
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 29, 1994                   TAG: 9407290084
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

ON AUG. 12, 1 STRIKE AND THEY'RE OUT

Baseball players said Thursday they will strike Aug. 12 if there is no agreement on a labor contract, vowing to fight a salary cap ``as long as it takes.''

A work stoppage would be the eighth since 1972.

``At this point, I feel there's definitely going to be a strike,'' said pitcher Rich Monteleone, the San Francisco Giants' player representative.

Baseball, coming off record revenue of $1.8 billion last season and an average player salary of $1.2 million this year, is stuck in a three-way confrontation among large-market clubs, small-market teams and the players.

Small-market owners say they need large-market clubs to share more revenue, and all owners voted unanimously to tie increased revenue sharing to a salary cap, which management is threatening to impose after the season.

Players say a cap would destroy free agency because teams wouldn't have enough money to sign free agents.

``This is not a fight of the players' making,'' union head Donald Fehr said. ``They really don't have much choice in the matter and it is terribly unfortunate.''

When asked how long a confrontation could last, Fehr said, ``as long as it takes.''

by CNB