Baseball Talk

:: Friday, December 12, 2003 ::

Hi everybody,

This is to inform all of you that I moved my blog to a new site. Not that I didn't like blogger, I only moved because I needed something different. Please take note of the new URL.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/baseballtalk
:: sanpeasdre Friday, December 12, 2003 [+] ::
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Thank you everybody

Hi everybody.

I haven't been able to write recently. As a matter of fact I haven't been able to do much recently, I've been sick all this time; but I'm ok now. Thanks to all of you who've been coming recently to see my baseball blog. As you may have seen, I haven't done much writing in a long while, I expect to be back again, full time of course, in about two weeks. I have been looking for some feed back form, I found one but doesn't work here. If any of you know about a feed back form please e-mail me, I'll apreciate it. I will be looking for one myself.

Again, thanks for coming. We'll sure be talking some more baseball soon.

Greetings,

Francisco Pereiro
:: sanpeasdre Thursday, May 08, 2003 [+] ::
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WORLD BASEBALL UNITED TO DEFEND ITS PLACE IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Montreux, Switzerland- All the representing organizations at the Extraordinary Meeting of the International BAseball Federation Executive Committee called by President Aldo Notari, which concluded today in Montreux, SUI, have declared their total commitment to work together and do all that is necessary to avoid the exclusion of Baseball from the Olympic Games program.

In addition to the Executive Committee, the IBAF invited the following special guests to attend the meeting: Marty Mankamyer, President of the United States Olympic Committee, Hiromori Kawashima, Commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball, Sandy Alderson, Major League Baseball Vice President Baseball Operations, Tony Bernazard, Major League Baseball Players Association Special Assistant, Kazuo Hasegawa, Executive Secretary of Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner's Office, Paul Archey, Major League Baseball International (MLBI) Vice President International Business, Jim Small, MLBI Senior Director Market Development, Nobbie Ito, Manager International Baseball Operations of the Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner's Office, and Peter Saito, Director of the International Department of the Japanese Baseball Federation.

In the next two months, before the IOC Executive Board meeting, the leaders of these organizations, along with IBAF President Aldo Notari, will work together to demonstrate the reasons why Baseball should be a permanent part of the Olympic program.

The following are statements made by participants from the meeting:

"USOC will defend, with all possible means, the continuation in the Olympics of the number one sport in the USA, Baseball". - Marty Mankamyer, President of USOC.

"We are totally engaged with the International BAseball Federation to gain their objectives, especially seeing Baseball continue in the Olympic program. 40 million people in Japan are Baseball fans and because of this the best Japanese professional players will go to Athens to demonstrate the great potential of Japanese Baseball". - Hiromori Kawashima, Commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball.

"We will do whatever we can to ensure that Baseball remains in the Olympics. Baseball is an international and developing sport and it certainly belongs in the Olympic Games". - Sandy Alderson, Major League Baseball Vice President Baseball Operations.

"We are going to do all that is possible for Baseball to continue as an Olympic sport. The players want to be in the Olympics and see the sport develop globally". - Tony Bernazard, Major League Baseball Players Association Special Assistant.

"I am happy to verify that the strengths most important in Baseball around the world, the professional leagues of the United States and Japan, the Players Association in the USA, the United States Olympic Committee and the IBAF, are completely united to work together in a positive way to explain to IOC President Rogge and the members of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board why Baseball has to be definitely part of the Olympic program and remove the doubts that have recently risen. We have two months to demonstrate this and with positive arguments we will work together". - IBAF President Aldo Notari.

Source: International Baseball Federation



:: sanpeasdre Wednesday, September 25, 2002 [+] ::
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The new 4 year CBA and the minds behind it

The big difference between this year's labor talk and the 1994 strike is that today we, the fans, know much better what the big issues are. In 1994 we knew very little of what was going on among the players and MLB representatives. Some say that the new 4-year-CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is more advantegous for the owners, others say it is more advantegous for the players. It's hard to say. Here's an overview so anyone may come with his/her own conclusions:

The four-year CBA includes initiatives designed to more effectively address economic disparity among franchises. In addition, it will include a policy that authorizes random testing for steroid use, a first in the sport's history. The owners also agreed to not revisit the issue of contraction during the life of the agreement, set to expire on December 17, 2006.

