Major League Baseball has two weeks to solve its labor problem, or the players are walking out.

        The players union set a strike date of Aug. 30 Friday as negotiations with owners have made little headway over the main stumbling block, a luxury tax. The sport now faces its ninth work stoppage in the last 30 years.

WHERE IT STANDS

Final game at Cinergy?     The Reds last game before the strike is Aug. 29 against St. Louis.     Can the Reds move up in the standings between now and then?     There are 13 more games scheduled between now and the strike date, all against Houston, Arizona and St. Louis.     Why set a strike date now?     Players don't want to finish the season without a contract, convinced owners would impose their own rules. The union prefers to have a late-season stoppage, when the owners' revenue is at stake.     When was the last strike?     It started Aug. 12, 1994, and lasted 232 days, wiping out the World Series.     Biggest pay cut     Alex Rodriguez stands to lose almost $3.6 million of his paycheck if the strike lasts through the season.     Players say:     That they've made a big concession in agreeing to the principle of a luxury tax and increased the percentage of revenue sharing and that they want the owners to compromise, too.     The owners say:     That Major League Baseball can't survive without concessions from players.

        “Sooner or later, history has to be broken,” said Atlanta Braves pitcher and National League player representative Tom Glavine. “You've got to be hopeful. If you're resigned to nothing getting done, we might as well set a strike date for tomorrow.

        “Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and we'll get something done.”

        But the idea of another work stoppage was bound to anger, in and out of the game.

        “The baseball owners and baseball players must understand if there is a work stoppage, a lot of fans are going to be furious, and I'm one of them,” said President Bush, the former Texas Rangers owner.

        The union's executive board approved the strike date in a 57-0 vote. The players view the owners' proposed luxury tax (50 percent on any payroll above $102 million), combined with increased revenue sharing, as an unofficial salary cap.

        “The players are committed to reaching a fair and equitable agreement, one which takes into account their views, and not just those of the owners,” union head Donald Fehr said. “Needless to say, we are prepared to meet and bargain with the owners' representatives until an agreement is reached.”

        Baseball executive vice president Robert Manfred said the players are receptive to other issues, including increased local revenue sharing and steroid testing. But he disagrees with the way the luxury tax is being depicted.

        “Anyone who tries to characterize our proposal as a salary cap does not understand the economic issues or is purposely trying to mislead people,” Mr. Manfred said. “It may serve someone's interest to say it's a salary cap, but it's just not true.”

        There was no immediate response to the strike date from commissioner Bud Selig, who has pressed for major economic changes. Mr. Selig has said for a decade that the major leagues cannot survive without concessions from players.

        Players are 8-0 in work stoppages against the owners, who have had difficulty sticking together over the years. This time, Mr. Selig is trying to unite the owners and help small-market teams compete with big-market clubs.

        Players don't want to finish the season without a contract, convinced owners would lock them out or change work rules. The union prefers to have a late-season stoppage, when the owners would lose revenue even if the players would, too.

        The Aug. 30 strike date, the Friday of Labor Day weekend, means that if players walk out and the season is not completed, they would lose 16.9 percent of their base salaries. Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez stands to lose the most, $3,557,377.05 of his $21 million salary this year. A player at the $200,000 minimum would lose $33,879.78.

        “Obviously, my allegiance goes to the Players Association, and I'm very loyal to the PA. And that will never waver,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “For me, it's more than a monetary thing.

        “I've always said I'd be willing to renegotiate my contract and lessen it to a degree if it could fix the game of baseball. The money, I can deal without. Baseball, I can't.”

        The Reds are to play Milwaukee at home at 7:10 p.m. Aug. 30. That means the 12:35 p.m. home game Aug. 29 against St. Louis could potentially be the final game at Cinergy Field. The Reds move into the Great American Ball Park next season.

        Owners originally proposed a 50-percent tax on the portions of payrolls over $98 million, then moved up their threshold last weekend to $100 million. Since Monday's meeting, when the players saw enough hope to postpone setting a strike date until Friday, management has moved up to $102 million.

        According to Mr. Manfred that would affect seven teams next season.

WILL BASEBALL STRIKE OUT? • Walkout Aug. 30 as talks stumble • Team and city are staring at a Big Red-Ink Machine • Salaries, disparity (PDF) • Young Reds optimistic labor talks will succeed • Fans have no sympathy for players, owners • Lawmakers unlikely to go to bat for game • Strike would end Cinergy's life early

        “As the principal owner of the Orioles, I would pay into the fund in 2003 approximately $10 million,” said Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, who attended the press conference with Mr. Manfred. “I would submit the money into the pool, and it would be distributed to clubs with less resource available. It promotes the competitive balance and financial stability of the game.”

        The union seeks a luxury tax to kick in on payrolls in the $130 million range, increasing to $150 million by 2005, with a much lower tax rate. Mr. Manfred said that would affect only one team, the New York Yankees.

        “We think that's inconsistent with what we're trying to accomplish here,” Mr. Manfred said.

        The last strike began Aug. 12, 1994; lasted 232 days; and wiped out the World Series for the first time in 90 years. The walkout ended only after a federal judge issued an injunction restoring the rules of the expired labor contract.

        Talks are scheduled to resume in the midafternoon today. While players put the onus on the owners to lower their demands, Mr. Manfred said the union put baseball on two weeks notice.

        “I didn't set the strike date,” Mr. Manfred said. “Only one guy can take that threat away. Only one guy can assure fans baseball will be played on Aug. 30; that's Don Fehr.”

        ———

        The Associated Press contributed to this report

Team and city are staring at a Big Red-Ink Machine Walkout Aug. 30 as talks stumble Young Reds optimistic labor talks will succeed Fans have no sympathy for players, owners Lawmakers unlikely to go to bat for game Strike would end Cinergy's life early Reds 9, Astros 3 Reds Box, Runs Larson's promising season may be ended by broken toe Moehler starting to feel comfortable in Cincinnati Phillies 4, Cardinals 0 Rolen welcomed, Philadelphia style Late games Notes from Friday's games Louisville 7, Toledo 3

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