European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Riday september 16, 1994 sports the stars and stripes Page 33 a by Alan Greenberg the Hartford courant world wars and earthquakes could t Stop the world series. But now something even More powerful has the greed of Man. But this is a Day to be grateful for Small favors so lets give one huge Hooray for the louts of baseball. Raise a filthy Glass and Toast them with tap water. They finally did something right. They cancelled the rest of the 1994 season. When so much Good has gone bad its better to leave bad enough alone. The Only thing that would have been More disgusting than the aug. 12 strike would be resuming the season with the players out of shape and the Caliper of play in of the regular season and postseason no better than Early Spring training exhibitions. R a just to go straight to the playoffs would be a travesty a said Milwaukee owner and de Facto commissioner Bud Selig. A you done to want to go to the world series and playoffs and have starting pitchers pitching three or four innings. Yes even if both sides could have set tied their differences to resume the season now would have been pointless absurd and farcical. It was an especially wonderful season the players and owners ruined full of glorious quests and would be record breaking performances. But most baseball fans we be spoken to who were heavy with regret the first week or two of the strike have dealt with their grief and moved on to other diversions in the past few weeks. Baseball May be one of sweetest ice creams of american life but its hardly the Only flavor. People Doii to want to live without it but they can and they will and they do. It s not myth next from Page 36 Robinson will take the Best 25 players available to him from whatever source a he said. A i think most everyone feels that Way. But what we really want is to have the Royal players Back playing up to their abilities. It will have to be an Industry Dick Moss however is trying to organize the first new major league since the Federal league started in 1914. A the goal is to Field teams in april so you would have to be pretty far along by january a Moss said. Normally january would be smack in the Middle of the fans hot stove league. But with so much uncertainty teams Are not sure what kind of moves they might make in the of season. A Are we Able to sign any of our players what about free agents i Don t know a new York met general manager Joe said. Paul of Neill who wound up winning this years Al batting title Jack Mcdowell Orel Hershiser and Gregg Jefferies were among the top players eligible to file for free Agency at the end of the season. Although the season was shortened All of this years statistics count. That Means Tony Gwynn finished at .394, the highest batting average since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941 and the Best in the no since Bill Terry batted .401 in 1930. Matt Williams who was on a Pace to threaten Roger Marisa record of 61 Home acting baseball commissioner Bud Selig delivers his bitter Pill on wednesday. Eros milk. Selig said the Short term consequences of shutting Down the season a Are awful a but maybe Long term benefits will arise. Maybe this and the gun it Points at the 1995 season will eat away at the arrogance of both sides and that would surely be a Good thing. Even if we choose to believe that As Selig said Small Market teams such As the Pittsburgh pirates Are losing millions and Are unable to compete with the big Market teams who is to say financial rules must be instituted to protect All the existing franchises if no one can be found who can run the Pittsburgh franchise at a profit perhaps there should not be a Pittsburgh fran runs finished with a major league leading 43. Frank Thomas and Albert Belle both were among the Al leaders in average homers and Bis but neither got a last Hance to win the triple Crown. There will be postseason honors just like always. Greg Maddux with a 1.56 Era and a 16-6 record is almost certain to become the first Pitcher to win three straight by Young awards when voting is announced in october. October however usually Means the world series. For the first time since 1904, when it was Only a year old there will be no world series. A everyone wants to have the Chance to play in the world series a Chicago White sox manager Gene Lamont said. A we thought we had a Good a a it a hard on us its hard on the indians and Yankees. Its Tough on everybody but its even tougher on teams that thought they had a Chance a he said. The White sox were leading the Al Central when the strike started aug. 12. Texas which has never won a division championship and the new York Yankees who have not won the world series since 1978, also were in first place. But perhaps nowhere did the cancellation Hurt As much As it did in Cleveland. The indians who have not been in postseason play since 1954, were holding the Al wild card spot and drawing sellout crowds to new Jacobs Field. A i think there a a Little bit of Cleveland Indian fan in every fan in America with the Success Story we be had a general manager John Hart said. A this Hurt All of us Chise. That a the Law of the marketplace. Surely the people who own franchises in professional sports which puts merciless pressure on its athletes to perform or be gone can understand the concept of survival of the fittest. We done to mean to sound callous about the abrupt and ugly end to what was a Beautiful baseball season. But there is a need Here for perspective and it is most sorely needed by the pampered people who play and run this great game. They have ruined one season and if they done to learn to work out their differences they will ruin another. Let them spend the Winter stewing Over that then get serious about the Art of Compromise. Until then Good riddance. By the associated press players and owners did agree on one thing a baseball will be missed. And when the 1994 baseball season was officially put to death wednesday fans joined them in bidding the game a reluctant and rude Good Bye. A i hate to think they be wiped out the world series and the tradition of the game a said Phyllis tonn a Royal fan. A i just hate the fact that it has come to this and they will deprive the fans deprive the people of but heard above any wails of loss were shouts of anger frustration and embarrassment. There was also a resolve by some fans to never Welcome baseball Back. A i might watch a Little on to but i wont be Back Here for a while a said Chris Alberto of Marl ton n.j., who was returning tickets at veterans stadium in Philadelphia. The strikes Impact and resulting cancellation of the season May have been Felt most sharply in Cleveland where the indians a after years of being baseball a biggest joke a were making their first serious Pennant run in 40 years. A a lot of people talk about a curse being on the team and 1 guess it is a curse of sorts a said Ernie Mensurati of Parma Heights Ohio a this years team had a Chance at making the playoffs and now its Las vegas a not Only Are fans mourning the cancellation of the baseball season and loss of this years world series. Some bettors Are in a deep Funk too. The Lucky few who May have had the Oakland a a to win the world series at up to 300-1 Odds found themselves out of Luck wednesday when the season ended. Instead of holding potentially lucrative betting slips a the athletics were Only one game out in the Al West a they instead will have to Settle for getting their Money Back. A we would have lost $2 million if the a a had won the world series a said Mirage sports Book director Jimmy Vaccaro. Baseball a cancellation was causing havoc not Only for bettors but for those who operate Nevada Slegal sports books most were making arrangements to refund almost All baseball futures bets which Range from which teams will win divisions pennants and the world series to How Many Home runs Ken Griffey will hit a a a Quot a a a Caesars Palace sports Book director Vince Magh Uio said his Book still planned to pay off or win the statistical bets such As most wins and Home runs. Magliulo declined to say How much his Book took in baseball bets but noted that gamblers statewide bet some $240 million legally last year on the game. By the los Angeles times a your fall will be no different than the last four a an Abc executive quipped wednesday. It will be business As it was at Abc and Abc now that the baseball season has been cancelled. Both networks which were without baseball the last four years anyway will simply revert to regular prime time programming to fill the baseball void. Abc which had four regular season prime time telecasts before the strike was to have televised the new Best of five first tier playoffs oct. 4-9 and the world series beginning oct. 22. Abc which televised the All Star game on july 12, was to have carried the two league championship series beginning oct. 11. The financial Impact on both networks will be minimal. No one at the networks is saying so but the resumption of the season Proba Bly would not have been welcomed. Abcs prime time lineup has been gaining on no. 1 lbs and is expected to win the ratings Battle this season. Baseball particularly following the strike certainly could not have generated the same ratings or Revenue As regular prime time programming
