Times wires
Saturday, March 5, 2011
MESA, Ariz. — The first round of talks over a new collective bargaining agreement went off uneventfully, and that's good news, commissioner Bud Selig said Saturday.
With the current basic agreement expiring Dec. 11, representatives for Major League Baseball and the players association talked for the first time last week in Florida. Selig said another session will take place in Arizona this week.
"We're in the very early stages of negotiations," Selig told reporters at Saturday's Padres-Cubs game, MLB.com reported. "We're starting early, and I think that's good. Hopefully, we're starting very quietly and peacefully. You guys have heard me say this: One of the things I'm most proud of is 16 years of labor peace. And we've been able to do it and do it quietly."
Baseball is hopeful of avoiding the acrimony of the labor talks in the other major sports, with lockouts threatened in the NFL and NBA.
Baseball hasn't had a work stoppage since 1994, when, in response to a players' strike, owners canceled the final six weeks of the regular season and the postseason.
CARDINALS: Right-hander Kyle McClellan's bid to replace the injured Adam Wainwright in the rotation got off to a strong start when he pitched three scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over an Astros split squad.
DODGERS: First baseman James Loney, who has felt mild tightness in his left knee, was scheduled for an MRI exam.
INDIANS: Third baseman Jason Donald went for X-rays after being struck on the left hand by a pitch from White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd.
MARINERS: Catcher Miguel Olivo strained his groin while running home and is scheduled to have an MRI exam.
NATIONALS: Bryce Harper, the first overall pick in last year's draft, drove in his first big-league run with an eighth-inning single in a 10-8 win over the Yankees.
ORIOLES: Left-hander Brian Matusz pitched off a mound one day after getting a wart removed from his left middle finger and expects to make his next start.
RED SOX: Left-hander Jon Lester will miss his scheduled start today because of the flu. … Former Rays leftfielder Carl Crawford had his first two hits in a Boston uniform after starting the spring 0-for-9.
ROYALS: Catcher Jason Kendall was in uniform for the first time since August and is targeting March 18 for his spring debut as he continues to recover from major right shoulder surgery.
TIGERS: Rightfielder Magglio Ordonez was scratched because of spasms in his left hamstring.