These Players are way over their head and will end up suffering on the other end, if the Owner's wanted to right now all they had to do is fire every single player currently on every single roster and hire a bunch of hungry young college bodies and start all over again with new agreements and their new rules and expanded schedule all inserted..

I loathe unions and believe in capitalism, so it's hard for me to not defend the owners in this. They assume risk and they invest their own money, so I understand why they are taking the hardline, I'd do the same. They're not dummies, they know fans like players, but their true allegiance is to the franchises.

I also think owners make an easy target in something like this because they can be painted as somewhat nameless/faceless "greedy old white men" (quick, in five seconds or less name the owner of the Buffalo Bills or the Seattle Seahawks). It's easy to paint them as bad people, when in reality they're just doing business.

I too find it hard to feel bad for the players who are making millions.

I bet without folks coming out and saying conservative or liberal we could almost have placed accurate labels on each person who is a regular poster.

That being said it is a shame it has to be employer vs. employee. Does anyone know how much the union collects(liberal)or robs(conservative) from each player? I would assume 10's of thousands. I would think that each players agent could negotiate things such as pensions and insurance. As far the owners opening their books...bah, no one's business. It is a high price we pay to be entertained in this country. The entertainers are well paid and compensated. They are also aware of the inherent risk they are taking each time they step on the field. In my job, I have value to my employer that is why he keeps me around and I am compensated accordingly. I have no beef with any one making money. But one thing needs to be kept in perspective, we, the folks paying to be entertained are paying a price in high merchandise costs and ticket prices. And we will also pay the price if no season occurs, don't you hate being punished when you have done nothing wrong? This whole thing chaps my a$$

In my Radio days I would have loved a union. I signed on for a given salary. Over the years my knowledge increased. Over the years my responsibilities increased. Over the years I was asked to do remotes, taking up my entire Saturdays. I worked holidays. I inherited the Music director job. I became the default 'computer guy' and had to carry a pager - so now I'm on call 24/7. I installed Satellite dishes on the roof of the station for the latest weather gadgets. I enrolled in classes to learn more about audio engineering. I took a part time job at an ISP to learn more about the internet and became the liason between the station and the ISP as it related to our (new) online streaming and web pages. The prices for remotes and for advertising went up year after year. My salary never did. I was just supposed to be an announcer.

Unions, in their original concept, were devised to protect people like me in that situation. The problem is they've become bastardized. The people that run them are doing it to make money. During the NAB in Vegas, where we set up our software every year so that people can come by and see how awesome we are, we are not allowed to unload the trucks, for example, and other various tasks assigned to Union workers. The problem is that we are always in a hurry, and it takes 5 union workers all day to do something 2 of us could do in a couple hours. That's my beef with Union labor.

The players are right to want to hold on to all they gained with the last CBA. They are right to refuse taking a pay cut while being asked to play a single extra down. I know there is a method to their madness, but I am disgusted with the fact that they think the owners should have to open their books. I am disgusted with the fact that they have suggested that rookies about to be drafted not show up. I am disgusted with the fact that they are attempting to leverage us, the fans, to their benefit. I disagree, nearly completely, with their tactics.

But what do you do? The easy out is to say to them, "look, you guys make enough money. Be happy." That's what I WANT to say, but there is a part of me that completely digs where they are coming from, even if I have no respect for their play book, so to speak.

I'm torn. Somebody cue up some Natalie Imbruglia whilst I cry some more in my beer.

The only thing I regret about this is that you beat me to the avatar...because he dont give a s_ _ _