Contract Talks

Baltimore athletic supporters are dreaming about the possbility of Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols signing with the Orioles next offseason. But franchise icon Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't think Pujols will go anywhere if he becomes a free agent at season's end. "I can’t see Albert playing outside the Cardinal uniform," Ripken told KMOX radio in St. Louis over the weekend. Ripken said we shouldn't read anything into Pujols' decision to break off contract talks with the Cardinals before spring training.

  Adrian Beltre's signing with the Rangers was another major blow to the Angels, who haven't added anyone more significant than reliever Scott Downs this winter. They had seemed a perfect fit for Beltre, as third base is a glaring weakness, but owner Arte Moreno believes increased payroll would force him to raise ticket prices. He has kept the Angels' average ticket price at $19, lowest in the American League according to Team Marketing Report. The Angels drew 3.25 million fans a year ago, ranking fifth in the majors.

Open letter to Derrick Mason: Retirement isn't necessarily a bad idea, unless you invested with Bernie Madoff or those Stanford Financial guys, but it's a pretty big decision with far-reaching implications. That's why everyone was so surprised when - and how - the news broke Monday that you had decided to end your stellar NFL career. The reasoning isn't hard to follow, of course. It's time to spend more time at home. You've played a long time. You've accomplished a great deal. Your body has taken a beating.

Many teachers wore red T-shirts. The fronts were emblazoned with the question: "What do we want?" The back of the T-shirts read: "Respect." More than 800 teachers lined a portion of Riva Road in Annapolis outside the Anne Arundel County schools headquarters on Wednesday evening to protest concerns tied to continuing contract negotiations between the teachers union and the school system. The teachers, led by Tim Mennuti, president of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County, said they were concerned about possible class-size increases, plans to eliminate lesson-planning time during the school day and staff cuts that would increase pressures on an already overburdened work force.

Jason Brown seems resigned to leaving the Ravens when free agency begins today. Talks between Brown and the Ravens have reached a stalemate because the team wants to pay him as a center while the versatile offensive lineman is looking to get paid as a guard. The difference could be as much as $2 million per season. Brown, 25, started at center last season after two seasons at left guard. "Looking at things that have happened in the past with the Ravens, they have been willing to pay and negotiate more for their defensive players," Brown said yesterday.

Orioles president Andy MacPhail reiterated yesterday that contract extensions for second baseman Brian Roberts and outfielder Nick Markakis are among the organization's offseason priorities and that the team has talked "generalities" with the agents of the two players. Although there hasn't been real movement on extensions for either player, that's expected to change in the coming days. "I would say we're still in the initial contact phase, but there have been conversations as it relates to both players," MacPhail said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After several hours of trade talks on Day 2 at the winter meetings, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said late yesterday afternoon that he was no closer to trading No. 1 pitcher Erik Bedard, as potential suitors continue to fall short of the club's asking price. "We really are not significantly different than where we were [Monday] at this time," MacPhail said. "Our philosophy is pretty simple. We think we have a pretty good understanding of what is equitable for certain guys, and when we get there, great.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana reportedly headed to either the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard has become the most coveted pitcher at baseball's winter meetings. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail spent yesterday meeting with several clubs, and Bedard - as well as shortstop Miguel Tejada to a lesser extent - was the dominant topic of conversation. MacPhail declined to specify how many teams have expressed interest in the 28-year-old pitcher, but one team source said calls about Bedard were coming in "left and right."

Rallying on the sidewalk outside city school system headquarters last night, Baltimore teachers and their supporters called for the ouster of schools chief Andres Alonso and the school board. About 150 people protested before and during a school board meeting, chanting "Alonso must go!" and booing from the lobby while the new chief executive officer spoke inside. At issue is a dispute between the Baltimore Teachers Union and the school system over teachers' planning time. Among those who turned out to support the union was Edward J. McElroy, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which has 1.2 million members.

DETROIT -- American workers once looked to the Motor City to see their future. That's no longer the case. This year's contract talks, under way between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Big Three automakers, may decide the fate of the domestic auto industry. But economists and labor historians agree that UAW contract talks no longer set the nationwide agenda for the broader American work force as they once did. Paul Fuller, 44, of Temperance, Mich., a nearly 20-year veteran of Ford Motor Co.'s Flat Rock assembly plant, said the public needs to realize that good pensions and benefits don't come automatically but must be earned through hard bargaining.