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2B Daily News – Wednesday, November 23, 2011 MLB reaches labor deal SONS Playoffs expanded; Astros to move to AL NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and union head Michael Weiner smiled and exchanged handshakes while others in the room dug into knishes and pigs in a blanket. Not exactly the kind of scene that played out in sports labor talks this year. Baseball ensured itself of 21 con- secutive years of peace at a time the NBA season might be canceled because of a lockout and the NFL still is recovering from its CBA negotiations. ''We've learned,'' Selig said Tuesday after players and owners signed an agreement for a five-year contract running until December 2016. ''Nobody back in the '70s, '80s and the early '90s, 1994, would ever believe that we would have 21 years of labor peace.'' The agreement makes MLB the first pro major league in North America to conduct blood tests for human growth hormone, allowing it during spring training and future offseasons but for now only study- ing whether it will be implemented during the regular season. ''MLB and the players union should be applauded for taking the strong step to implement the HGH test at the major league level to pro- tect clean athletes,'' said Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. ''This is great progress in MLB's effort to protect the integrity of baseball at every level.'' The deal, which must be ratified by both sides and drafted into a for- mal contract, expands the playoffs from eight to 10 teams by 2013, lessens draft-pick compensation for free agents, expands salary arbitra- tion by a few players and for the first time allows teams to trade some draft selections. It also adds unprecedented restraints on signing bonuses for amateur players coming to the major leagues from high school, college and overseas, perhaps hurt- ing MLB as it competes with the NFL and NBA for multisport talent. ''If I've got a great athlete, why am I going to go to baseball? I'm going to focus on the other sports,'' said agent Scott Boras, who has negotiated baseball's highest sign- ing bonuses. Following eight work stoppages from 1972-95, baseball reached its third consecutive agreement without an interruption of play. The agree- ment was signed three weeks before the current deal was to expire Dec. 11, the second straight time the sides reached a deal early. Baseball seems to have learned the lessons of the 1994-95 strike, which wiped out the World Series for the first time in nine decades. ''I think our history is more important than what's happening in other sports,'' said Michael Weiner, who took over from Donald Fehr as union head last year. ''It took a while for the owners to appreciate that the union is not only here to stay, but that the union and its mem- bers can contribute positively to a discussion about the game — about its economics, about the nature of the competition, about how it's mar- keted in every way.'' Owners hope the changes will lessen the difference in spending by high- and low-revenue teams, much as the payroll luxury tax that began after the 2002 season. ''We feel that competitive bal- ance is crucial to the product that we put on the field,'' said Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president for labor relations. ''Every time I took a proposal back to the commissioner, his bellwether on whether that pro- posal was good, bad or indifferent is what it did for competitive bal- ance.'' As players Andrew Bailey, Andrew Miller, Carlos Villanueva and David Bush sat alongside the officials, the sides described other highlights that included: requiring BRAUN (Continued from page 1B) couldn't have argued with him winning. He had a phenomenal year.'' Although Braun and Kemp had similar statis- tics, Kemp was hindered by the Dodgers' 82-79 third-place finish in the NL West. The Brewers won the NL Central title, their first division crown since winning the AL East in 1982. ''Without a doubt I think it's a drastically dif- players to play in the All-Star game unless injured or excused; expand- ing instant replay to include deci- sions on foul lines and traps, subject to an agreement with umpires; ban- ning smokeless tobacco products during televised interviews by play- ers, managers and coaches; requir- ing players arrested for DWI to undergo mandatory evaluation; and wearing improved batting helmets manufactured by Rawlings by 2013. An initial positive test for HGH would result in a 50-game suspen- sion, the same as a first positive urine test for a performance-enhanc- ing substance. HGH testing in the minor leagues started late in the 2010 season. ''It meant a great deal to me per- sonally, and a great deal to our sport,'' Selig said. Random testing for HGH will take place during spring training and the offseason, but there is no agree- ment yet on random testing in-sea- son. There can be testing at any time for cause. Although the NFL has wanted to start HGH blood tests, its players' union has thus far resisted. ''The agreement to begin testing puts baseball ahead of other