European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I j3th Page 36 the stars and stripes sports saturday August 13,1994 strikers assume shutdown Mode As they disperse by Ben Walker a baseball writer Ozzie Guillen kidded about Selling maracas in Caracas. Eric plunk and Derek Lilliquist set up a fishing trip in Mexico. Dick Schofield talked about Tak ing in some Broadway shows. One Day before a planned strike major leagues packed their bats thursday made their plans and left for limbo. Guys were saying talk to you Over the Winter " said Boston s Tom Brunansky ready to leave from Camden Yards in Baltimore for a family get to Gether in Michigan. It s like a shutdown  at the 10 Parks where games were being played it looked More like october than August. Players were Busy trading phone numbers making travel plans and packing for an Uncertain future. In Cincinnati Barry Larkin put several pairs of baseball shoes into a cardboard Box in front of Jose Rijo s locker. Rijo annually takes shoes Home to the Domin ican Republic to give to kids. It feels like the end of a season Lar Kin said. There s that ambiguity. We Don t know when Well be coming Back or if Well be coming Back. It feels like. We Don t  red manager Davey Johnson mean while had his Golf clubs and a suitcase in his office. Red to mate Deion Sanders who does t plan to play in the nil this year might still see some games As a fan. What do they Call that tailgating i la probably be the most recognized tailgater Ever he said. After a game at Yankee stadium during which the songs we can work it out Don t go breaking my heart and vacation were played in Between innings Paul o Neill the Al batting Leader left with a Box of bats. Joe Carter of Toronto and Danny Tartabull of new York walked toward the parking lot together. Ill be going Home to Kansas City Carter said. There s no use in hanging around  but Schofield said he would t feel stranded once the shutdown hits. New York s a great City the Blue Jay shortstop said. I just want to take in the City for a few  players whose teams Are on the Road must make their own plans to get Home. One a strike starts players will be Al Lowed in their clubhouse to pick up per Sonal belongings but not any equipment. Guillen like Many players already had plans to go away. He joked about going Back to Venezuela and Selling maracas. Cub reliever Dan Plesac said he would take a few Days off before working to stay in shape. Ill probably make a tour of the county  go to the Speed pitch so i can get my crowing in he said. The indians had the Day off and sever Al players were in the clubhouse at Jacobs Field cleaning out their lockers. Everybody s just coming in to get their own personal stuff Pitcher Charles Nagy the indians Union representative. Carlos Baerga said he would stay in town for about a week and then return to puerto Rico. Dennis Martinez planned to spend a rare summer vacation with his family in Florida. Plunk and Lilliquist a pair of indians relievers looked Forward to a fishing trip in Mexico. Milwaukee meanwhile got ready after its 10-5 win in Detroit for a three hour bus trip to Cleveland. The Brewers Are supposed to play in Cleveland on Friday but manager Phil Garner said Only about half the players planned to be on Board. Baltimore Pitcher Ben Mcdonald looked ahead to leaving for Louisiana. At Home he can mix work and pleasure. I know i can work out at leu Mcdonald said. They la be starting fall Ball so i la have a place right at Home where i can pitch and stay in  Houston s Ken Caminiti packs up his 94 season after thursday night s game. Eight make playoffs by the associated press the schedule for the expanded play offs should the players strike scrub the rest of the regular season in each series the team opening on the Road would be Host for the final three games in the Best of five series. American league new York at Cleveland Chicago at Texas National league Cincinnati at Atlanta los Angeles at Montreal league championship series if they win in the divisional series the Yankees and dodgers would have the Home Field advantage. If the wild card teams Cleveland and Atlanta win the Winner of the other series in that league would have the Home Field advantage world series begins in the City of the american league Champion. Strike reduces season to bore essentials by Dan o Neill St. Louis Post dispatch the baseball strike which figures to be a season in and of itself in t quite the same As other seasons. It s a season in it self and it might be helpful to look at the strike in appropriate newspaper style matchup major league baseball players association is. The owners player relations committee. Scouting report the players association has gone head to head with the owners eight times in the past 23 years. Players own an 8-0 record and have an excellent strike to lockouts ratio. Players come in Well conditioned with an average salary of $1.2 million and a $175 million strike fund built on licensing Revenue Over the last four years. Owners Are wingless in terms of significant issues Over the past eight work Stop pages. However they have made significant changes in the lineup. Commissioner Pinch hitter Bud Selig has added spark. They could be capable of going the Dis Tance. Their line of credit with a Bank consortium still has $260 million. Players to watch Donald Fehr 46, association cleanup hitter grew up in Prairie Village Kan and graduated from Missouri Law school. This Crafty Veteran has performed Well in three strikes and one lockout. Hard nosed competitor. Richard Ravitch 61, stopper for the owners. He is a millionaire new yorker who got his Law degree at Yale. Most re cent toss for rumpled Columbo like Ravitch was in 1989 new York mayoral democratic primary in which he Man aged just five percent of the vote. He is a relative Rookie in baseball negotiations. He s remarkably skilled at taking on Complex organizations and financial problems and solving them said Mitch Ell Moss director of new York univer sity s Urban research Center if Ravitch can pick up the win he will join Hall of Farrier Marvin Miller As men who changed the face of baseball a loss could result in his unconditional release. Game plans the players believe baseball is prospering under the current setup with Revenue of $1.88 billion in 1993.the players want to Force the own ers to agree on a new contract the old one expired dec. 31. They Are trying to repeat past labor victories by putting the postseason and its estimated $140 Mil lion in broadcast Revenue in jeopardy. The aggressive style could Force the owners to give up their proposal for a Sal Ary Cap and agree to a contract similar to the old one. But the owners maintain that up to 19 teams will lose Money this year although executive Council Hea Selig recently reduced that figure to 12 14 teams. The owners want to ensure financial stability for Small Market teams and moderate competitive balance by carry ing out a Revenue sharing plan which includes a salary Cap. Spunky owners might impose a salary Cap this fall if there s no agreement. Rumoured deals salary Cap in re turn for arbitration and a minimum salary to be named. Facts and figures caution Many of these numbers Are staggering. Revenue sharing salary Cap in a nut Shell is 50-50 Revenue split with players with $1 billion guaranteed Over seven years if Revenue does t decrease. After a four year phase Jan period clubs could t have payrolls More than 110 percent or less than 84 percent of the average. The average major league player will lose $6,496 per Day during the strike. New York mets outfielder Bobby boil la who has a $5.7 million salary will lose $31,148 per Day. A minimum salaried player loses $596 per Day. The average major league owner loses $5 million per Day. .-.-. Overview hard to bet against the defending champions however the longer the strike goes the More you have to like Raviteh and the owners. Momentum could swing dramatically if the teams still Are at an impasse come november