Forget the apparent obstacle of the three-fourths vote Ravitch and the hard-line owners would have to overcome to get approval for a lockout.

Reinsdorf, despite his protestations, is generally acknowledged as the leader of the faction of hard-line owners that, even some management people say, wants to eviscerate the union's power.

Two other high-ranking management people said others were complaining that the list included too many hard-line owners and not enough moderates for the meeting, which is expected to be held Wednesday.

As a baseball owner, he has had a reputation as one of the most militant, anti-union, hard-line owners.

The hard-line owners must be thinking that the luxury tax they also want would stifle movement.

During the labor negotiations last summer, Glass, the former president and chief executive of Wal-Mart, was identified as one of the hard-line owners.

"One of the scariest things is old hard-line owners think they're smelling blood," he said.

He had a golden opportunity in 1975 to influence change in the system, but he instead joined the hard-line owners who opposed compromise with the players.

Now, hard-line owners are insisting that a tough negotiating stance is essential.

It was suggested here recently that Reinsdorf, the behind-the-scenes leader of the hard-line owners in the labor dispute, cares more about winning off the field than on it.