To the Point

Will Baseball Strike-Out with Labor?

The unity of last year's dramatic and perfectly timed World Series is all but forgotten. Today, as a new season gets under way, billionaire owners and millionaire players are at it again. There is no contract between owners and players, and negotiations have stalled over league downsizing and revenue sharing. Can this year's baseball season be completed without a work stoppage like the one that cancelled the World Series of 1994? We look at the competition in sports labor relations and other tribulations of owners, players and fans with former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, the one-time owner of the Minnesota Twins, a former players' union advisor, and a baseball fan. (Originally broadcast April 1, 2002.) Newsmaker: Surveillance City, Washington DC Travelers and locals visiting Washington, DC locations like the Capitol Steps and the Washington Mall are in for a surprise. They're all being watched - and not just by the cop on the street, but the FBI, Secret Service and other agencies with access to what's becoming America's most extensive video surveillance system. Jess Bravin, of The Wall Street Journal, previews the futuristic Joint Operation Command Center. (Originally broadcast February 2, 2002.) Reporter's Notebook: A New Coat for the Eiffel Tower One of the great manmade landmarks of the world is in the process of being painted for the eighteenth time since its installation in 1889. Twenty-five painters will spend 15 months brushing some 60 tons of paint onto the Eiffel Tower to conserve its durability. It's all being closely watched by Peter Ford, who lives in Paris and writes for The Christian Science Monitor. (Originally broadcast December 27, 2001.)