John Margolis’ column on the baseball strike (Sept. 19) was well thought out except for when he mentions Ryne Sandberg. Mr. Margolis, when criticizing the current baseball problem, was dead wrong to mention a player with enough class and self-respect to go into early retirement rather than continue in a job he felt he did not measure up to anymore.
On a positive note, Mr. Margolis’ suggestion that Congress eliminate the free ride (translation: exemption from anti-trust laws) is excellent. Baseball fans are not as powerless as the owners and players would like to think.
I urge every fan to write, phone or fax his or her senator and representative demanding that major league baseball no longer be exempt from federal antitrust laws. Can anyone deny the adverse affect the standstill is having on commerce in this country?
When faced with the prospect of having to operate a business like the rest of the free world, without special treatment, the speed with which owners will run to good-faith negotiations will make a Nolan Ryan fastball look like an underhand softball pitch.
