St. Louis Sports Online

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Mike Huss "The Fuss According to Huss" St. Louis Sports Online lead columnist and host of "Sportstalk" on WGNU AM-920 (8:00-9:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Now that the calendar has turned to February, with the completion of Super Bowl XXXIII., and annual prediction from the groundhog, local and national sports fans turn their attention to the annual rituals of this season.

College basketball is in full swing as teams play their conference foes. Pitchers and catchers are days away from reporting to either their Florida or Arizona Camps. The position jockeying by teams for the National Hockey League playoffs are gaining momentum. AND it is time for the start of the National Basketball Association season.

Start of the NBA season??? In the first week of February???

That's right, boys and girls, on Friday night, February 5 the National Basketball Association will tip off its 1998-1999 (or actually 1999-1999) season. Since the lockout/strike/work stoppage (you pick your favorite term) has ended, the NBA players and teams have announced to their fans that the league is back in business. Come on down and buy tickets to see the games. By the way, they are sorry for the inconvenience, but there will be plenty of promotions and giveaways to choose from.

Michael Jordan won't be around to save the league games anymore. But playing an average of three and one-half games over the next thirteen weeks, NBA Basketball Junkies will get a full dose of games in a relatively short period of time.

The real question is not who will be the league's next dominant team or star, but rather, will anyone in the buying public care, and if so, how much???

Perhaps are better question is: will any of the other Major Sports Leagues pay attention to this NBA season and its effect on its fans.??

As usual, let's start with baseball.

Back in the Spring of 1995, it took Federal Judge Sonia Sotomay of the US District Court in Manhattan to issue an injunction against the Major League Baseball Owners to force the games to resume in 1995. Prior to that, there appeared little or no chance of the Owners and the Major League Players Association coming to terms in the sport's most heralded lockout/strike/work stoppage. Even President Clinton's own arbitrator couldn't make either of those sides play nice.

So the 1995 Baseball Season started three weeks later than originally scheduled after the cancellation of the final third of the 1994 season, League Championship Series, and Post Season Play. The Lords and wannabe Lords of Baseball felt that the fans would be initially sore, but eventually, they would forget.

But the baseball fans did not forget. They especially did not forget how to stay away from the Major League ball parks. Television ratings dropped. Even to this day, some followers of the game have not registered the turnstiles. A trust was violated.

This is from a sport whose ticket prices are relatively affordable.

So now the NBA begins its face saving effort to resurrect its regular season. Three or four games a week in a thirteen week whirl wind schedule. Remember, court side seats are still available at a couple of hundred dollars a throw.

When this new NBA season is in its sixth week, the NCAA Men's Basketball Brackets will be announced, signaling the official start of March Madness.

When, the NBA's new season completes its second month, it will be Opening Day in Major League Baseball, signaling the official start of Spring.

The NBA's new regular season will end the day after the running of the Kentucky Derby and the opening of the second round of the National Hockey League Playoffs.

And once again, Michael Jordan is no longer in the NBA to save the League and bring spectators into the arenas.

It will be a matter of time before we see how much damage this NBA lockout/strike/work stoppage has cause. How many basketball fans will stay away? How badly will the NBA's TV Ratings drop?? How many advertisers will walk away?? How much licensed merchandise will not be sold??

The jury is still out.

Hopefully, Major League Baseball will take a long hard look at the NBA situation. Commissioner-In-Title Bud Selig, and the Real Commissioner Baseball Donald Fehr should monitor this situation because another Armageddon is coming. Baseball Owners are already moaning about the Dodgers Kevin Brown $100 Million Plus Dollar Contract and its effect on the financial side of the game.

We are starting to hear the same old responses from the Owners: "We need a salary cap to save us from ourselves".

We are hearing the same old responses from Commissioner Fehr: "It isn't going to happen".

The current contract between the Major League Baseball Players Association and its Owners expires before the start of the 2001 season. Smart money and recent history will tell you that another stoppage will occur at that time.

So to you involved in the National Basketball Association, best of luck as you tip off your late starting, highly accelerated, shortened season. You'll need it.

Here's a wish that you have some people following your 1999-1999 season.

Here's another wish that the Owners and Players of the other Major Sports will be among those followers.