PLAYERS DAMPEN HOPES FOR STRIKE'S END

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Baseball owners were hopeful today that they had found a way to end thestrikein time to get the players back in uniform by opening day, this Sunday. But tonight, players union chief Donald Fehr deflated hopes for a quick settlement, telling a press conference that while the owners had made some promising concessions, they were not yet substantial enough to bring the strike to an end. Late last night, owners proposed playing the 1995 season -- now scheduled to begin with replacement players -- under 1994 work rules, then levying a 50 percent "luxury tax" in 1996 on teams with payrolls over $44 million as a subsidy for financially-pressed teams, then raising that threshold in 1999. Players think the owners tax is still too high, and might discourage teams from paying top dollar. The last offer that the union put on the table included a 25 percent luxury tax on teams paying more than $54.1 million in salaries.