European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Baseball season teeters on Edge reject salary cop proposal by Steve Zipay new Day new York a the Gap Over the Cap is widening and the major league season is teetering on the Edge monday major league players for mafia rejected the owners Revenue sharing and salary Cap proposal saying it arbitrarily limits salaries to below fair Market value and could Transfer at least $1,2 billion from players to owners Over the next seven years. In a hard line detailed rebuttal Union Leader Donald Fehr said the owners concept would a destroy free Agency harm competitive balance principally Benefit Large Market clubs and reduce incentives to make the business grow a Richard Ravitch the owners chief negotiator insists a Cap is necessary for economic stability and competitiveness and that a 50-50 Revenue split would guarantee players $1 billion Over seven years. The proposal Given to the players june 14, also would abolish salary arbitration. But during a four hour negotiating session in Manhattan Fehr suggested that eligibility for arbitration be Cut from three years to two and that the minimum salary be raised from $109,000 to Between $175,000 and $200,000. Ravitch s response was Short. Quot i was extremely disappointed that we did not receive a proposal that was in  responsive to the problems of the game that we be been trying 1o address a he said. A there was no Effort to respond to our fundamental concern How to control costs. It Isnit Gonna  a it does not do the game of baseball or the fans any Good for the Union to be As rigid at this Point in history a he said. A i Hope in the weeks ahead that we will make Progress. But we did t make any  baseball is full of disturbing signs Ravitch said. He said 19 clubs will lose Money this year and that not counting new stadiums in Texas and Cleveland a baseball attendance is Down Over a million from last year television revenues Are Down and trading card revenues Are  Fehr disputed the Contention that baseball has serious financial problems. He said revenues last year were 10 times greater than in 1976-1977, when they to tailed $185 million. A this is explosive growth by anyone a standards a he said. Clubs would have less flexibility under a Cap Fehr said. Under such a system he said a you May not invest in a better product beyond specified amounts. It is an affirmative disincentive to creating Good competitive balance.�?�. He said 23 clubs have won division titles in the past 15 years 18 have won pennants and 12 have won the world series. But Ravitch said competitive balance has changed qualitatively since 1989, when owners were paying Between 40 percent to 43 percent of Gross revenues the stars and strip sports july 20,1994 Page 32 in player compensation. That has since rown to 58 percent which Ravitch said As weakened Small Market teams. The two sides arc to meet again wednesday. The unions executive Board will meet by july 31, and will again consider whether to set a strike Date. Said Fehr a a strike is the last alternative when other reasonable options Are gone that a the one you consider. But if need be that a the one you act  to warriors in 4-Man Deal Ari Ilg Seattle a Rick Pierce will now be driving for Golden slate. Oakland Calif. A the Golden state warriors and the Seattle supersonics finally made it official. A a. A Quot guard Ricky Pierce and the rights to first round draft pick Carlos Rogers will go to the warriors while the supersonics will get guard Sarunas Marciulionis and Forward Byron Houston. The Trade announced monday also gives the warriors two second round picks in the 1995 draft. Although plans for the Trade had been widely reported late last month it could not be made official because of a players association lawsuit pending in . District court in new York. A the 6-foot-4 Pierce a two time sixth Man award Winner with the Milwaukee Bucks has averaged Marciulionis 16.4 Points in 12 Aba seasons the 34-year-old shooting guard averaged 14.5 Points in 51 games last season with Seattle. Pierce currently ranks seventh As the most accurate free throw shooter in the leagues history with a ,876 career average. L Rogers 23, was the 11th Overall pick in the june draft by the sonics. The 6-foot-ll Forward Center out of Tennessee state averaged 24,5 Points 11.5 rebounds and three blocked shots in 31 games last season. He was also chosen Ohio Valley conference player of the year for the second straight season. A by acquiring Ricky Pierce and Carlos Rogers we have added one of the a bad a Best pure shooters and a Young big Man with tremendous potential a warriors coach Don Nelson said in a statement. Nelson previously coached Pierce in Milwaukee from 1984-85 through the 1986-87 season. A although from a basketball standpoint we believe this Trade significantly improves the makeup and depth of our team this was a Tough Choice to make personally because it forces us to part company with two people i really Admire both on and off the court a Nelson said. A Sarunas and Byron were among the fiercest and most inspirational players on our  Marciulionis has missed j24 games the past two seasons because of a string of injuries. The 6-5 lithuanian missed last season with a torn ligament in his right knee. He averaged 14.7 Points 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in five seasons with the warriors. The 6-5 Houston averaged 2.8 Points 2.7 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 71 games last season. The Trade monday was contingent on the players passing physical examinations. In addition the warriors got the most favourable and least favourable of Seattle a three second round picks in the 1995 draft. The sonics own the rights to their own pick the lakers Choice and either Orlando or new jerseys second round  pushes Aba Union to by Larry Neumeister new York a a Federal judge after leaving everything the Way it was in professional basketball now wants the Aba and its players Union to keep off his court. In finding the a bad a salary Cap and College draft Legal and not a violation of antitrust Laws judge Kevin Duffy said monday it was time Lor both sides to bargain. A no court no matter How highly situated can replace this time honoured manner of labor dispute Resolution a he said. A rather than clogging the courts with unnecessary litigation the parties should pursue this  a. Promising everything was now open to negotiation Aba Deputy commissioner Russ Granik said he hoped a the players will come Back to the bargaining table so we can move Forward.�?�. A twp think we have to find a system that enables us and the players to have a proper and fair division of the revenues a he said. A if there a another system Etc prepared to talk about  Buck Williams of the Portland Trail blazers president of the Aba players association said a the most important Point that judge Duffy wanted to make is he wants us to Settle this thing at the collective bargaining table. It May take a Good while but eventually that a what s going to happen a meanwhile the players plan to Appeal soon said Frederick Schwartz jr., a lawyer for the Union. A it seems to us that it is a rather strange result that if you agreed to some thing you arc stuck with it As Long As the Union exists a. Duffy a decision fell in line with previous rulings giving pro sports wide latitude to work out labor agreements outside of some Laws limiting other businesses. Duffy himself downplayed the Legal significance noting the Issue had been in fed Era court at least three times before and saying he was a convinced neither party cares about this litigation or the result. A both Are simply using the court As a bar gaining Chip in the collective bargaining process a he said. The ruling freed teams to immediately resume trading and signing contracts with players which had been stopped by the court pending Resolution of the dispute. Duffy rejected the Aba players associations argument that the salary Cap violated antitrust Law saying the. Aba was not sub acct to the Law As Long As it has a collective it a gaining relationship with the Union. Duffy criticized the a bad a lawyers for a Sharp and Shady practices of the Type that most ethical lawyers shun for filing its lawsuit As a preemptive strike because the Union had threatened to sue. The Union counter sued. Duffy a ruling followed a one Day trial last week that featured testimony from Williams Dominique Wilkins and Danny Manning. The players testified that restrictions on the players prevented them from full Freedom despite multimillion Dollar Sala  giving Meola a Chance a see Page 28 246850