SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
What a pleasure this week to say it's time for sports.
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SIMON: The head of the NFL players union steps down. NFL rookies hold out. And the second half of the baseball season begins. Michele Steele of ESPN joins us. Michele, thanks for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: You bet, Scott.
SIMON: Lloyd Howell Jr., head of the NFL Players Association, resigned this week. Last week, an ESPN report alleged that the players union concealed from players the details of a recent arbitration decision, which included a finding that league executives had urged team owners to reduce salaries. And this week, ESPN also broke the story that Mr. Howell had been sued in 2011 for sexual discrimination and retaliation while working for Booz Allen Hamilton and that the NFL Players Association members may have been aware of this before electing him head of the union. How bad does this look?
STEELE: It's so bad that we're talking about it as our first topic on sports this morning, Scott. We normally don't talk too much football in July, but this is a big crisis for the NFL. It's an even even bigger one for the Players Association, which - if you don't know, it's the union, right...
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: ...That represents all the players. And the allegation that the union might've hid information about teams trying to reduce salaries is a huge deal. This is the union. They've got one job.
SIMON: Yeah. Union's supposed to represent players.
STEELE: Yeah, yeah. You don't want to reduce pay. You want to protect pay. You want to protect working conditions. So the new revelations about the past lawsuit, as well, that you mentioned, you know, it complicates things even further. He stepped down, but it's like any workplace, Scott. If you feel like your boss isn't being upfront with you, you're not going to trust him, and you're not going to trust an organization that's supposed to have your back. Now, if players don't feel like their union is strong, it could lead to more disputes, more labor issues. We're seeing more holdouts before camp with some rookies in particular.
SIMON: Well, and let me ask about that. Now, a large number of second-round picks are holding out, refusing to sign their rookie contracts. You'd think they'd be eager to get to work. Why the wait?
STEELE: Yeah, especially because they're in the NFL. Like, this is a dream job, right? You'd think that - you know, where can I sign?
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: But what we're seeing here is a battle over guaranteed money. So the way it works - money in the NFL, it's a little bit like an ice cream parfait. You get your base salary. You got your signing bonus. Maybe you get some nuts on top, some other sweeteners. But for second-round guys - you know, first-rounders get their entire four-year deal guaranteed. For second-round guys, a big question mark is, well, how much of this is guaranteed? Now, the Texans sort of set the bar early in May because they signed their second-round pick - a receiver named Jayden Higgins - to a fully guaranteed $11.7 million deal. Cleveland Browns followed, and then nobody else did for a really...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Long time. You got camps opening up here. I checked. Fourteen second-round picks now have deals. A lot of them have rushed to sign this week, but 18 remain unsigned. And some of them are going to take a risk that they miss out on camp or even pay fines. But you know that the NFL is a very physically demanding sport.
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: So they're taking a gamble for some long-term security.
SIMON: And second half of the baseball season begins following the All-Star Game. The Tigers and Houston Astros in the American League seem pretty well-positioned. But in the East, the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays - what do you foresee?
STEELE: You know, I'm always melancholy about the All-Star Game, Scott, 'cause it's the halfway point of summer...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...And now we're more than halfway through. But you're right. It's all about the drama in the AL East - the Blue Jays, the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Rays. Sorry, O's. But all those four teams very close to each other. I'm going to be watching, you know, who makes a big move. Are we going to see trades around the end of July to boost their chances? You got to watch pitching health all the time 'cause teams often get tired. Arms get tired in the second half. And those head-to-head matchups are going to be a lot of fun. All of those matchups are going to feel like playoff games.
SIMON: And NL - the Los Angeles Dodgers, well-stocked as they are, lead the West. But tight races in the other divisions - the Phillies and Mets in the East and - ahem - the Cubs and the Brew Crew...
STEELE: Drum roll, please.
SIMON: ...In the Central. So what do you foresee there?
STEELE: Well, you know, will the Cubs run away with it, Scott?
SIMON: Go Cubs, go.
STEELE: Hope springs...
SIMON: Go Cubs. Oh, I'm sorry.
STEELE: Hope springs eternal (laughter).
SIMON: It's instinctive, yeah.
STEELE: But you're right. The Dodgers have a commanding lead in the West. They're the team to beat for sure. But two other divisions I'm watching - the NL East - awesome battle between the Phillies and the Mets, lot of high-powered offenses there, strong starting pitchers - and the NL Central. They are absolutely in a tight race with the Brewers. Feels like these two teams are always battling for the top spot. The Brewers are a tough out.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: They always have good pitching, Scott. They're always real disciplined. You know, the Cubs, their pitching staff needs to stay healthy. They need their young hitters to continue improving. I think this is going to go down to the wire.
SIMON: Three words - Pete Crow-Armstrong.
STEELE: No, I know.
SIMON: Michele.
STEELE: No, I know.
SIMON: Michele Steele. Thanks so much.
STEELE: You bet. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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