NEW YORK -- Negotiators for baseball players and owners are meeting this week in Irving, Texas, in an attempt to reach agreement on a collective bargaining agreement to replace the five-year contract that expires Thursday. After eight work stoppages from 1972-95, baseball has had 21 years of labor peace.Some of the issues in negotiations:FREE AGENCY COMPENSATIONCompensation for the loss of free agents has been an issue since the free-agent era began in 1976. The statistical ranking system established in the 1981 strike settlement was scrapped in the current agreement that began with the 2012-13 offseason and replaced by qualifying offers: A team would be entitled to draft-pick compensation if a player left as a free agent after failing to accept a one-year contract for the average salary among the 125 highest-paid players ($17.2 million this year) and the signing club would lose a top pick. Five of 64 free agents who received qualifying offers accepted during the current agreement, and some less-than-premier free agents who received offers said their market was limited by teams not wanting to give up draft selections.INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR DRAFTCommissioner Rob Manfred has said restraints on contracts for international amateur players have not been as effective as management had hoped, and he is a proponent of an international draft that would cover residents outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The union has been resistant.CURRENT AMATEUR DRAFTTeams spent $234 million in the 2011 draft on amateurs residing in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The total dropped to $209 million in the first year of restraints, went up to $220 million the following year, then rose to $224 million in 2014, $249 million in 2015 and $268 million this year. The sides are negotiating the slot figures used to determine signing bonus pools and the penalties for exceeding pools. Some have expressed concern that the slot values early in the first round encourage a team not headed to the postseason to tank in the final weeks to get higher draft picks and a larger signing bonus pool.LUXURY TAXOne of the last items in the negotiations will be the luxury tax. The threshold for the tax has been $189 million for the past three years, and for the past four years, the rate has been 17.5 percent for the first time over the threshold, increasing to 30 percent for the second time in a row, 40 percent for the third and 50 percent for the fourth or subsequent. An increase to $200 million or more is likely, which should lead to greater spending by high-revenue teams currently at or above the threshold. The union and some teams would like the rate to reset for all teams in 2017.ROSTER SIZEThe sides have discussed an increase from 25 active to 26 from opening day through Aug. 31. In an effort to keep late-season rules closer to the ones used for most of the season, the active limit would decrease from 40 to 28 or 29 from Sept. 1 through the end of regular season.DRUG AGREEMENT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCEManagement proposed changes that would make rules stricter in both the joint drug agreement of 2014 and the domestic violence agreement of 2015.SCHEDULE RULESConcerned about players getting run down, the sides discussed a possible extension of the season from 183 days to 187 days. That appears unlikely, but there probably will be more restrictions on the scheduling of night games on getaway days.PACE OF PLAYManagement would like to have pitch clocks, which have been used at Triple-A and Double-A for the past two seasons, and restrictions on trips to the mound. Players generally have resisted any changes to the natural flow of the game.MINIMUM SALARYExpect a rise in the minimum salary, which was $507,500 in the major leagues last season and $82,700 for a minor league player on a 40-man big league roster for at least a second season and $41,400 for a first.REVENUE SHARINGThe sides have discussed changes to the revenue-sharing rules, which included a market disqualification test that prevented both teams from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago from receiving any revenue-sharing money in 2016, along with Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas, Toronto and Washington.SALARY ARBITRATIONUnder the current agreement, the top 22 percent of players by service time of those with two or more years of major league service and less than three are eligible for arbitration, along with players with at least three years but less than six. Change in eligibility has not gotten much attention.SMOKELESS TOBACCOManagement has discussed a ban on the use of smokeless tobacco during games. The union has resisted, maintaining that using smokeless tobacco is legal and a matter of individual choice, but in the 2012-16 agreement the union did agree that players may not carry tobacco packages and tins in their back pockets when fans are permitted in the ballpark, and players may not use tobacco during pregame or postgame interviews, and at team functions. Z... Cunningham Texans Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Z... Cunningham Youth Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. ... . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. 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DENVER -- The Latest on the crash of a school bus at Denver International Airport (all times local):1:30 p.m.Police say a bus driver was speeding before she crashed head-on into a concrete pillar at Denver International Airport while carrying members of a suburban Denver high school.The medical examiners office says 43-year-old Kari Chopper was killed in the Sunday crash that also injured 18 students and coaches.The students were returning from a football game in California, and the vehicle was circling back to the airport for an unknown reason when it crashed.Sgt. Mike Farr says investigators still dont know what caused Chopper to drive directly into the pillar. They are investigating whether she suffered a medical condition. They are also studying the bus for mechanical problems.Officials say the three coaches remain hospitalized with serious injuries. The students have been released.---10 a.m.Its a somber start to homecoming week at a suburban Denver high school after a bus crash at Denver International Airport killed the driver and injured 15 students.Students at Legacy High School in Broomfield had counselors available and were shielded from reporters Monday. School officials say Legacys homecoming week will have special poignancy because of Sundays crash, which killed the driver and injured 18 passengers.The students on board were mostly junior varsity football players returning home from a game in California. School officials say three staff members also were injured in the crash.The drivers name and possible cause of the crash havent been released.---8:30 a.m.Traffic is flowing at Denver Internattional Airport after a school bus crash that killed the driver and injured 18 students and staff members forced the closure of a major passenger pickup area.dddddddddddd.Airport officials reopened lanes late Sunday, hours after the bus carrying high school football players veered off a roadway and slammed into a concrete pillar.Adams 12 Five Star Schools says 15 students suffered minor injuries, with three staffers suffering more serious injuries because they were sitting toward the front of the bus.Police havent released information on the cause of the crash. The drivers identity hasnt been released.Police havent released information on the cause of the crash. The drivers identity hasnt been released.---7:45 a.m.Officials say two people are still in critical condition after a school bus carrying high school football players veered off a roadway and slammed into a concrete pillar at Denver International Airport, killing the driver.A Denver Health spokeswoman said Monday that two others are hospitalized in serious condition and one in fair condition. The hospital wouldnt release more details.The airport has said at least five others went to other hospitals, but didnt say where or what their conditions were.A school bus picking up members of the Legacy High School football squad smashed into a pillar Sunday afternoon. Authorities say the bus carried 28 students and four adults.Police havent released information on the cause of the crash. The drivers identity hasnt been released. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '