With baseball talks at a standstill and prospects growing that the season will open with replacement players, negotiators scattered with little idea of when or where they'll next meet.
"We could go to Milwaukee or Florida or nowhere," union head Donald Fehr said Sunday. "There's a pretty clear indication to me the owners have already decided to blow off the beginning of the season."Colorado Rockies chairman Jerry McMorris, who led management's team during weekend talks, said he did not expect significant negotiations to resume until after Thursday, when owners complete a three-day meeting in Palm Beach, Fla.
"Without a miracle," McMorris said, "major league players will not be on the field opening day."
Fehr and McMorris both left Scottsdale on Sunday, leaving behind lower-level negotiating teams. There were no discussions between the sides on Sunday, and most of the remaining negotiators were expected to leave today.
"We're back close to square one," Fehr said as the strike completed its 206th day.
Management lawyer Chuck O'Connor said the lull in the talks was not necessarily a sign that negotiations were collapsing.
"These breaks can be looked upon as a cause for great alarm," he said, "or they can be looked on as a chance for reflection and opportunity."
Both sides had agreed the weekend was critical if players were to end their 61/2-month strike in time to return for opening day. More than 900 unsigned players need a week to negotiate contracts, and all players need at least three weeks of practice to be ready.
And there were signs of optimism during the week, such as when the union agreed on Friday to accept the owners' revenue-sharing plan.
But players and owners were angered by proposals each made on Saturday, and they spent the rest of the weekend focusing on public posturing instead of negotiating.
Exhibition games began last week with replacement players and some minor leaguers. Owners say they're prepared to open the season without regular major leaguers, even if attendance is cut substantially.
"The game's going to go on. The only question is, which players are going to be on the field," McMorris said. "We can't let this paralyze the whole industry and the whole country as far as baseball."
The focus of the dispute now probably will shift to the National Labor Relations Board, which this week is expected to rule on the union's unfair labor practice charges.
If the NLRB issues a complaint against owners, which is expected, the agency probably would seek an injunction restoring all the old work rules - including salary arbitration. Players say they'd end the strike if a federal judge issues the injunction.