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MLB players and owners reconcile
OAKLAND – There will be no baseball strike. But fans were sweating it out until news of a settlement came Friday.
As the Oakland Raiders were putting the Arizona Cardinals to sleep Thursday, ushers, security guards and vendors at the Coliseum nervously looked at their watches. At 9 p.m., they were supposed to learn if they would be working for the rest of the season. The baseball season, that is.
Their fate was being decided by a cabal of millionaire owners and players, amid the threat of a players strike, in a closed meeting room in New York.
The 9 p.m. deadline passed with no word. But Friday, the news came and it was good. No strike, and a chance for the Oakland A’s to extend their 15-game winning streak.
But in a town known for its proud blue-collar fan base the bitterness that built before the decision will not likely evaporate soon.
“This is about greed. It’s all about greed,” said one Coliseum usher who declined to give his name. “The average American doesn’t make a dime compared to what these guys make.”
“This job provides about 15 to 20 percent of my family’s income,” he added, noting that if a strike would have occurred, he would have had troubles.
A few fans also spoke candidly about the situation as they enjoyed $7 beers at the stadium.
“You know what, just three to four years ago I started getting back into baseball since the last strike in ’94 which pissed me off,” said Luis Duenas, adding that his anger level was approaching what it was eight years ago.
Fans will have the opportunity to reconcile their anger this weekend when the A’s host the Minnesota Twins.
