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| Friday, September 14, 2001 24:14 EST |
Satisfying the unquenchable thirst ... or at least trying
By Jeff Bradley
[ESPN The Magazine]
I walked into a 7-Eleven in Fullerton last week for a cup of coffee when something caught my attention and made me think of you, my guests in the Boot Room.
This enormous man was pouring himself a Super Big Gulp from the fountain drink dispenser. It couldn't have been 8 a.m., but hey, when a man needs his Mountain Dew, a man needs his Mountain Dew. So, I watched as this fellow poured a quart of fluorescent nectar into an enormous vessel. Watched as he filled that bad boy right to the brim.
But when the cup was full this man did not cap it and head for the counter. No, this guy stood there at the fountain and gulped down what I'd guess was about six or seven ounces. Then, without hesitation, he topped that SBG back to the top, put a lid on it and jabbed a straw through the perforated X. Now, he was ready to check out.
You see? So great was his thirst, the biggest soft drink known to man was not enough for this guy. Others may have thought, "What a slob!" or even "You've got to be kidding." But not me. I thought of you, my friends, and your insatiable thirst for MLS information.
So, here's what we know:
Tampa Bay has the second and the sixth picks in the draft and the Mutiny want to add a forward to play alongside Mamadou Diallo and a defender. Now, if you recall a few weeks ago, I wrote that Columbus might grab Ugandan centerback Tenywa Bonseu with the third pick. Well, if Bonseu isn't taken No. 1 by San Jose, the Mutiny will grab him. Since Bonseu will go into the draft as a Senior International, that selection would be tied to the Green Card-ization (new MLS term I just invented) of Bulgarian Kalin Bankov, which is supposed to happen prior to the draft. As for the forward, the Mutiny might look to deal the No. 6 pick (and maybe another pick) for that player. "Before the cap figures were known, there wasn't much trade talk," said Tampa GM Bill Manning, "But the past few days it's picked up and that should continue right up until draft day."
The Green Card situation is driving some people in the league crazy. Basically, there is a race to see which teams can get their foreign players cards the soonest, especially in the case of teams with allocations but no room for Senior Internationals. Chicago, for example, was hoping to receive Bonseu as an allocation to replace Ante Razov, but cannot do so unless one of their Senior players (Peter Nowak, Hristo Stoitchkov, Sergi Daniv) can receive a Green Card before the Feb. 5 draft day.
Kansas City GM Curt Johnson does not sound like a man who's ready to bring Preki back to Arrowhead Stadium for another season. "It's not about salary," Johnson said. "It's about Preki saying he's willing to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful, even if that means coming off the bench. And I haven't heard that from him at this point. I like the man, but he may not be the best fit for our team right now." The Wizards believe that Francisco Gomez is ready to slide into a starting role and with the un-retirement of Mo Johnston, think they have enough players to run in the central midfield to make up for the loss of Preki. Also, the Wizards own an allocation and No. 1 on their shopping list is a target forward to play with Roy Lassiter. As reported before, assistant coach Brian Bliss, who played several years in Germany, has been working on bringing a veteran German forward to K.C. But before any of you start throwing names like Ulf Kirsten around, keep in mind, he's been described as a player who is "not a big-name guy."
The MetroStars will most likely be looking for a roster-exempt player with their first pick (13 overall) in the draft. That means either a Project 40 or a Youth International. "People think because we lost Lothar Matthaeus and Thomas Dooley we have room under the cap," said Metro GM Nick Sakiewicz, "But we had a few players who justifiably got big increases, so we don't have a lot of room." Last season, the Metros did not have a single roster exempt player and the club is looking to add some youth to the mix. Sakiewicz also said that stadium discussions are moving along "about 30 days ahead of the pace we anticipated." The GM says that five New Jersey sites are being considered as the new home for the Metros, but that Harrison is "leading the charge." Seven New York sites are looking over the stadium project for the N.Y. team that's hoping to kick off in 2003.
