BASEBALL
1Big leaguers
By The Associated Press time instead to pick up personal
Baseball players cleaned out their belongings at the Wrigley Field
lockers and headed home yesterday, clubhouse.
wondering how long the sport's second "This figures," said Tim Blackwell,
regular-season strike' in nine years the Cubs' player rep, "just when,the
would keep them away from the Cubs got it turned around, something
ballpark. like this would happen."
"There's no telling how long a strike THE CUBS, with the worst record in
will last," said Mark Belanger, the the National League, had won five of
Baltimore Orioles' shortstop and player their last six games before the strike.
representative. "It could be two days, There was an immediate economic
two months, a week." impact for many of the players. Those
"IT'S A SAD day," said third on teams playing away from their home
baseman Ken Oberkfel of the St. Louis cities when the strike began early
Cardinals. "Nobody wants to strike, but yesterday had to foot the bill back.
what has to be, has to be." The Orioles, in Seattle and farther
Chicago Cubs players, who were .to from home than any other team, got
have opened a weekend series with San some help from management when
Diego yesterday afternoon, used the General Manager Hank Peters told Phil
STRIKE STRIKES OUT:
Fans point thumbs dow
The Michigan Daily-Saturday, June 13, 1981-Page 15
WALKOUT
hit the. road
Itzoe, the club's traveling secretary, to
make airline reservations and write out
tickets for the players. The strikers,
however, paid for the transportation.
"MY REASONING," said Peters,
"was basically that someday we're
going to have this unfortunate situation
behind us, and we are going to be
operating again as a baseball team.
"I didn't see the sense in rupturing
what is such a fine relationship we have
within this club by not at least helping
out the players with arrangements we
normally make for them.
The Cincinnati Reds, who wound up a
series in New York Thursday night,
were told by management that they
could either stay in the Big Apple or fly
home-but either way, they would have
n on strike
to pay for it themselves.
BY MIDDAY yesterday, most of the
Reds were straggling back into Cincin-
nati.
"We're out of work, unem-
ployed-and life goes on, just like it
does in any other profession," said
Dave Collins, the Reds' right fielder.
"We have bills to pay and respon-
sibilities to our families. We're not hap-
py about it... but we could see that it
was going to go in that direction."
The players pay dues of $4 a day
during the season to the Major League
Players Association. But-unlike the
owners, who have $50 million in strike
insurance lined up-the players will
receive no strike benefits from their
union.
COLLINS SAID he planned to find
another job while on strike.
"I do construction work, the last
three years with a friend of
mine-building homes and stuff like
that," he said. "I'll probably do that
again after a week or two."
Other players said they would try to
stay in shape.
"I PLAN TO do my running and
things like I normally would while this
thing's going on," said Cincinnati 'pit-
cher Doug Bair. "Hopefully, it won't
last too long."
Belanger told the Orioles not to get
involved in any organized workouts
because of possible legal repercussions.
"One guy can throw to another guy,"
he said. "They've been told not to take
five or six guys together to a college
field, for instance."
For some players, however, the
strike will provide the unusual oppor-
tunity to savour some of the other
recreational joys of summer.
"I'm going to get in some fishing,"
said pitcher Mark Littel of the St. Louis
Cardinals.
By The Associated Press
Major league baseball fans across the na
yesterday they prefer called strikes by ump
labor strike that called a halt to the game ye
They just hoped the disagreement betwe
players doesn't last long. "A summer with
a lot away from the summer," said Jim
Boston, home of the American League Red
"BUT I DON'T know how it can be settle
paid too much. For the fans' sake they sh
said Farrenkopf, a manager with a telepho
"The owners brought it upon themselv
average pay is $180,000 a year, I really c
about it," said another, Jim Jacobs, 41
"They'll change their minds when t
paychecks."
"I don't care much for the strike," said J
Seattle Mariners' fan who attended Thur
at Seattle. "It just ruins baseball. I thi
wrong."
LENIHAN SAID HE would drive to Ta
watch the Pacific Coast League Tigers p
watch the Mariners.
ation left no doubt "If these seats were a buck and a half, then I'd be for the
ires rather than a club owners," said the Rev. Stephen Hammond of Enum-
esterday. claw, Wash., who also, attended Thursday night's Mariners'
en the owners and game. "If the players earned $15,000, I'd be for the players.
out baseball takes But these seats are $6.50 and they make upwards of $30,000,
Farrenkopf, 30, of so I'm not for anyone."
Sox. In Buffalo, N.Y., Ed Mikolajczyk, a baseball fan, said:
d. The players are "The 'players have limousines, diamonds and everything,
ould hurry it up," aqd two years later they go broke. If they want to strike, the
ne company. owners should tell them to lump it."
'es. Hut when the
an't get too, upset ARMAND DAMIANI of New York said: "They ought to
, also of Boston. have a committee and let the fans sit in on the negotiations
hey miss a few because they pay the freight."
One optimistic Philadelphia Phillies' fan, Stanley Frank of
John Lenihan, 43, a Cherry Hill, N.J., bought two tickets Friday at Veterans
sday night's game Stadium for a June 26 game, hoping the strike would be over
Ak the owners are by then.
"I think the strike will be over by then. It doesn't make
coma, Wash., and sense for the owners to lose that amount of money and it will
play if he couldn't start hurting the players, too," said Frank.
U AP Photo
ballparks across the nation signalled the beginning of th 'jor league baseball
strike.
THE TELEVISION CREW that normally broadcasts the Chicago Cubs games
were the only spectators in Chicago's Wrigley Field yesterday as empty