Q&A; : Just What Was Lost in Walkout?

Judging from the large number of calls received at Dodger Stadium and Anaheim Stadium on Wednesday, anger and frustration had given way to joy and relief when baseball fans learned that the 1985 baseball strike was probably over.

But even though the strike affected games for only two days, fans still were left with questions.

Question: Exactly how many games were lost in the two-day strike?

Answer: In all, 25 games were not played--13 Tuesday and 12 Wednesday. It totaled only 1% of the season.

Q: When will those games be replayed, if at all?

A: Most games will be replayed. Already, five doubleheaders have been scheduled in the American League for today. Mark Belanger, an assistant in the union, said that other games could be made up, depending on their bearing on the title races. “It’s up to the clubs involved,” he said.

Q: Will the Dodgers make up the two games lost at Atlanta and the Angels the two lost at home against Seattle?

A: Since both teams figure to be involved in title races, they no doubt will make up the games. As of Wednesday night, though, neither club had announced when the makeup games would be played.

Q: How can Angel fans who had tickets for the games Tuesday and Wednesday at Anaheim receive a refund or credit to future games?

A: The Angels have announced a “six-point ticket plan.”

Fans who bought tickets for those games can exchange them at Anaheim Stadium for any other available home date. Fans can seek a refund only by mail, if they bought the tickets at Anaheim Stadium. Season ticket-holders can seek a refund or credit for next season by sending a letter to the Angel ticket office. Those who got their tickets at Ticketron must return there for a refund, and those who bought by phone from Teletron must contact that company by letter. The Angels also announced that the group discount date, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been changed to Sept. 20 for a game against the Cleveland Indians. All new group orders will be sold on a two-for-one basis.

Q: Will the Angels or the city of Anaheim reimburse ushers, concessionaires and parking attendants for the two games missed?

A: Almost all Anaheim Stadium workers are employed by the city of Anaheim, not the Angels. Since those employees are strictly event personnel, according to Stadium Operations Manager Bill Turner, they won’t be reimbursed because they did not work an event.

“But we do have a few full-time employees, like the grounds crew, who were paid,” Turner added.

Q: How much money did the Angels and Anaheim lose from concessions and parking receipts for the two games?

A: Turner said that two-thirds of all the receipts go back to the Angels. Therefore, the city lost $8,000 a game and the Angels $16,000 a game.

Q: Since both Dodger games that were canceled were scheduled to be shown on Channel 11, how much money did the station and the Dodgers lose?

A: There will be no monetary loss. The Dodgers plan to make up for the two telecasts they lost by adding two later in the season. Merritt Willey, the Dodgers’ vice president in charge of marketing, said a decision will be made today on what games will be added.

Q: How did the ratings compare on Channel 11, using Monday night’s Dodger-Atlanta game and Tuesday night’s regular programming when the game could not be shown as scheduled?

A: The Dodger game Monday, which ran from 4:15 p.m. to 7:15, drew a 13.0 Nielsen rating with a 28% audience share. Tuesday night, the Channel 11 lineup of “Plastic Man,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Jefferson’s,” “One Day At A Time” and “Three’s Company,” drew a 6.0 rating and a 12.0% audience share.

Q: Had the strike continued and canceled the season, how much money would the cities with major league teams have lost?

A: According to an estimate by Edward Shils, a professor at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, cities would have lost somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion if the season had been canceled.

Shils, using an economic multiplier effect, projected that each city would lose an average of $35 million. “Some would suffer more than others,” he said.

New York City controller Harrison Goldin estimated that New York would have lost more than $1 million for each canceled game at Shea and Yankee stadiums. About 2,000 people, including ushers, ticket sellers, vendors and restaurant workers would have been laid off. In Chicago, one official said a conservative loss estimate would have been $60 million if the strike had continued.

Other estimates were $30 million to $35 million in Atlanta, $40 million in Oakland and $30 million in Montreal.

Q: How would a prolonged strike have affected the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates, financially troubled teams?

A: Seattle Mayor Charles Royer said a long strike would have enabled the city to get out of its Oct. 31 deadline to help the Mariners with their new lease at the Kingdome. The Pirates, who have been for sale for 100 months, lost nearly $6 million in 1984 and were expected to lose even more this season.

There was talk that a prolonged strike would have so disgusted the few Pittsburgh baseball fans left that the team would have been in serious trouble.