Tough As Nails: Dykstra Ready To Return With Or Without Team

Lenny Dykstra, still considering becoming a strikebreaker, said Thursday that players should consider accepting the proposal offered by mediator W.J. Usery.

The mediator, in a rare public statement, backed away from the ideas he suggested to the sides on Tuesday, saying they weren’t his final recommendation.

President Clinton’s legislation for binding arbitration remained stuck in Congress, and union head Donald Fehr prepared to schedule a new set of regional meetings.

“Lenny Dykstra loves baseball, Lenny Dysktra is fortunate to be playing in the major leagues, Lenny Dykstra wants to play baseball in 1995,” Dykstra told ESPN. “As far as going across, you’ll have to ask me again in April.”

Dykstra, scheduled to be paid $31,147.54 per day in 1995, said baseball’s top players would soon discuss the strike with Fehr.

Acting baseball commissioner Bud Selig returned to Washington on Thursday for a meeting with Democratic senators in the Capitol.

“They asked a lot of questions about the dispute, the suggested solutions,” Selig said. “We have a lot of respect for Bill Usery. Parts of his proposal we had a lot of problems with.”

Fehr said regional meetings probably will start at the end of next week. He sent agents a memorandum saying that Usery’s plan was, “To put it mildly, terrible.”

Fans at Fenway Park in Boston may have to enjoy baseball without beer if the Red Sox use replacement players and major leaguers set up picket lines.

Teamsters locals that deliver beer to the ballpark will refuse to cross the picket lines, and union telephone workers also will not cross to make repairs, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said.

The players association has not yet announced whether picket lines will be set up at the ballparks if owners use replacements.