21.   Or he could be part of a trade before spring training begins, or move to right if Manager Buck Showalter decides to put Gonzalez in left.

22.   Relations between the teams became so hostile at one point that the Mets refused to play spring training games against the Yankees.

23.   Some of the players are minor-league prospects who will not be asked to cross the picket lines when spring training games begin in two weeks.

24.   So am I optimistic about spring training?

25.   Spring was training somewhere else.

26.   Spring training with the rest of the Dodger farmhands in either Daytona Beach, Fla., or Thomasville, Ga., was out of the question.

27.   The clubs, meanwhile, most likely will make plans to open spring training camps and open next season with replacement players.

28.   The owners also would proceed with plans to open spring training camps and start the season with replacement players if necessary.

29.   The Mets should not have to worry about sympathetic unions picketing outside Thomas J. White Stadium once they start playing spring training games.

30.   The owners plan to open spring training on schedule, regardless of whether major-league players are still on strike.