Before Congress, in a windowless, wood-paneled hearing room, the reigning American League Cy Young winner made an obvious yet enduring point.
“The number one thing I get from fans,” David Cone explained to senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming and other assembled elected officials, “is they want their teams to win.”
The date was Feb. 15, 1995, and MLB was in a dark place.
Five months prior, players had gone on strike, initiating a work stoppage that impelled the dramatic cancellation of the 1994 World Series. Relations between the union and league had never been rosy since the union's formation in 1966, but a revenue-sharing proposal introduced by owners in January of 1994 — a proposal that, crucially, included a salary cap — became an incendiary rallying cry for players and their representatives.