Page 14-Friday, June 11, 1982-The Michigan Daily
One ear later: After the strike,
baseball recovers
A
NEW YORK (AP)- One ye
Ray Grebey, director of ma
baseball's Player Relations
tee, is asked if he still is remin
baseball strike.
"YES," HE laughs, "as a
fact, the other day a guy cam
office asking for autographs,
what a great job he thoug
doing."
Marvin Miller, executived
the Players Association, is
same question.
"I will tell you that at no ti
ever had a fan saying any
ar later. 'Great job,' 'You're right,' 'Keep
jor league going.'
Commit- "BUT NOBODY really talks about it
ided of the anymore."
It was one year ago-June 11, 1981-
matter of that the issue of free-agent compen-
ae into my sation caused the first midseason
telling me players strike in major league history.
ht I was The strike would not be settled until the
wee hours of July 31, after 712 games
director of were lost.
asked the The unthinkable-a summer without
baseball-had happened. It was a
me have I situation which caused concern,
ything but dismay and frustration on the part of
most baseball fans, including the one in
the commissioner's office.
"I WAS AS worried as anyone," said
Bowie Kuhn. "It was as bad a time as
the game ever had. But at this point, it
looks like we've come through well."
Statistics seem to bear the com-
missioner out. As of June 6, total atten-
dance for the two major leagues was 6
percent (783,511 fans) better than at the
same point in 1980, baseball's last full
season. Now that baseball is back on
the diamond and away from the
bargaining table, the fans have respon-
ded in kind.
"The average fans, as I've said from
the beginning, perhaps have not forgot-
ten the strike. But they have put it
aside," said Grebey.
"THE GAME itself has turned out to
be bigger than the strike."
But was two months without baseball
necessary for the betterment of the
game? The player representatives who
cks up Blue
in draft
ruits were thought to havea chance of going in the
National draft were goalie Jon Elliott and center
hree were Paul Kobylarz. However, neither
player was picked. Elliott and
uits were Kobylarz will both be eligible to be
, Pat Goff drafted next year.
f Edina. As a freshman last season, Elliott had
t 5-11, 180 a 3.50 goals against average and a 9-11-4
Minnesota record. Kobylarz, a sophomore last
d. Goff, a season, played in 36 of the Wolverines'
y the New 38 games during which time he scored
round. 11 goals and added 8 assists. Kobylarz
hoice was was tied with Brian Lundberg as the
captain of team's sixth-leading point getter.
on Edina Locally, Huron High graduate Tom
Montreal Allen, now playing at Michigan Tech,
was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers in
who were the 10th round.
took key roles in last year's
negotiations seem to think so.
"None of the players in here regret
what they did," said California's Doug
DeCinces, the American League player
rep last season when he was with the
Baltimore Orioles.
"THE PLAYERS never really had a
choice," said Angels catcher Bob
Boone, who was ,National. League
player rep while with the Philadelphia
Phillies last year. "The owners tried to
take something away. It would have
really changed the players' ability to
have any say about having free agen-
cy."
DeCinces and Boone, incidentally,
are among several of last year's player
reps who found themselves playing for
new teams in 1982, either via trades or
free agency. Others include Mark
Belanger, DeCinces' teammate with
the Orioles who now plays in Los
Angeles, and Reggie Jackson, who went
from the New York Yankees to the
Angels as a free agent.
The strike was settled with the
establishment of a player pool to com-
pensate those teams losing "ranking"
free agents.
"WHAT WE had on the table when we
struck," said Montreal's Steve Rogers,
"was having to give up a 16th-best man
on a club when another club signed one
of those free agents rated in the top
third. It would have ruined free agency.
That's what we really struck for."
The players seem to have adopted the
same "let's-start-over" attitude as the
fans.
"I don't think the game is any dif-
ferent," said Pittsburgh player rep
Kent Tekulve. "The game is bigger
than all of this. Both sides,
management and labor, wish it didn't
happen. I'll tell you, we're all going to
work harder to make sure it doesn't
happen again."
4
4
Detinces
... 'no regrets'
NHL pi
recruits
Three Michigan hockey recr
selected in Wednesday's
Hockey League Draft. All t
defensemen from Minnesota.
The trio of Wolverine recr
Todd Carlile of North St. Paul
of Roseville and Bill Brauer o1
CARLILE, WHO stands at
pounds, was selected by the I
North Stars in the sixth rount
6-1, 174-pounder was taken b3
York Islanders in the 11th
Another 11th round draft ct
Brauer, the 6-3, 202-poundc
Minnesota's state champic
High, who was chosen by the
Canadiens.
Two current Michigan icers
noone
... no other choice'
4
Elliott and Kobvlarz
. .. NHL passes on Wolverine icers
AP Photo
Jumpin'Jack Flash?
No, it's jumpin' Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewer shor-
tstop leaps over Baltimore's Cal Ripken, Jr. at second base during the front
end of a double play in the fifth inning yesterday. Milwaukee went on to win
the game, 9-7. (See story, Page 15).
4