Twelve years ago, Tom Glavine found himself sitting by the phone, wondering what was going on in one of baseball's cantankerous labor disputes. þþThe Atlanta Braves pitcher wanted to be the guy on the other end of the line. þþÿWe have an agreement that affects me and gives me certain rights,ÿ Glavine said, remembering his feelings during the 1990 spring training lockout. ÿTo not know how that works, well, I though that was irresponsible.ÿ þþSo, he got involved, learning the ins and outs of complex issues such as revenue sharing, luxury taxes and drug testing. þþThese days, Glavine is probably the most prominent member of the players union, having taken a lead role in both the strike of 1994-95 and last week's agreement that kept America's pastime from shutting down again. þþGlavine's colleagues wouldn't want anyone else in the negotiating room when talks turn serious. þþÿHis composure on the mound, it's similar to the way he carries himself,ÿ said Kevin Young, the Pirates' player rep. ÿThere aren't a lot of people who can really lead. The way he goes about it, dealing with these issues, he carries the same intensity and image. The total image.ÿ þþSome players could care less about the dirty details of a labor agreement — they only want to know how many zeros will be in their checks every two weeks. þþGlavine, on the other hand, flew to New York the night of the strike deadline, wanting to be right in the thick of things even though he had just pitched in Pittsburgh. þþÿIt made everybody feel a lot better, him going to New York,ÿ Pittsburgh catcher Jason Kendall said. ÿIt's like, 'Let's get something done. I want to be in the middle of it.'ÿ þþGlavine arrived as talks reached a critical stage. He slept only 45 minutes, sitting in on proposals and counterproposals. The only other player involved directly in the negotiations was Braves outfielder B.J. Surhoff, who has missed most of the season with a knee injury. þþAround noon the following day, after crunching the numbers down to a pulp, players and owners reached a tentative four-year deal. The strike was over before it ever got started. þþGlavine took part in a news conference to announce the agreement, then flew on to Montreal to rejoin his Braves teammates. þþÿMost guys don't want any part of it,ÿ he said. ÿThey're baseball players, and they don't want to do anything extra. That's fine. But there's always going to be somebody on every team who's going to be interested. That's part of what makes this union so successful.ÿ þþGlavine rarely shows emotion on the mound, and he's not much different away from the field. That stoic demeanor works well in the negotiating room. þþÿGuys tend to get emotionally involved,ÿ Glavine said. ÿThey're up one day, down the next. I knew there were going to be good days and bad days. I kept my emotions out of it.ÿ þþGlavine first came to the forefront as a union leader during the bitter strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series. þþArticulate and accommodating to the media, he became a constant presence in front of the TV cameras, even though his defense of millionaire strikers — and the image of him showing up at President Clinton ( news - web sites)'s White House talks without a tie — made him an easy target once things were settled the following spring. þþBehind the scenes, he found the process exhilarating, though he treats those feelings as a guilty pleasure considering all the harm it did to the sport. þþÿIt was fun,ÿ he said. ÿNow, I didn't like what it did to the game. But that's a business education you just can't get anywhere else. You're negotiating. You're pushing and shoving and feeling each other out. You're dealing with federal mediators. It was a tremendous education.ÿ þþWhen some fans lashed out at him after the strike, Glavine talked of giving up his union role. He planned to fade to the background before the next round of talks began. þþIt never happened. If anything, Glavine was more influential this time around as the union's NL representative. þþÿHe just has a certain air about himself,ÿ Young said. ÿHe's confident. He's extremely educated and he carries himself that way. So it makes people feel very secure to have him as the National League rep.ÿ þþYoung knows what he went through as one team's union representative. He grimaces at the burden Glavine was under as the talks reached a crucial stage. þþÿI know it's a load off,ÿ Young said. ÿJust being a player rep for the team, going through what we just went through all season, is taxing. To say the least. As much responsibility as he had, to play and everything, I know it had to wear on him, too.ÿ þþIf so, Glavine never showed it. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is having another brilliant season, standing at 16-9 with a 2.70 ERA for the team with baseball's best record. þþNow 36, Glavine is in the final year of his contract. Whether it's in Atlanta or elsewhere, he plans to pitch another three or four years, which means he won't be around for the next round of labor talks. þþBut Glavine already has started grooming his replacement, rookie left-hander Daemon Moss. þþÿTom is a great mentor,ÿ said Moss, one of the few Braves interested in the nuts and bolts of the labor talks. ÿHe's a guy anybody can come to and talk about anything.ÿ þþBy getting involved, Glavine has clearly fulfilled one of his biggest goals. þþÿI didn't want to be some dumb jock,ÿ he said. ÿI wanted to show I have some commonsense.ÿ þþþ
AP
