Baseball owners reject
players’ labor deal
■ CONTRACT: The sport
will operate Jor yet
another season under the
agreement that expired in
December 1993
By Ronald Blum
The Associated Press
ROSEMONT, 111. — Baseball
owners voted 18-12 Wednes
day to reject their proposed
five-year labor agreement with
the players’ association, prob
ably dooming the deal and in
terleague play, too.
At the end of a deeply divid
ed six-hour meeting that in
cluded a National League re
buke to the authority of acting
commissioner Bud Selig, own
ers voted 30-0 to give their rul
ing 10-man executive council
the authority to ratify a modi
fied agreement on behalf of all
major league teams.
But union head Donald Fehr
called the rejection “extremely
unfortunate,” and it appeared
remote that players would
agree to changes.
“The fact that the owners
have repudiated their own ne
gotiator makes the future quite
uncertain,” said Fehr, who
agreed to the deal with man
agement negotiator Randy
Levine on Oct. 24.
Selig tried to strike a positive
tone, saying he hoped talks will
continue.
"While we could not accept
the proposed agreement as pre
sented, there is substantial
agreement on the vast majority
of issues,” Selig said without
going into details.
The moves by owners may
be just part of the cat-and
mouse of negotiations, but it
probably signals the sport will
operate for yet another season
under the agreement that ex
pired in December 1993. The
deal remains in force under the
federal court order that ended
the 232-day strike on March 31,
1995.
“The real deadline is Nov.
15,” Levine said. “After mid
night Nov. 14, it’s not going to
be done.”
Free agents may not start
signing with new teams until
Nov. 15. Once that date is
reached with no deal, the sides
are locked into another offsea
son under the rules of the old
agreement.
In addition, the rejection
may signal a renewed attempt
by owners to pursue a salary
cap. If that happens, player
agents have predicted it would
lead to either a spring training
lockout or a strike that would
threaten another postseason.
A three-quarters majority —
23 of 30 votes — was needed to
approve the agreement, and the
motion fell 11 votes short.
Selig’s daughter — Wendy
Selig-Prieb — told other own
ers that she cast the Milwaukee
Brewers’ vote against the deal,
according to a management of
ficial who spoke on the condi
tion he not be identified. Her
move was a direct repudiation
to Levine, hired by her father in
September 1995 to achieve the
elusive agreement.
Levine had threatened to re
sign if the deal was voted
down. After he gave a presen
tation that lasted about three
hours, Levine was told to leave
the room and excluded from
the debate.
“I’m extremely disappointed
about the vote,” said Levine,
who may quit next week.
"What Don and I came to when
we finished negotiations is the
best that I could do.”
Turn to CONTRACT, Page 16
Eagles suspend 13 for betting
■ GAMBLING: Two players
are being investigated for
waging against their team
By Jimmy Golen
The Associated Press
NEWTON, Mass. — Two
Boston College players bet against
their team in a Oct. 26 loss to Syra
cuse, the local prosecutor said
Wednesday. The school said those
two players and 11 teammates
were suspended for betting on
sports.
Middlesex County District At
torney Thomas Reilly said there
was no evidence of point-shaving,
but he noted that an investigation
was continuing. Syracuse beat BC
45-17.
One of the players was a mem
ber of the special teams, but nei
ther player was in a position to af
fect the outcome of the game,
Reilly said.
Reilly said a total of 13 BC play
ers had bet on college and pro foot
ball and on major league baseball
games, including this year’s
World Series. The bets ranged
from $25-$50 to ‘‘several hundred
dollars and others that were much
higher,” Reilly said.
A list of players "suspended for
failure to meet their responsibili
ties as a student athlete at Boston
College” was released, but there
was no indication which of the
players might have bet against
their own team.
At an afternoon news confer
ence, BC Athletic Director Chet
Gladchuk said, “When it comes to
the moral and ethical conduct of
our players and when it pertains
to the integrity of our university,
there will be no compromises at
Boston College."
The suspended players were
identified as running back Jamall
Anderson, offensive lineman Mar
cus Bembry, defensive back Paul
Cary, defensive linemen John
Coleman and Dan Collins, wide
receivers Chris Cosenze, Steve
Everson and Brandon King, tight
end Scott Dragos, center Kyle
Geiselman, linebackers Brian
Maye and Jermaine Monk, and
tight end Rob Tarido.
Syracuse was a 13-point fa
vorite against Boston College, but
trailed 14-7 before rallying for 17
consecutive points in the final
minute and 34 seconds of the first
half. The Orange got the ball for
those three scores on two BC
punts and an interception.
The 8,800-student school was at
the center of a point-shaving scan
dal in 1982 when Rick Kuhn was
sentenced to 10 years in federal
prison for his role in fixing six bas
ketball games during the 1978-79
season. Initial reports pointed to a
similar problem this time.
But coach Dan Henning, either
knowing or hoping that no such
evidence existed, stressed Tues
day that things could have been
worse.
“We’re dealing with a situation
here where the NCAA has a rule,
and there are going to be some in
dividuals here that are going to
live with some kind of problem if
they have bet on a game,” the em
battled coach said. “That’s not my
major concern.
“My major concern is if any
body on our football team has bet
on our game and against us. That’s
an indefensible position.”
Henning has closed practices
this week as the team prepares for
its biggest game of the year, on Sat
urday against No. 17 Notre Dame.
At a Tuesday news conference
with an unusually large media
contingent, he noted that friendly
bets are placed by everyone from
reporters to state governors.
“Let’s not be naive, gentleman,”
Henning said, indicating that sus
pensions were imminent. “I
would expect that ... we have
some sort of a problem. ’ ’
Rumors of point-shaving or
game-fixing by BC players sur
faced in recent weeks and intensi
fied after Thursday’s 20-13 loss to
Pittsburgh, a game in which the
Eagles were favored by 11 1/2
points.
Four Eagles sophomores —
Kieman Speight, Monk, Anderson
and King, who hasn’t played this
season because of a broken foot —
were confronted by Henning and
the team’s student captains Satur
day.
Later that day Gladchuk an
nounced that the school would in
vestigate the rumors with the goal
of clearing the program’s name.
John McBride, an attorney for
the four BC sophomores at the
center of the controversy, said
only two of his clients admitted
they have gambled.
“They told the authorities at
Boston College that they never bet
on BC games,” McBride said. "But
they also told the authorities that
they did bet on other games.”
NCAA rules forbid athletes
from betting on any intercollegiate
or professional sporting event.
McBride also said Tuesday he was
told the matter would be resolved
by Wednesday.
“We’ll deal with that when the
time comes,” he said. “But right
now, it is not something that it was
originally thought.”
Henning said Speight and an
other player, whom he didn't
identify, had asked out of practice
Monday and would sit out again
Tuesday. Speight has denied any
gambling.
“He [SpeightJ doesn’t feel like
he could practice football as long
as his name has been put up like
that,” Henning said. “That’s un
fortunate. But I certainly under
stand his feelings.
“If they’re not named or if
they’re innocent, they’ll play” Sat
urday, Henning said, noting that
he usually doesn’t let players par
ticipate in games if they don’t
practice.
Henning’s job was already in
jeopardy because of his 15-17-1
record, with a 4-5 mark this sea
son.
Henning said his team was deal
ing with the distractions well
while preparing for Notre Dame —
their biggest game of the year. On a
scheduled teleconference with the
Boston and South Bend, Ind., me
dia, Fighting Irish coach Lou Holtz
said he didn’t expect an easy game
because of the turmoil.
“I expect the Boston College
team to play against us. I have no
reason to think anything else.”
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