Owners, players discuss secondary issues

NEW YORK -- Baseball players and owners focused on secondary items, including steroid use, during labor negotiations Friday, failing to discuss the most important economic issues.

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Chicago Cubs president Andy MacPhail attended the session, as did two San Francisco Giants players, Rich Aurilia and Jeff Kent.

"We had substantive discussions over numerous proposals made by the respective parties," management lawyer Frank Coonelly said. "These are the types of talks we need to move the process forward."

During the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, the sides touched on contraction, steroid testing and other non-economic issues, according to union lawyer Michael Weiner.

Steroids have become a topic since former MVPs Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco admitted using them. Owners would like to add steroid testing into the new collective bargaining agreement.

Negotiators did not focus on the key management proposals: a 50 percent luxury tax on the portions of payrolls above $98 million and an increase in the amount of shared locally generated revenue from 20 percent to 50 percent. The plan is designed to take away money from the high-revenue teams and redistribute it.

The old labor contract expired Nov. 7, and the union, fearing management might start a lockout after the postseason or change work rules, has started to think about possible strike dates, with August mentioned most often.