Edition: U.S. / Global

ON BASEBALL; Credibility Test for Players' Union

By Murray Chass
Published: May 25, 1995

Ron Mahay has apparently been accepted by his new Boston Red Sox teammates, but he doesn't know if the union his teammates belong to will accept him. "I haven't thought about it," he said. "No one has said anything to me."

Ron Rightnowar, who described his welcome by his Milwaukee teammates as "pretty cool" (as in cold, not neat), doesn't know about the union either. "It hasn't even come up," he said. "I haven't heard a thing. I'm sure that will take care of itself."

It is not taking care of itself easily.

Rightnowar, a relief pitcher, and Mahay, an outfielder, are the first players on the union's so-called "scab list" to play in the major leagues. They made the list by playing in exhibition games during the players' strike. Now the union must decide how to deal with them.

Does the union accept them as members? Does it have to accept them as members? Donald Fehr, the union leader, isn't saying. "I'm not prepared to talk about it at this time," he said yesterday when asked about the dilemma the union faces.

Article III of the union's constitution says, "All players, managers, coaches and trainers who shall hold a signed contract with a major league club shall be eligible for membership in the association."

Does "eligible" mean the union has to accept Rightnowar and Mahay as members? Bob Scanlan, a Brewers pitcher who was intensely involved in bargaining as a member of the union's negotiating committee, is not a lawyer, but he said, "I don't think that guarantees membership."

The umpires' union has never accepted as members the umpires who worked during their 1979 strike. Derryl Cousins and John Shulock, the 1979 strikebreakers who are still working in the American League, remain outside union membership.

In the case of "scab list" players, membership would be more valuable than it would be for the umpires. For $20-a-day dues, the players would receive more than $400 a day in licensing money, up to about $80,000 a season.

The union's decision on membership for the two players on their "scab list" and any others who follow is critical for the union's credibility and integrity. Having pressured minor leaguers not to play in spring training games -- in most cases successfully -- the union would undercut its effectiveness if it accepts as members players who ignored the warning and played anyway.

Given the way the Red Sox have treated Mahay, they would seem to have no problem with his joining their union.

"We're handling it like professionals," Mike Greenwell, the team's alternate player representative, said. "We've talked to everyone on the ball club about it. We're grown men and we're going to handle it like grown men should handle it."

According to Mahay, the players have done nothing to shatter the dream the past week has been for him.

"They've reacted fine," he said. "They have accepted me as one of their teammates. As long as I help the club any way I can, I don't see why there should be any problems between me and them. I didn't expect there to be problems. It's going to take time to heal and it's healing fine so far."

Mahay, 23, did not hurt his chances for acceptance when he turned in a two-hit, great-catch performance in his first game last Sunday, or when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning Tuesday night to give the Red Sox a 5-4 victory over Seattle. Perhaps the Red Sox players have accepted him more readily because they are in first place and don't want to do anything to scuttle their championship chances.

The Brewers, on the other hand, aren't considered a contender and aren't motivated by those pragmatic considerations.

"It's been pretty cool, probably rightfully so." Rightnowar, who like Mahay was brought up last Friday, said of his reception. "I knew when I got called up it would be that way. Some guys definitely don't like it. But not much has been said. They've just pretty much been ignoring me."

Rightnowar, who at 30 was in his ninth season in the minors when promoted, met with the players so both sides could express their feelings.

"I tried to explain where I was coming from," the pitcher related. "I apologized for having brought this situation into the clubhouse. I asked if they could forgive me. If not, we'll have to work on it. I respect their right to be angry about it. I was just in a tight squeeze in spring training. I'll just have to earn their respect."

Last night, in Milwaukee's 7-5 victory in Cleveland, Rightnowar earned his first major league victory, in relief.

Scanlan, a Brewers starting pitcher, said many of the players were upset that the club did not call up a player who had declined to be a replacement. Manager Phil Garner explained that Rightnowar was the most effective reliever in the organization when the Brewers made the move.

Scanlan said he thought the players' meeting helped ease some of the tension created by the move.

"It gave him a chance to give his side of the story and why he made the decision he did and gave the other players a chance to express themselves and say why they were disappointed in what he did," Scanlan said. "I don't know that I would say it cleared the air, but it gave everyone an opportunity to say what they had to say."

Scanlan said he believes that many players don't want replacement players to be accepted as union members. As for acceptance as teammates, he said: "There will be some guys who will never accept a replacement player. Others will grudgingly accept his presence on the team, give him respect as a teammate but probably not seek to spend time with him off the field. And there may be other guys who may totally accept him like any other player. It's each individual's decision."

Photo: Red Sox's Ron Mahay, facing Indians Sunday, is one of two ex-replacement players called up. (Associated Press)