Appellate court upholds ruling that saved season

NEW YORK -- In a decision that was long expected, an appellate court yesterday upheld the federal court ruling six months ago that saved the baseball season.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit found that Judge Sonia Sotomayor was correct when she ruled March 31 that the owners acted improperly in unilaterally implementing new work rules last February.

In granting the National Labor Relations Board's request for a temporary injunction ordering the clubs to restore the previous rules, Sotomayor saved the season because the decision prompted the players to end their 7 1/2 -month strike and return to work.