A 50-game penalty for a first-time steroid positive is not necessary to deter steroid use. Indeed, you have never defended your proposal on the basis that it is. |
A lot of people would like to do it in the fall. Once the playoffs start, the players who are not in the playoffs essentially go home. You can't find them. They're on vacation. |
After the hearings on the House side in March and after receiving the commissioner's letter (re tougher penalties), we had discussions both before and after. There was an agreement that it would be unfair to change the deal in the middle of the season. I then sent the tapes of the (March) hearings to the players. I had an obligation to meet with them all, which I did. |
All of the years when people said the relationship was bad, it never was as bad as they said. Now when people say it?s wonderful, it?s not as good as everyone says. There are issues that are in need of working out in a businesslike manner. Hopefully it will lead to harmonious bargaining, but you just can?t tell. |
Can I give you a precise date? No. Would I expect it to be by the end of the World Series? I would certainly hope so. |
Given our shared interests and the association's evident willingness to compromise, our failure thus far to reach a comprehensive new agreement is both frustrating and disappointing. |
Hopefully, we can move on to other things. I still think it was something much better handled by agreement than it would have been by legislation. |
I do not expect to hear some of the kinds of things that sometimes we've heard in the past about widespread financial distress. We'll see. It's not up to me. |
I don't see a need for increased revenue sharing. |
I don't understand one thing. It's traditional in this country, when someone is accused, to let him tell his story to an independent body. |
I expect it to be pretty hard bargaining. That's the way it always is. That's what we get paid for. That's what the commissioner (Bud Selig) gets paid for. |
I hope it's not going to be contentious. Given the kind of revenue increases we've had and all of the rest of it, I don't know of any reason why it ought to be from our side. |
I hope nobody is making judgments about the inquiry before it's done. Bud will make whatever decision Bud makes and we'll go from there. |
It appears the 50 game initial penalty is principally a response to criticisms which have been made of our current program. We share your concern about the criticism our program has received, and, in response, the players have demonstrated, several times now, their willingness to take all reasonable measures in response. But we are still required to adopt, and defend, reasonable, fair and appropriate agreements. |
It's like a lot of things. I thought that most of what you read was probably significantly overblown. |