Reading between the lines of Sigi Schmid's comments at the CONCACAF Champions Cup, it certainly sounds like Galaxy captain Robin Fraser will be the odd man out in Los Angeles once Greg Vanney and Cobi Jones' contracts are completed. Schmid not only spoke in glowing terms about Vanney's play, but also talked extensively about his passing and his ability to organize the defense from a central position. It did not sound like the kind of words one would use for a player who was going to play left back. New Galaxy GM Tim Luce also said it's no secret that the Galaxy will have to do some maneuvering to get under the cap once Vanney and Jones were signed. A number of teams are interested in Fraser -- who wouldn't be interested in one of the best defenders in the league? -- but teams tight against the cap may not be able to afford him.
Freedom Fighting, Part II
As I stated on Monday, I'm pushing hard for some form of free agency within the Single-Entity business structure of MLS. I made a few points about why free agency would be good for everyone, but there are even more reasons ... as pointed out by player agent Dan Segal, who represents, among others, Ante Razov and Ben Olsen...
Jeff -- I just wanted to send you a note regarding your column on free agency this past Monday. I have long been puzzled by why most people have tried to maintain that free agency with a hard salary cap is inconsistent with fiscal responsibility or with the interests of the owners. I think the system that you suggest would be a huge step in the right direction for everyone involved with MLS.
I believe that in addition to all of the points you raised in favor of free agency, it is also fair to say that adoption of such a system as you describe would greatly assist MLS in retaining players that it will otherwise lose to overseas clubs; not all of them, obviously, as sometimes the salaries offered in Europe cannot be matched. However, currently, the league forces a player to explore Europe if the player is to have any leverage in contract
discussions; once the exploration begins, a deal may follow. Not to mention that there will be cases in which another MLS team values a player more highly than the current team and thus enough to make a difference in keeping him in the league.
Even more importantly, the system you described would be enormously useful in promoting employee satisfaction. Currently, every player in the league feels that his salary was determined arbitrarily. Thus, it is easy to claim that their individual number is unfair, especially relative to others. There is no test to disprove the player's theory. As a result, almost every player in the league sincerely feels aggrieved (in many cases justifiably, and in many others not justifiably). With free agency, the player will either find that he is indeed worth 50k/year rather than 41k or will find that no team is
willing to spend 50k of their salary cap on him. At this point, the player will have no cause to gripe, but, if valued at 41k, will know that more is necessary to convince those that matter that he is worth a greater salary. Free agency would also kill the secrecy that leads every player in the league (again, sometimes justifiably, sometimes not), to believe that they are being taken advantage of and that everyone else is secretly being taken care of while they are not.
The player attitudes described above matter considerably. Businesses in every sector of the economy understand that employee satisfaction greatly affects productivity. This is particularly true for MLS, where the players are the sole product -- on the field, through their play, and off the field as marketing personalities. Does anyone really believe that it makes sense to perpetuate a system that leaves the players as entirely frustrated as they
currently are? Especially if the solution is budget-neutral?
The big problem: How do we get there? I, like many, am frustrated by the lack of positive steps taken by the NFLPA. I also am concerned about their commitment to the interests of soccer. However, not all of the blame for the lack of a CBA can be placed on the players' lawyers. As a collective group, the players only bargaining leverage (other than a realization by the owners of the wisdom of the case for free agency) is to sue or strike. Everyone rules out a strike, which would probably kill the league. For the players to unilaterally adopt a union with no assurances from the owners regarding concessions that would be made in a collective bargaining agreement is for them to eliminate the only remaining leverage they have before the talks begin, thus relying, in essence, on charity from the owners. The players should not be asked to bear all the burden nor take all the risk in seeking an arrangement that will help the league and the sport prosper in a way that it has of yet failed to do.
MLS management has said many times that it wants a CBA and that it wants the suit dropped. It has strongly implied, if not stated, that it wants the players to retain different representatives. It needs to say more. It needs to say how it intends to take care of the players if collective bargaining begins. It ought to promise an improved minimum salary, a pension plan, and budget-neutral free agency under the system your article described. Fine points regarding conditions of standard contracts, tying future increases in the salary cap to revenues and other matters can be negotiated. At that point I and, I think, any other responsible player representative will support whatever group seeking to represent the players is best positioned and most willing to get a deal done quickly and dismiss the suit.
As you concluded your article, it is time for a return to player-owner partnership in making this league work.
Best wishes, Dan Segal
A P.S. from Jeff ... if anyone at the MLS headquarters wants to pen a rebuttal, I'd be happy to bring it to the next Boot Room.
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