Schugel sees work-stoppage in baseball's murky future

NEW ULM -- Former New Ulmite Jeff Schugel, now assistant to the General Manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers, feels that "as it stands now, the potential work-stoppage in major league baseball (following this season) may potentially be the nail in the coffin to major league) baseball.

"But I think that (Mark) McGwire and the players know that they have to get this (union contract) worked out," he said. "It could be really ugly if there is a work-stoppage and it will be a long, drawn out affair. Baseball will lose more fans and baseball, as we know it today ... I don't know if baseball will come up with two divisions or how they might do it. But as we see it today, it may well be over."

McGwire has said that if there is a work-stoppage, he will retire from baseball.

Schugel agrees that a real good chance of what may happen, even if an agreement is reached, is franchises like Minnesota, Montreal, and Kansas City being absorbed by the New Yorks, Chicagos, and Atlantas .

"There is a real good chance of that happening," he said. "I think (being absorbed) was something that was thrown out there, but this year will be pivotal with the new collective bargaining agreement. I would not be surprised to see some of that (franchises being absorbed) between this upcoming season and next season."

He said that the contract signed by Alex Rodriguez with Texas of $252 million "has fans saying 'when is enough enough?'

"I think that the timing of the whole A-Rod contract is going to be crucial because the potential work-stoppage following this season," he said. "From a management standpoint we are trying to bring parity to baseball, but this just widens that gap more between the haves and the have nots."

One idea brought out in an issue of USA Today had major league baseball allowing teams that finish lower in the divisions to draft players from the first division teams in an effort to level the talent level on the playing field.

"I don't know if that will really solve a lot of baseball's problems," commented Schugel. "There is still the money issue, but this is a way to bring parity to teams. I think that Bud Selig came up with the idea. But in most cases those bottom teams (that are drafting from the top teams) are the lower payroll teams. If there is a guy out there with a big-time salary, the team drafting cannot absorb him anyhow. There would be a lot more trading involved but the big issue of the dollars will not be addressed much."

In a recent issue of Baseball America, they had a survey question that asked if you were the Commissioner of Baseball, what would you do?

Schugel said that in his opinion, the first thing that he would do is getting a new revenue sharing plan.

"There somehow has to be a way to get something like (revenue sharing) that makes sense. If we are going to operate under the current structure, you cannot have one team operating with a payroll of $125 million (a year) and another with a payroll of sub-25 million dollars. As is evident in the A-Rod signing, if an owner wants a player, he will get him. Texas' owner (Tom Hicks) probably would have gone as high as $300 million, but he could have signed him for less than he did. Somehow, the revenue sharing system that is now in place is not being successful."

Schugel feels that there has to be a salary cap in baseball "but with the power that the player's union has, I don't know that they (player's union) would go along with that. I would certainly push for that."

Schugel also likes the idea of the international baseball draft.

"There are some issues that are going to come up in the (amateur) draft and the four-year rule," he said. "I see the international draft coming probably next year and I think that that is a good thing. The money is getting out of hand with teams signing players from other countries (as free agents). It is almost, on a smaller scale, like an A-Rod situation. The money gets out of control."

Schugel, who had been on a scouting trip through the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, will be heading to Australia on Jan. 2 to watch the 18-and under national championship series. "That will be it until spring training."

But Schugel will be very busy during the season as he is now in charge of the professional scouting in addition to his other duties. "I will be doing more major league scouting."

This past week, Schugel accompanied his son, A.J., to Colorado Springs were A.J. was in a hockey tournament. "It was the walking wounded there. We went 2-2 in the tournament and we had one player break an ankle, one break a foot and one break a collarbone."

Schugel feels that the Dodgers went about their off-season business the right way. "We have some position players that we can build around. But unless you have pitching, you will not win. We picked up Andy Ashby and the last time that he and Kevin Brown were together, he (Ashby) won 17 games. We wanted to strengthen our pitching and we think that we did. But the bottom line is that no matter how big the payroll, you need chemistry."

Schugel also feels that fundamentals in baseball, beginning at the lower levels, is down.

"In Latin America, they are fundamentally strong but here in the states, it is way down. Fundamentals are being taught, but even in colleges you see players who are fundamentally weak."

MANAGERS NEEDED: The New Ulm Baseball Association is looking for a manager for the Brewers and Kaiserhoff for this upcoming season. If you are interested, contact either Bob Reinhart (354-5671) or myself (354-7063).

HEITZMAN RATED HIGH: Baseball America has ranked New Ulm's Aaron Heitzman as the third top prospect in Minnesota college baseball behind Minnesota's Ben Birk and Jack Hanahan. Fans who saw the Upper Midwest Classic may remember the names of Joe Pietro (Creighton Prep) and Aaron Boettcher and Darren Hoeffart of Omaha Burke and Colin Shockey of Ralston. They all played here this past year and are Nebraska's top prospects, according to BA.

BIG MONEY: One last thing about major league baseball. This past season, 64 players have either signed with new teams or re-signed with their old team. The combined salaries of those 64 players is $1,181,900,000. That is ONE BILLION, 181 MILLION, 900 THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Think major league baseball is not turning off a lot of fans? Think again.

Column by Jim Bastian, Journal sports writer