if we can keep this there is a drug problem in How wide spread is it judging by the results of a recent grand jury hearing in it appears to be coast to Peter the stylish Young commis is pushing a plan that would require mandatory drug testing for everyone from club owners to file with one notable the under the existing labor cant be tested without their the position of the Union is that the players have a based on voluntary and it exactly How it works no one is Able to the evidence suggests the wire services printed recently a list of players since have been arrested on drug related or have been admitted to rehab centers for treatment of a chemical the list was 16 inches Small the Way the players agreement now for a club to assert any control in this a player would almost have to come to Bat with a Needle sticking out of his the trick is to favor action to end or at least control drug without trampling the rights of it is not exactly uplifting to require any one to submit to spot which May involve tin Kling in a it May even be As some you dont have to be an a bail Bondsman or an outfielder to believe in such things As due pro the presumption of innocence and the right not to incriminate these and other protections create a system that reminds us we do have a Choice Between the gulag and Bernie but this does not seem to us to be one of those times when the game is Best left to the constitutional the simple and overwhelming fact is that the fans Are angry and scared Over what they hear and read about drugs in nor can we get away any longer with pointing out that drugs Are a problem for and athletes arc a part of the fans wont be reassured by a casual French phrase Cost Guerre and a athletes arc admired people in this even role whether they wish to be or the Public no longer has the High threshold it once had for tolerating instincts that Are As Well As there is lesser moral the fans have the right to know that their heroes arc not High on something stronger that Chicken Noodle soup when they win somehow you doubt that the fans take any Comfort in knowing that the pirates Dock Ellis admits he was under the influence of Ltd when he pitched a no hitter against the padres in Ellis now works in los As the coordinator of an Antidrug pro it is just As disturbing to think that a players performance May be improved by whatever he is swallowing or pushing up his As to think his skills might be the motto of the game ought not to better baseball through the Ueberroth plan is clearly a move to compel the players to waive their objection to mandatory his action is not unfair or if you believe the problem is he has made his Point As simply and openly As possible his goal is not to Pun ish he or to take away their Money or their he wants to Root drugs out of the fans have been pushed a Bridge too they think that drugs Are a and right now their opinion is the one that the stars and stripes major leagues Eye Early july strike Date new York a major league baseball players will set a strike Date be tween july 1 and 10 unless there is Progress in Union chief Don Fehr said after a talk Between the two Fehr said tuesday that no decision has been made whether to Boycott the july 16 Allstar game at Minneapolis but said it could its getting late in the and were not getting meaningful including not getting meaningful responses on some things that Are said act ing executive director of the major league baseball players All i can Tell you is that there Are a lot of players that Are looking for a sym Bol to Wake up some Fehr it looks like something is really going to Hap pen that a logical Symbol the All Star game and there Are a lot of players talking about it i want to emphasize no decision has been made and no Consen sus has been but the owners have got to believe the players Are after 27 meetings with we Are working up to a strike Lee president of the owners player relations described tuesdays session As a Good business meet its going to require Many More to get something baseballs collective bargaining agreement expired the Date for the next talks was not immediately Macphail said a breakthrough hinges on the unions analysis and acceptance of the owners financial he has claimed that baseball lost million last year and projects losses to reach million by the unions executive Board voted May 23 for a strike and the action has been overwhelmingly supported by the one of things we asked them to consider six months Given the fourfold increase in television Money and seven times Over was could we begin providing benefits for minor league players that never had Fehr these Are people we technically dont represent people Down on to cover them on the medi Cal to cover them on a Small basis for we were told they were not inter ested in the owners have to change sooner or he whether they change be fore a when you Call a after a or in the Middle of next be cause if they think players will come Back if they dont have agreement after the end of the there wrong about sooner or something will have to convince Hope our momentum has changed Pittsburgh Downs Montreal 41 file photo Larry Mcwiliams is a Freaky thing by United press International managing the Pittsburgh pirates can be enough to turn anybody even Chuck Tanner lapsed into a rare moment of negativism tuesday but then having beaten the firs place Montreal expos for the second straight night May have had the Pittsburgh Man Ager a Little i Hope our momentum has said the eternal once before we won two in a but then we lost Larry me Williams gave the bucs their second consecutive Success with a three 41 Victory Over baseball is a Freaky said the Lethander after his six strikeout performance and second Complete game of the at any a Las place team can beat a firs place were 1010 against noted Montreal manager Buck i guess my lineup is made for right handed Mcwilliams has a very fast move to the and that put us off our no Roundup George Hendrick was on his hit Ting a pair of doubles and driving in a run for the i dont know How far Back we Are in the standings 14 but its not a lot of ground to make up when theres More than 100 games to said elsewhere in the no reds giants 1 san Francisco Frank Pastore pitched a four hitter in his second Start of the season to Lead the surrendered four singles while walking one and striking out three to break the giants three game winning Bill went 616 innings and took the braves astros 2 Atlanta Glenn Hubbard ripped reliever Julio Solano first pitch Over the Loftfield Fence to Lead off the eighth in Ning and key the braves Hub bards blast made a Winner of Bruce Sut Solano fell to mets cubs 1 new York Gary Carter drove in two runs with a pair of and de Lynch hurled an eight hitter to help the mets hand the cubs their seventh straight Lynch improved to Steve took the cardinals Phillies 2 Louis Tom Lawless drove in three and Vince Coleman banged out three hits and stole two bases to Pace the John who won his fourth straight raised his record to the loser was Steve padres dodgers 0 los Angeles Dave hurled a and Tim Flannery drove in two runs to spark a 10hit the padres Southpaw held the dodgers hit less through 4 he struck out Bob making Only his third Start of the season because of an Arm in was replaced in the sixth after yield ing All of san Diego