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The owner of an Atlanta chimney-and furnace-cleaning firm, Foster indeed was a fan. "He wasn't authorized by Turner to do anything except call me," laughs Osmond, "but he got carried away and made the deal." Turner blithely went along with it. And Ed Barrow turned over in his grave.
Experienced baseball men see ominous ramifications in all this, and with reason. "These newer owners are going to have to get housebroken and learn the bottom line," says Dodger Boss Walter O'Malley. Warns Charlie Finley: "People have only so much money for food, for rent, for entertainment. Athletes are going to price themselves out of the market. I do not criticize the athletes, I criticize the owners for paying these unjustified, astronomical salaries." Says Yankee Manager Billy Martin, who took a 28% pay cut in 1950 when the Yankees brought him up from the minors: "There will come a day when players like Andy Messersmith won't be in the game. The owners will get together and decide they can't suffer them."
But for now owners are hustling to accommodate the newly powerful stars. After a bitter word battle between the New York Mets management and their suddenly Not-So-Terrific Tom, the contract Seaver has ended up with reportedly pays him $230,000 for 1976, plus $5,000 "for each game he would normally start" after he wins his 19th. If he wins fewer than 18, he agrees to take a 10% cut next year—unless injuries or lack of support from teammates keeps him from winning that many. Exactly how this squares with Major League Rule 3A is yet to be decided by National League President Charles S. ("Chub") Feeney. Seaver could get a high, hard one thrown past him. The rule reads in part: "No contract... shall provide for the giving of a bonus for playing, pitching or batting skill..."
Reggie Jackson has for years publicly proclaimed his desire to get away from Oakland and Charlie Finley. But now he contends Oakland is his business capital. On the strength of getting Jackson, bookmakers made Baltimore the 5-2 favorite to win the American League's Eastern Division. In their first five games the punchless Orioles scored only nine runs. Meanwhile, Slugger Jackson was in retreat in Tempe, Ariz., reviewing his life's options with his agent-partner, Garry Walker, and a psychologist, Ron Barnes. Walker hinted at one point that Jackson would not sign until vacationing Oriole Owner Jerry Hoffberger returned from Israel. Oriole General Manager Hank Peters, Jackson seemed to feel, lacked a sophisticated enough grasp of extra-baseball business matters to work out the deal. Oh, that an outfielder should judge a g.m. in such a way! Where will it all end?