Players back off setting a strike date

CHICAGO -- Citing progress and sensing an agreement was close, baseball players sprang a surprise Monday and backed off setting a strike date.

"We feel like there's a window of opportunity to get something done in the next several days and we're willing to explore that," Atlanta's Tom Glavine said after a 3 1/2-hour meeting of the union's executive board.

Glavine, a senior member of the board, said players were prepared to give the negotiating process "every chance to succeed." Talks were to continue Tuesday in New York, and the board scheduled a telephone conference call Friday to review developments.

"There has been progress on a number of issues over the last several days," union head Donald Fehr said. "It would be very nice if that progress continued and we reached a deal in short order. That's the goal."

By delaying setting a deadline, the union increases pressure on the owners without the threat of an imminent walkout.

"You establish a date when you believe it is essential to reach an agreement, bearing in mind that a strike is the last thing the players want. And we are not at that point yet," Fehr said.

Willing to wait

Fehr said his membership was willing to wait until Friday before considering the question of a strike date again. That gives negotiators three days to make sure the talks are still marking progress, even if only on side issues.

Rob Manfred, the owners' top labor lawyer, called the decision "a positive step."

"We look forward to getting back to the bargaining table, and hope we can reach a negotiated agreement without any need for the interruption of the season," he said. "Both parties feel pressure to reach an agreement because of the enormity of the harm that would be caused by a strike."

A strike date seemed inevitable once the executive board scheduled a meeting. Making it seem even more ominous was that exactly eight years ago, baseball ground to a halt on this date, laid low by labor issues that eventually cost fans 921 games and a World Series. The 1994 strike lasted 232 days and was the longest stoppage in the history of U.S. major sports.