Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 11, 1990 TAG: 9003112722
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Commissioner Fay Vincent uncharacteristically declined to comment on labor matters, but two sources who have been involved in negotiations said Vincent met at his home in Greenwich, Conn., with Donald Fehr, the players' labor leader.
"I'm in no position to discuss today other than I was in my den," Vincent said by telephone from his home.
One source said a meeting between Vincent and Fehr tentatively was set for Friday.
The matters to be discussed had not been set, the source said, but a second source indicated the major topic of conversation was the problem regarding the players who have been in the major leagues between two and three years.
Fehr was not at his home in Rye Brook, N.Y., and did not reply to messages left for him with his wife or on an answering machine.
The commissioner would not say if any conversation he might have had in his den or anywhere else in his house had been fruitful.
"I'm not going to talk," he said. "I have no comment. Nothing's changed. There's been no development."
One rumored development was that Vincent was thinking about ordering spring-training camps open after a 24-day lockout.
"I heard I was going to be announcing something," he said, then speculated the rumor might have come out of the fact that he had canceled network television interviews for Saturday and today.
Vincent asked on Thursday the owners to lift their lockout if the players gave a no-strike pledge. The owners agreed to the request, but the players said they could give no such pledge.
Vincent said he would try to find a way to deal with the union's concerns about the possible consequences of relinquishing its right to strike.
He began that effort Friday and said Saturday he hoped to be able to do it.
Union officials, however, have made it clear they see no way they could offer not to strike and no way anyone could force them to.
The negotiators have not met since Wednesday.
by CNB