TOPIC	STATUS/DETAILS
Revenue Sharing	$258 million each year phased in over four years. A $175 billion base to be distriuted to each club on a straight-pool basis with the remainder split by the Commissioner out of the central fund and discretionary fund. It phases in at $230 million in 2003, $243 million in 2004, $258 in 2005 and $301 in 2006.
Competitive Balance Tax	Thresholds of $117 million in 2003, $120 million in 2004, $128 million in 2005 and $136.5 million in 2006. The percentage for all teams being penalized for the first time is 17.5 percent throughout the agreement with second-timers being penalized as high as 40 percent.
Contraction	Tabled for length of four-year agrreement. Owners can unilaterally contract at the start of the next agreement. Grievance case filed by players last November is now moot.
Worldwide Draft	Provision to discuss during new agreement. June amateur draft remains the same until changed.
Salary Arbitration	Language remains the same as in the 1996 collective bargaining agreement. Any player with three years of service and less than six years of service at the Major League level can file. An arbitrator picks the dollar figure submited by the player or the one submitted by the club. The decision is binding.
Drug testing	Testing for "Schedule III" anabolic androgenic steroids only throughout the agreement. No testing for recreational drugs.
Termination Date of Contract	Changes from Oct. 31 (or two days after the World Series ends in 1996 agreement) to Dec. 17 in the new agreement.
Minimum Salary	Increase from $200,000 to $300,000 next season for all Major League players. Those on split contracts go from $40, 500 to $50,000 for the minor league portion next season.

MLB Negotiators and The Player's Union
Allan H. "Bud" Selig Commissioner
Allan H. "Bud" Selig was elected the ninth Commissioner of Baseball on July 9, 1998 by a vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners. As Chairman of the Executive Council, and then as Commissioner, Selig brought about numerous dramatic changes to baseball, including: Interleague play Revenue sharing (more than $165 million is transferred from high to low revenue clubs each year) Three-division formats in the American and National leagues An extra tier of playoffs and the Wild Card First phase of realignment Consolidation of the administrative functions of the American and National League into the Commissioner's Office.
MLB Negotiators
Robert A. DuPuy MLB President and Chief Operating Officer		Robert D. Manfred Executive VP of Labor Relations and Human Resources
Robert A. DuPuy was named the President and Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball this past March 7 after working as an attorney, outside and inside of baseball since 1989. DuPuy is baseball's lead lawyer this year on the Labor Relations Committee that is currently trying to negotiate a basic agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association. He is also responsible for all phases of baseball's Central Offices, including licensing, sponsorship, international, broadcasting, publishing, marketing, public relations, government relations, baseball operations, legal affairs, finance and baseball's internet operations.		Robert D. Manfred, Jr. is one of four Executive Vice Presidents of Major League Baseball reporting directly to the President and the Commissioner. His areas of responsibility include Labor Relations and Human Resources. He is responsible for the relationship between the Clubs and the Major League Baseball Players Association, as well as the Human Resources function in the Commissioner's Office. This year, as a key member of the Labor Relations Committee, his primary assignment is to negotiate a new basic agreement with the players' union.
Players Representatives
Don Fehr Executive Director of the MLBPA		Gene Orza Associate General Counsel of the MLBPA
Don Fehr is the constant through all of Major League Baseball's labor negotiations in the past 25 years and once again is the union's lead negotiator in collective bargaining sessions. He was voted as only the third Executive Director in the union's history in 1984, succeeding Marvin Miller and Ken Moffett. Prior to his selection as executive director, he served as general counsel, a position he still holds today, and as acting executive director. Fehr was and remains the chief negotiator for the Players Association in collective bargaining with major league clubs. Fehr's primary responsibilities include collective bargaining, contract administration and enforcement, litigation and legislation, pension and health care and administrating the union's licensing program.		Gene Orza has been Associate General Counsel of the Major League Baseball Players Association since 1984. In that role, he is direct understudy to Executive Director Don Fehr and is considered the union's lead negotiator in collective bargaining sessions when Fehr is not in attendance. Orza is part of a negotiating team that also includes Associate General Counsel Michael Weiner. In his position as labor negotiator, Orza played a major role in ultimately signing the 1985, 1990 and 1994 basic agreements. He has also handled player grievances, salary arbitrations, agent relations, scheduling issues, rule changes, umpire problems, and realignment. Orza is the union's representative on the Health Policy Advisory Council, which deals, on a confidential basis, with substance abuse matters and other medical issues concerning players.

:: sanpeasdre Sunday, September 15, 2002 [+] ::
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