IN THE NEWS: Arbitrator Raymond Goetz supports the Players' Association and declares Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent on the grounds that the club mailed his 1981 contract two days after the December 20th deadline.
IN THE NEWS: The Executive Board of the Players' Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29th if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved. That deadline will be extended briefly, however, when the Players' Association's unfair labor practices complaint is heard by the National Labor Relations Board.
IN THE NEWS: The Mets trade OF Steve Henderson and an estimated $100,000 to the Cubs for slugger Dave Kingman, who led the NL with 48 home runs in 1979.