Ameri- can professional sports leagues and is a credit to their leadership,'' Rep. Henry Waxman said. ''It will be important that the testing be extend- ed to the regular season to avoid cre- ating a loophole in the new policy.'' Weiner said scientists told MLB that the HGH test can detect the sub- stance in the blood for 48-to-72 hours. ''We are sufficiently comfortable with the science to go ahead with testing, but we have preserved the right if there is a positive test for there to be a challenge — if that's appropriate — to the science at that point in time,'' he said. Former union head Marvin Miller, who spoke to Weiner on Tuesday, praised much of the agree- ment but was critical of the HGH testing. ''It's the same as steroids. There's not a single test worldwide (proving) that it improves athletic performance, not one,'' he said. ''I don't know if it does, and neither does anyone else.'' The sides will explore in-season testing, but the union wants to make sure it's done in a way that doesn't interfere with players' health and safety. ''The players want to get out and be leaders on this issue, and they want there to be a level playing field,'' Weiner said. ''The realities, though, are that baseball players play virtually every single day from Feb. 20 through October. And that's unlike any other athlete — profes- sional or amateur — who's subject to drug testing. We want to make sure that we're doing everything we can on the HGH issue, but that it be consistent with not interfering with competition and not interfering with players health and safety.'' In addition, the number of offsea- son urine tests will increase gradual- ly from 125 currently to 250 before the 2015 season. As for the playoffs, there will be an additional two teams that will give baseball 10 of 30 clubs in the postseason. In the NFL, 12 of 32 teams make the playoffs. In the NBA and NHL, 16 of 30 advance. The wild-card teams in each league — the non-first place teams with the best records — will meet in a one-game playoff, with the win- ners advancing to the division series. Manfred said a decision on whether the expanded playoffs would start next year likely will be made by the January owners' meet- ing. ''I think having a second wild- card team is great for the game,'' said NL MVP Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. ''I think it adds intrigue, it adds excitement. If you look at what the wild card, the first wild card, has done for baseball over ferent experience playing meaningful games down the stretch,'' said Braun, the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year. Braun, in fact, was con- vinced the Brewers' first- place finish is what put him over the top with vot- ers. ''If you honestly assess both of our seasons indi- vidually I think his num- bers are probably better than mine, and I just feel fortunate to have been on the better team,'' Braun said. ''It's an individual award, but it's a result of being part of a special the last few years, it's made games late in the season relevant for every- body.'' This agreement also calls for the Houston Astros to switch from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013, leaving each league with three five- team divisions and a new schedule format that's still being determined. It's baseball's first realignment since the Brewers went to the NL after the 1997 season. Teams will be allowed to have 26 active players for day-night double- headers, provided they are sched- uled with a day's notice in order to give clubs time to bring up someone from the minor leagues. On the economics, the threshold for the luxury tax on payrolls will be left at $178 million in each of the next two seasons, putting pressure on high-spending teams such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies not to raise their spending even more. The threshold rises to $189 million for 2014-16. And there is a new market dis- qualification test as an incentive for clubs to increase revenue, prevent- ing teams from large markets from receiving revenue-sharing proceeds. Both teams from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago will be ineli- gible to receive revenue sharing by 2016 along with Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas, Toronto and Washington, a person familiar with the agreement said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the teams were not announced. The pro- ceeds will be given back to the teams paying in revenue-sharing, as long as they stay under the luxury- tax payroll threshold. A provision says Oakland will remain eligible as long as its ballpark situation remains unresolved. The minimum salary reaches the $500,000 mark in 2014, and then there will be cost-of-living increases in both of the following two years. There also will be a new ''competi- tive balance lottery'' that gives small-market and low-revenue teams 12 extra selections in the amateur draft. Major league free agent compen- sation will be completely revised in 2013, with a team having to offer its former players who became free agents the average of the top 125 contracts — currently about $12.4 million — to receive draft-pick compensation if a player signs with a new team. It eliminates the statis- tical formula that had been in place since the 1981 strike settlement. In addition, the portion of players with 2-3 years of major league ser- vice who are eligible for salary arbi- tration will rise from 17 percent to 22 percent starting in 2013. Owners achieved their goal of reining in spending on amateur players coming to the major leagues. For high school and college players taken in the June amateur draft, there will be four bands of penalties and major league contracts will be prohibited. Boras, who negotiated Stephen Strasburg's record $15.1 million deal with Washington two years ago, praised the union for what it achieved but was critical of the draft changes. ''If I'm a person interested in buying a major league team, I believe I'm going to not be as anx- ious to provide an aggressive price because my ability to improve myself through scouting and devel- opment has been severely restrained,'' he said. For international amateur sign- ings from nations such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, a luxury tax will begin with the July 2012-June 2013 sign- ing season on amounts over $2.9 million. A study committee was established to study whether there should be an international draft starting in 2014. team, a special organiza- tion.'' Braun is the first Brew- ers player to win the MVP award in the National League and first since Robin Yount won in 1989, when Milwaukee was in the AL East. Rollie Fin- gers (1981) and Yount in 1982 are the other Brewers to take home MVP honors. ''Robin's the greatest player in Milwaukee Brewers history, so any- time you're mentioned alongside him it's a tremendous achievement,'' Braun said. Braun signed a $105 million, five-year contract extension in April, linking him to the Brewers through 2020. He received a $100,000 bonus for win- ning the MVP. ''This team has been so loyal to me. They believed in me. They drafted me. They helped to develop me, and there would be nothing more meaningful to me than to eventually win a world championship in Milwaukee,'' he said. ''It would mean a lot more to me than if I went to a large-market team, big- market-team and won two or three championships.'' to go after what they wanted. She also let them experience things on their own. (Continued from page 1B) hawks. John's Ravens are 7- 3 and leading the AFC North. ''We know it's going to be emotional, we're just not sure what emotions we're going to experience,'' Jack said. ''It's such uncharted waters. We've experienced it in this business being mar- ried for 50 years and coach- ing 43 years myself. And football and basketball and all the other things we've had in our family. This is such uncharted waters to see two in our family competing at this level on this stage. We've just never experi- enced anything like it. It's not one of those things you go into and you have any- thing that you can possibly measure it with or against.'' This week, Jack's long- time catch phrase of ''Who's got it better than us? Nobody!'' seems as fitting as ever for this family. The slogan has been a huge hit out West, where 49ers players have made their own T-shirts featuring those words. ''I'm sorry that he got to it first,'' said the 49-year-old John Harbaugh. ''I should have thought of that before him. We should have made some T-shirts, too. I think it's really cool.'' Aside from the game, there's another special moment the family will cele- brate: Jack and Jackie's 50th wedding anniversary on Fri- day. Everything has come together in one special, whirlwind week for this sports-crazed family. Jack and Jackie Har- baugh don't remember a sin- gle serious fight between their sons. Sure, there were arguments, like the common debate over chores — such as who had to mow the more challenging, sloping side of the lawn. If somebody had a beef with the boys, they would always team up. Each time the family moved as their father changed jobs, they left friends behind but always had each other. And don't forget their tag-along sister, Joani. Five years younger than Jim, she would run around in the middle as the boys threw a football during backyard battles of the keep-away game, pickle. Joani Crean — married to Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean — will cheer them both from afar, thrilled that each earned a much- deserved path to the NFL on his own despite being the son of a successful coach. ''There are so many eyes watching this game, it's going to be nice just to get it over with, too. Move for- ward,'' said Crean, who planned to attend but is sorry she won't be able to make it because of multiple family commitments at home in Bloomington, Ind. ''This is one of those moments when, whether they're a Ravens fan or a 49ers fan or a John or a Jim Harbaugh fan, they will watch this game just for the pure joy of the moment that it will be.'' Crean's 12-year-old son, Riley — a middle child with a sister on each side — admires both of his uncles. ''Riley just thinks both of his uncles and