THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Striking baseball players won't miss me. I can't afford to go to the stadiums to watch them play in person. I watch them on TV, and then watch just the special games; but I will quit doing even that. I just can't take any more of these overpaid crybabies' demands.
Babe Ruth ruled the sport, and in his heyday made 20 to 30 times the salary of an average worker when he earned $100,000. Now the average salary of a ballplayer is more than 30 times the salary of the average worker, while the top guys earn more than 100 times Joe Fan's income per year.
Let's face facts. These guys are hardly the players that Babe or Mickey or Hank or Willie were, but they are making much more money and giving us much less for it.
They do not have to be loyal to the team, the fans or their families.
They are even forgiven crimes that ``ordinary'' men go to jail for or lose their families and jobs over.
And they are not satisfied.
They want to strike to improve their lot.
Nuts.
Has anyone figured out that if these players were paid one-fifth what they get now, they would still play baseball? What else would they do? Do you think they would get down and work at our humble jobs rather than play for $200,000 to $800,000 per year?
These are not brain surgeons we are talking about here. God gave them a talent for a sport, and this sport makes them an excellent living. Demanding more money - or more options - is just obscene.
They will not get my support, my sympathy or my attendance. Baseball is still only a game.
JIM McLAIN
Chesapeake, Aug. 7, 1994 by CNB