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THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday Decembers NoCliEERiNG NO NO KIR No TAUNTS Gridiron gridlock NFL battling free agency By Robert J WASHINGTON Over the next few years pro football s biggest battles will not be fought on the field but in the courtroom possibly even on the floor of the S Congress The National League has been operating ilhout a players con tract since September 1987 At that time players agreed to return to work after a day strike pending resolution of an trust suit filed by the NFL Players Association Technically the Players tion and the NFL Management cil were said to have been bargaining even though no sessions have been held in more than a year At the heart of the players discon tent is free agency Players want the ability to offer their services to the highest bidder once their current contracts expire so called unlimited free agency owners contend that such a plan would destroy on field parity between teams and kill competitiveness within the league Since the impasse NFL own ens have instituted a convoluted form of limited free agency that divides players into categories according to ability and age In theory any NFL player can shop around for a new team but the play current team has a right to match another team s offer thus retaining the if a team does sign a class A it must offer sub stantial compensation to his old team Thus the players move becomes much like a player originated trade This falls far short of what the Play ers Association wants Federal labor gives industries options from in federal anti trust restrictions if the restrictions being waived ire part of a collective bargaining agreement The NFL has been allowed to use the college dr if t and to restrict play er movement between teams because both of these wen subjects covered in the collective agreement with the Players Association Recently a federal appeals court struck down the Players Association s lawsuit on thi grounds that as long as bargaining over a new con tract is still technically in progress even though no session was actually held last year the antitrust ex emptions of the old contract are still in force So the Players Association has come up with a daring strategy It going to ask that a decertftica election be held in the hope that the players will vote the Players As sociation out of existence At the point its existence is extinguished the old contract with its free agency and draft trust exemptions would cease Edward Glennon the lawyer the Players Association in its anti trust suit has admitted that the next step would then be for several players of major stature a Law rence Taylor of the Giants for exam pie or Denver s John Elway to file Individual trust suits against the NFL Asked by a reporter if he had specific players ready to file such suits Glennon replied I do indeed Decertification however is risky Once the present contract is extin guished all the benefits and protec it currently offers the players would end Teams would be free to ne gotiate very different contracts with individual players over insurance re and severance pay injury rehabilitation summer training camp pay and even meal allowances Today all players are treated the same Thirdstring guards get the same basic benefits and protections as stars But that coild change in the absence of an overall player contract Decertification might mean a ma jor loss of benefits to lower level players and those players might well vote against it Or decertification might bring with it a host of new law suits Then if owners tried to slash benefits to lowerlevel players there might be another strike one much longer and meaner than in 1987 Meanwhile the NFL will probably step up its effort to get Congress to give it the same kind of antitrust ex emption as in baseball NFL owners have said there will no expansion until the present player contract mess has been settled once and for all or members of Congress from states that hope to gain expan sion franchises the message is clear unless they get behind an NFL anti trust exemption thur constituents will have to do without home team to cheer for many to come 19S5 THE WAGMAN FILE ROBERT NORTH END NISSAN 610 MARTIN STREET MILTON ONTARIO 8784137 MOBILE SOUND SYSTEMS STEREO SYSTEMS ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR HOME AUTOMOTIVE RECORDS TAPES COS Sales Want To COMPLAIN don know what to say or who to send it to Let me write a formal complaint for SSk PUT IT IN WRITING Writing Services Specializing in letters com plaint protest resumes forms and applications klfl DA SAVAGE 8531187 m SAVE YOUR BODY NORTH END NISSAN St MILTON y1i CRITERION w RUG CO SALESSERVICE INSTALLATIONS CARPETVINYL TILE Tourism ministry provides ski news The Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation cooperation with the Ontario Ski Resorts Association is once again pro- Hoop gunners blasting away By John Grabowski Red of the Boston Celtics likens basketball to armed conflict Basketball is like war he ex plains in that offensive weapons are developed first and it always takes awhile for the defense to catch up In college basketball the newest weapon is the threepoint shot After three full seasons it makes Auerbach seem like a prophet the offense has been pulling away as the college game has changed Of course the threepoint field goal isnt the only reason for the increase in scoring The second clock adopted for all college games by the season eliminated the stall And shooting accuracy has been in creasing almost continuously since the days of For whatever reason the scores have been climbing in college basket ball during the past few seasons In 198586 US International Uni versity led Divison I schools with an average of 90 points per contest The next season marked by the de but of the three point bomb found Jerry s Running Rebels of Nevada Las Vegas on top with points per game That mark was the highest since the season The following year Loyola Mary mount coached by former Los Ange les Lakers head coach Paul scored at a 3 night clip At the time that was the second high est mark ever compiled topped only by 110 in 197576 Last year Lions outdid themselves They lit up the score board to the tune of points per game setting an alltime Division I record Included was an incredible 181point outburst against U S Inter national on Jan 31 Campbell House Gallery MAIN ST S GEORGETOWN Above McCarthys Tea Room 8730674 viding daily information on ski conditions throughout the pro vince The alpine and cross country report are available 24 hours a day and provide accurate detailed information on snow surface condi weather lifts slopes and operating trails It is important for skiers to know what kind of conditions they can expect before they leave for the slopes Ontario Minister of Tourism and Recreation Ken Black said today By taking ad vantage of the Ontario Ski Repor ting program they will have a greater opportunity to enjoy the tremendous ski facilities throughout the province The alpine information line is 416 963 The crosscountry information line is 416 The taped report is available to the public beginning at am and is updated daily at 11 15 am and 2 15 Skiers can receive more detailed information by calling Ontario travel counsellors at 9654008 in Toronto or toll free at 1 ONTARIO between Bam and p Monday through Friday The same service is available in French by calling toll free at 18002683736 Skiing continues to be the most popular winter recreational in Ontario with 3 million par ticipants annually RECYCLING llonljorkiirtBldoourpor Please Remember to Recycle This Newspaper COUNTRY V GAMES I COUNTRY RANGE PUTT I I COUNTRY YOGURT COUNTRY LOBSTER I I I I COUNTRY CRAFTS I I HEW I I COUNTRY PANTRY ENJOY A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY Comar of and fu Acroaa from If Couraa Dally Till 00pm i TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS FROM BILL MARY AND THE STAFF AT KINO PIZZA SUBMARINE I FOR FAST FREE DELIVERY J IN TOWN PLEASE PHONE lOMOUNTJUNVTEWRD SOUTH