DENVER -- Clint Hurdle has only 17 games under his belt as a major-league manager, but he's been around baseball long enough to believe another strike would damage the game beyond repair.

"It's taken us seven years to rebuild the game from the last strike, to get it back to a semblance of where it was," the Colorado Rockies manager said Wednesday. "I don't think it will ever get back if we have another strike, and rightfully so.

"I've had enough, and I would imagine the fans have had enough."

The New York Times reported Wednesday that baseball players are eyeing early August as a possible strike date if a new labor agreement can't be reached. The newspaper said the union has begun to talk about setting a strike date because there is no real sign of progress in negotiations.

"Right now it's all innuendo and speculation, but I think that sooner or later the owners are going to have to make a serious proposal," Hurdle said. "The only reason they're talking about contingency strike plans is because there's been no serious proposal made on the part of ownership."

The timing of a walkout would be reminiscent of 1994 when players went on strike on Aug. 12, leading to the cancellation of the rest of the regular season and the entire postseason -- including the World Series.

"Basically what it's come down to for me is if we can eliminate the egos from the picture, this thing will get worked out," Hurdle said. "You humble yourself. You look at the big picture and you look for logical answers to the tough questions.

"If we don't get humbled by the situation this time, I think there's a lot more at stake than people realize."