Will you be doing this job for a while?
I have no imminent plans (to retire). I turn 68 this summer. But I'll be here for the next few years. What really has me charged up are a few things: One is I took this job because I really like the players. They're good guys, they mean well, they try hard and they look out for their fellow players. In every group this big there are a few guys who don't fit that mold, but on balance they're really good. I want to keep doing that. And the possibility to expand the reach of the game is real enough and close enough that if I can be a part of that, I would like to
Will there be another work stoppage when the collective bargaining agreement ends in 2022 (with an opt out in '19)?
In all the cap sports in all of recent history, there has always been a
lockout. Always, always, always, always, always. The reason why is that the clubs look at it and say, 'We have nothing to lose. Fans aren't going anywhere so we lock them out. The worst that happens is we end up with the same deal that changes a little bit, but maybe we get a big deal.' The structure of the cap encourages labor strife. That's my experience. It is accurate that from 1972 through 1994 there was a strike or a lockout in baseball every year and I was there for most of that. But most of it was related to attempts by owners either to impose a cap or impose heavy restrictions on free agency, which would have worked the same way. After '96, baseball, which doesn't have a cap, has been the only sport which has had labor peace. That is because what we were able to negotiate was a provision which preserved real free agency and at the same time provided real revenue sharing so the worst complaints of the lower-income teams could be eased or alleviated in some way and that produced what we have now and baseball has been in great shape ever since.
So this is a long way around saying recent history suggests that the no-cap model is more stable in terms of labor relations. That said, and I do want to make this point — this is important — there is this tendency for people unfamiliar with the economics and financials to say, 'Well, they're all sports, they all have free agents, they all have caps or attempt at caps, they all have trades so they're all pretty much the same.' It's not true. The economics and even the terms that are used don't mean the same thing sport to sport or negotiation to negotiation. Each one has to stand or fall on its own.
What is the players' biggest concern?
What's talked about now mostly is escrow. No doubt about it. And that's really exacerbated by the Canadian dollar issues. But there's no doubt that's the highest thing on their radar scope — they see it every time they get a check.
