With the Aug. 30 strike date looming, baseball historian George F. Will took time to answer five questions from the Enquirer's Dustin Dow.

        Q: Does it upset you that players and owners are having such a hard time coming to an agreement on your plan?

        A: It does, and it startles me. Both sides know that baseball needs to come to an agreement because a strike could really hurt.

        There are 30 major-league teams. It's down to a difference of 30 million dollars. Goodness gracious. Just get it done.

GEORGE WILL

Will was a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel, the four-person focus group set up by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig in 2000 to draft the current luxury tax and revenue sharing proposals that are on the bargaining table.

        Q: Are they on the right track?

        A: Yes, they are. The players actually helped the process by setting a strike date. If they can't get it done by Aug. 30, they can't get it done by Nov. 30. When you work with a deadline, it gets the process going and forces people to get the job done.

        I'm certainly worried that it could end in strike simply by miscalculation. We had World War I by miscalculation. That resulted in four years of carnage. I'm modestly optimistic that they will settle this. There are no issues of dignity or pride here. This is simply about money.

        Q: Is baseball still the national pastime?

        A: Well, it's hard to say. Not the way it used to be. Baseball used to have undivided attention between spring training and when Ohio State played Michigan. Now you have the NFL beginning in early August. And the polls indicate that more young people prefer football than baseball.

        On the other hand, more people attend Major League Baseball games than the NFL, NHL and NBA combined.

        Q: Do you still follow the game passionately?

        A: Obsessively, compulsively and addictively.

        Q: How has being on the Blue Ribbon Panel enhanced your involvement?

        A: It's endlessly fascinating to work with the intricacies of the economics of the game. It enables you to see merit on both sides of the issue. It's still a pretty little game; always has been, always will be. And the play on the field is getting better and better.

Reds 5, Astros 3 Reds Box, Runs Reds hurlers lick wounds, escape DL Dunn shakes slump Online with John Fay Reds chatter Cinergy countdown No. 12 Down on the farm For Whom the Tax Tolls Five questions with George Will Hall of Famer Wilhelm dies Texas paper to withhold baseball coverage Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 0 Phillies 4, Cardinals 0 Pirates 17, Brewers 10 Here comes da Fonz John Fay's MLB Power rankings Louisville 5, Indianapolis 1

Frerotte makes his move in QB race
Saints-Bengals Stats
Williams expects defensive line to be dominant
Bengals Q&A
Fun 'N' Gun batters Bucs
NFL notebook
Elder 42, Dixie Heights 7
Moeller 21, Colerain 14
Princeton 30, Springfield South 27
St. Xavier 10, Sycamore 7
Bellevue 33, Harrodsburg 28
Fairfield 41, La Salle 18
Harrison 27, Oak Hills 10
Loveland 49, Northwest 21
N. College Hill 39, Finneytown 14
Norwood 41, Taylor 18
Summit Country Day 40, Mississinawa Valley 16
Winton Woods 31, Hughes 2
Groeschen: Prep Insider
Boys cross country results
Boys golf results
Boys soccer results
Girls cross country
Girls soccer results
Girls tennis
Girls volleyball results
Daugherty: Life twist that's beyond words
Learning the ropes
Five questions with Jared Lorenzen
SCHMIDT: Kentucky insider
Buckeyes impressive in opener
Nebraska pounds Arizona St.
Kentucky advances to World Series final
Little Leaguers perplexed by strike talk
A shootout looms at Sahalee
Serena Williams No. 1 in her family - and world
Da Matta keeps rolling
Kehres shares reasons for his team's success
Sadler gets a fresh start
Medaglia d'Oro holds off Repent to take Travers
Page Two power rankings

• Return to Reds front page...