his grandfa- ther and his father hung the moon, all four of them,'' Crean said. ''He absolutely is into what his uncles are doing, and you never hear a negative story. That's a testi- mony to both of them.'' Jackie Harbaugh taught her children to be themselves and take accountability for their successes and failures, NCAA HOOPS Top 25 Schedule Tuesday's results No. 1 N. Carolina 102, Tennessee St. 69 No. 6 Duke 82, No. 15 Michigan 75 No. 7 Louisville vs. Arkansas State, late No. 8 Memphis 99, Tennessee 97, 2OT No. 9 Baylor vs. S. Carolina St., late No. 11 Wisconsin 77, UMKC 31 No. 14 Kansas vs UCLA, late No. 17 Pittsburgh 73, La Salle 69 No. 20 California vs. No. 21 Missouri, late Today's games No. 2 Kentucky vs. Radford, 4 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State vs. VMI, 4 p.m. No. 5 Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech, 6:30 p.m. No. 6 Duke vs.TBD No. 8 Memphis vs. Georgetown No. 9 Baylor vs. Texas-Arlington, 5 p.m. No. 13 Alabama vs. Alabama A&M, 5 p.m. No. 14 Kansas vs.TBD No. 15 Michigan vs.TBD No. 23 Arizona vs. S. Diego St., 5:30 p.m. Her mantra: ''Don't do for your kids what they can do for themselves.'' ''We are excited for both of them to be at this point in their careers,'' Jackie Har- baugh said. ''I think they're both very excited and appre- ciative of where they are at this point in their life. I think when it is all said and done that day, it's going to come down to the teams on the field, and that's what we're both hoping for. For me, once the practices are done and the preparations are done by both coaching staffs, it will come down to the players on the field. Besides that, which is apropos for us, it's Thanksgiving. John and Jim, Joani, Jack and I, we all have a lot to be thankful for in our lives. ... And the fact that we're going to celebrate our 50th anniversary the next day.'' The parents — and Joani, too — are proud that both men reached this point on their own, without relying on a recommendation or push from Dad. If anything, John campaigned for Jim. ''Knocking down hurdles,'' as Jim, 47, puts it. ''No question about that,'' Jack said. ''Jackie and I were just talking today and we were trying to recollect back and I can't recall at any time that I called anyone and sug- gested that in the case of them being athletes that they recruit John, Jim or Joani. I never can recall calling any- one on the phone and saying you need to hire John or Jim as a football coach. We never participated in that process. Everything they've achieved, it's been on their merit. And once they got those particu- lar jobs they were judged on their merits and strictly ran on their effort.'' Jim is quick to point out that he doesn't much care if he has any friends in the league aside from those he works with every day, and his brother. His quick hand- shake and backslap with Jim Schwartz enraged the Lions coach after San Francisco's win at previously unbeaten Detroit last month. No big deal to Harbaugh, who did acknowledge he would work to improve his postgame eti- quette. ''They are who they are. They express themselves in a way that reflects that,'' Jack Harbaugh said. ''And I'm proud of that. I think you find so many different peo- ple that try to emulate others — they try to walk or talk or express themselves in ways they think they should be perceived. The thing I'm most proud of of our kids is that when they express them- selves it's sincere, genuine and it's them.'' NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 12 5 1 25 57 43 Kings 11 7 3 25 52 50 Dallas 12 8 0 24 53 55 Phoenix 10 6 3 23 54 49 Ducks 6 10 4 16 41 61 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 12 6 3 27 71 67 Nashville 10 6 4 24 55 54 Detroit 11 7 1 23 53 43 St. Louis 10 8 2 22 50 46 Columbus 5 13 2 12 47 70 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Minnesota 12 5 3 27 47 40 Edmonton 11 8 2 24 57 51 Vancouver 10 9 1 21 58 57 Colorado 9 11 1 19 56 65 Calgary 8 10 1 17 42 51 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 12 6 3 27 65 50 Philadelphia11 6 3 25 73 62 N.Y. Rangers10 4 3 23 47 38 New Jersey 10 8 1 21 52 54 N.Y.Islanders 5 10 3 13 35 61 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Toronto 12 8 2 26 70 70 Boston 12 7 0 24 65 39 Buffalo 12 8 0 24 58 51 Ottawa 10 9 2 22 62 70 Montreal 9 9 3 21 53 50 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 11 6 3 25 60 51 Washington 11 7 1 23 62 59 Tampa Bay 9 9 2 20 55 67 Winnipeg 8 9 3 19 58 65 Carolina 8 11 3 19 53 72 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Tuesday's results Edmonton 6, Nashville 2 Los Angeles 3, St. Louis 2 Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 1 Today's games Chicago at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Calgary at Detroit, 4 p.m. Columbus at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Montreal at Carolina, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Washington, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Nashville at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Anaheim at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 6:30 p.m.