Funny, but all year I’ve been trying to block out Bud Selig’s words that I heard in spring training during one of his spin stops in Phoenix. Selig clearly said that the owners had given in to the players for thirty years and now during this latest labor fracas they must take a stand no matter what the result (painful was the term he used to describe the result of their decision) or the game would be in deep trouble.

The owners have no desire to negotiate in good faith with the players. I am convinced of that. The owners have drawn a line in the sand and will not cross it.

The players have no choice but to set a strike date and walk out. If they don’t the owners will scrap all the current rules over the winter and implement Selig’s plans.

The only leverage the players have is to inflict some economic havoc on the owners at this time. If Don Fehr didn’t suggest this move his union would be a sitting duck for what the owners have in mind.

Unfortunately, that is the truth.

So, what else is new. There still is some baseball being played which I would prefer to talk about. Let’s do that.Shawn Estes is now a Cincinnati Red. The underacheiving Estes now misses his chance to face his arch nemisis the LA Dodgers this weekend in NY. The Reds have added Ryan Dempster, Brian Moehler, and Estes to a pitching rotation that is sadly two steps behind everyone else. Estes doesn’t respond well to pressure, Dempster has been a disappointment all year, and Moehler is a recovering surgery patient.

I commend Jim Bowden for trying to bolster the club, but these three won’t be pitching in October.

Will Houston ever put together the streak we all think they are capable of and catch the Cards or the Dodgers? Dave Mlicki pitches today against Cincy and Milicki in the words of one scout hasn’t been able to control any of his out pitches since his return from the DL. Once Mlicki is back to his preinjury form, he will help, so watch him carefully tonight.

Anything is better than seeing the Diamondbacks, so the Reds may win a game or two this weekend against Houston.

St. Louis ran into the Pirates at the right time. Scott Rolen is making a difference in the Cards line up. Tino Martinez, the ultimate gamer has finally found his groove and is coming up with big hits often. Down the stretch, Martinez will be a big factor for the Cards. St. Louis, in the middle of a long stretch of games, is being carried by their bats, at some point their pitching depth will be exposed. Andy Benes may be the sleeper this month. Benes is simply lights out right now and it is nice to see.

The Cards chances of hanging in are looking better. Four games with the Pirates will do that for you.

Boston was beaten two of three by Seattle and now travels to Minnesota. The pattern has been established for the BoSox. Pedro and Lowe win, Burkett may win, and Wakefield and Fossum are the losses waiting to happen. A possible strike may help this team especially if part of their 28 games in 29 days schedule beginning August 20th is wiped out by a strike and not made up later.

Seattle faces NY and Roger Clemens. The Rocket loves pitching in the Northwest and usually throws a gem at the Mariners. Lou has seen enough of James Baldwin for a while and Ryan Franklin gets the start versus David Wells on Saturday. The Yankee pitching staff is not looking good right now, no matter what their record is. If they started the playoffs today, I think they would get knocked out. Andy Pettitte is the only member of the starting staff worth anything today and he hasn’t thrown 100 innings this season.

The A’s hammered Mark Buehrle in Oakland in May, knocking him out in the second or third inning with a barrage of homers. The Sox put on a closing rush last year and last week took home series from the Angels and Mariners. Chicago is a different team on the road, not nearly as successful. Expect a foggy night in Oakland, without many homers. Cory Lidle is being asked to show that his recent success is for real. This game is a good test because Buehrle generally keeps it close.

The Giants face the Marlins in steamy Miami. The Marlins are 11-20 since trading Cliff Floyd, but still pose a threat to SF because they run a good pitcher out almost every game. If the Giants split four games in So. Fla, they should be happy.

Robb Nen does not have good control right now and if you’ve watched his games recently you have noticed that his slider is all over the place and he is grooving too many pitches.

I’m sure Dusty had his reasons for not putting Chipper Jones on base last night in the ninth (he would have been the winning run), but wouldn’t you rather pitch to Andruw Jones than Chipper with the game on the line and two out. It cost SF when Chipper lined a single to right to tie the game.

I’m sure the decision was well thought out, I’d just like to know his thinking. Not one writer asked Dusty why he pitched to Chipper instead of Andruw. It’s a legit question and worthy of being asked.

The tie felt more like a loss when the game was called due to rain with the score 3-3.

The Angels ask John Lackey to get it done versus Cleveland tonight. Cleveland lost closer Bob Wickman so any late inning lead is subject to change. These are the games Anaheim must win before facing the big boys in the East.

So, with Bud Selig’s spring training words clearly recalled I await the next chapter in “the game is doomed unless we control the players, break the union, and get a salary cap” saga.

What a bummer.