Auggie: I defer to your erudition; I was wrong.

I long ago adopted my sports-work-stoppage opinion, and it goes like this: "A curse on both your houses ~ but especially on the owners!" I'm afraid I haven't always kept up on all the details of each incident, whereas you obviously have been doing your homework.

Over the years I have often made the same argument that annamill just offered: that millionaire athletes should not be criticized any more than other millionaire entertainers, like movie stars and singers. Both groups are just taking what the market offers them, and why shuoldn't they capitalize on their combination of God-given talent, hard work, and good luck?

There is a difference, though. No matter how overpaid film actors and pop stars may be, the average person can still afford to go to the movies and buy CDs.

Not so for professional sporting events in the US. The corporate demand for season tickets, luxury boxes and suites, etc., has pushed the price of admission to ballgames to an absurdly high level. Of course, the games are available on TV to us masses, but actual attendance is getting out of reach for increasing numbers of fans.