Strike date now looms; slow negotiations may spur players.

Byline: Phil Rogers

CHICAGO _ After a second straight unproductive day of bargaining, major-league baseball players may set a strike date during a conference call Friday morning.

There is a widely held expectation they will start the clock ticking toward an Aug. 30 strike. That is the first day of the Labor Day weekend, which traditionally signals the start of baseball's stretch run toward the playoffs.

Players met Monday in Chicago to consider setting a strike date, but decided to delay to allow negotiators a chance to continue their recent progress. Talks resumed amid a wave of optimism Tuesday, but since then the sides only have dug into their positions on the negotiation's key issue, a luxury tax.

Owners originally proposed a 50-percent tax on payrolls above $98 million and in recent counterproposals have agreed to raise that threshold only to $102 million, according to sources.

Players only reluctantly have bought into the concept of the tax. According to sources, they have said one would be acceptable only with a rate below 20 percent and a threshold of about $135 million.

"We made an offer to try to reign in the Yankees and maybe one or two others," said Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine, the National League representative. "Instead they want to affect six or seven others immediately, and maybe six or seven more on the periphery. That's a salary cap."

While Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Donald Fehr said he was given "no assurances" by Commissioner Bud Selig during their conversation Monday, the union was hoping owners would make a major move in their direction.

"I've gone from as optimistic as I can be to as pessimistic as I can be," Atlanta reliever Mike Remlinger said. "It's back to just a flat-out refusal to move."

Rob Manfred, MLB's lead negotiator, said Wednesday the parties had hit a "bump in the road." He met with the union twice Thursday but a spokesman said there was no progress to report.

Manfred was hoping to build on the momentum talks gained last week but owners did not appear to feel a sense of urgency. That will change if players opt to set a strike date.

Players are considering a strike because they fear owners will declare an impasse in bargaining and implement new work rules this winter. A strike would mark baseball's ninth work stoppage since 1972 and could wind up canceling the playoffs for the second time in eight years.

In 1994 players went on strike Aug. 12 and did not return. Given that the average salary has increased by more than 100 percent since, an Aug. 30 strike would risk even more in terms of salary.

Players also would be risking an unusually severe public relations backlash if they were on strike on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Sure it's a factor," Fehr said. "Players understand Sept. 11. Half of them were on the road when it hit. All of them came back to vivid reminders in the first several games. So it's a consideration."

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