That idea arose yesterday as labor negotiators for the owners and the players discussed the owners' revenue-sharing proposal.

"I'm hoping I'm going to get a response on the revenue-sharing proposal tomorrow," Manfred said.

The revenue-sharing proposal will be just one more layer of programs piled onto the thousands that already exist.

The players' feeling about the owners' new position stems from the removal of the owners' revenue-sharing proposal from the bargaining table.

Once the owners took their revenue-sharing proposal off the table," he said, "I expected it to come together more quickly.

However, the union negotiators feel one month will not be enough time to work through the owners' revenue-sharing proposal and get all of their questions answered.

That approach, he added, included the revenue-sharing proposal and a lockout if no sort of agreement was reached by the scheduled start of spring training.

Ravitch, citing the confidentiality agreement, declined to discuss specifics of his revenue-sharing proposals.

The owners' negotiators have said they would discuss the players' proposals only in the context of their revenue-sharing proposal.

But the revenue-sharing proposals determine how players are paid.