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ST LOUIS - A meeting of the four major player advocacy groups has yielded an agreement that will mean over 99% of the players in Major League Baseball will not play a game after September 1st.
"We have decided today that we, players united will not stand for any salary restraints that impede our abilities to make a living," said Paul Pennelli, a spokesman for the group "PLAYERS UNITED", which the groups formed after the meeting.
"We believe that owners need to come to the bargaining table and renegotiate or take a vote, in order to determine what will happen with our sport this season and in the future," he added.
Board of Governors chair Bob Costas flew to St. Louis, to hold preliminary talks immediately following the annoucement and said he is confident the groups can come to a decision. "We want our teams to be able to compete, but we understand the need and the desire for players to be able to maximize their earning power," he said.
Costas said he had not discussed plans of the season's future with the Board, but an emergency meetign was setup for Friday to make a decision.
Most owners are rumored to be incensed and want to "play hard ball" with the players. "We're not going to give in. This has to happen, we need to control costs and do it now," said George Leary of Orlando. "No other industry is as out of whack with salary as we are," he said
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