Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder Len Dykstra broke ranks yesterday and became the first high-profile player to publicly question the stubborn bargaining strategy of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Dykstra, appearing on ESPN's "Up Front," bucked the union position and spoke in positive terms about the settlement recommendation made Tuesday by special mediator William J. Usery.
"If you ask me, I think that Usery tried to do what's best for both sides; he kind of, it looks like, cut everything in half," Dykstra said. "I think there's a big chance we can get something done . . . with what he proposed."
The union has characterized Usery's proposal as "terrible," because it allows for a severe payroll tax and cedes the arbitration rights of a large group of players, but Dykstra committed the union equivalent of heresy when he said that the owners deserved a few breaks.
"If it weren't for the players before us holding firm and staying together, I would never be making the money I am now," he said, "but at this point, I think we're at the ceiling. I don't know how much room there is left up there. You have guys making 5 or 6 million dollars, and the owners deserve to make a profit, too. They have invested millions of dollars in their teams, and I'm not afraid to say they are the boss. We work for them and they deserve to make a profit on their own business."
Union director Donald Fehr, who had just returned to New York after a week of intense negotiations, didn't seem particularly surprised or concerned. Dykstra has run afoul of union protocol before.
"It sounds like something that might come from someone who wasn't in Washington during the negotiations and hasn't seen the entire package," Fehr said. "It'll be straightened out. I'm not worried. It's the kind of thing that happens in a long strike. So far, Lenny is the only player I've heard about."
Dykstra, whose 1995 salary tops $5 million, said that he would try to convene a meeting of the 20 highest-paid players in the game to review the performance of the union. He did not come out and say he would cross the picket line, but he left open the possibility. "Lenny Dykstra loves baseball, Lenny Dysktra is fortunate to be playing in the major leagues, Lenny Dykstra wants to play baseball in 1995," he said. "As far as going across, you'll have to ask me again in April."
If his comments are symptomatic of widespread union dissent, it remains well hidden. The union's rank and file appears to be strongly supportive of Fehr and his strategy, but Orioles player representative Mike Mussina said last night that there has been concern that Dykstra might be a problem.
"I knew it was a possibility that he would eventually say something or try to pull this off," Mussina said. "We've known enough about him to know that this was a possibility. He was the leader -- for lack of a better term -- the main one everyone told us to worry about. [John] Kruk told me when we were at a charity softball game in Palm Springs. [Darren] Daulton told me. We understood that there might be a problem with him."
Mussina said that he does not believe anyone among the high-profile Orioles would join in a union revolt.
Attorney Ron Shapiro, who represents Cal Ripken and several other big-name players, said that he had contacted a number of players and agents, and found no one who was aware of the meeting that the Phillies outfielder described.
"I called one of Lenny's teammates, who is a premier player, and he hadn't heard anything," Shapiro said. "I called all of my clients who are premier players and they haven't heard anything."
Though it may have been an isolated incident, it is certain to hearten the owners, many of whom are convinced that the union leadership is out of touch with the players. One of the reasons that the owners embraced Usery's proposal was because it called for ratification by a secret ballot, which would neutralize any peer pressure that might be applied to persuade players to vote against it.