Section A · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, April 19, 2000
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Baseball schedule to undergo changes
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — Just about everyone in baseball agrees on the need for a new kind of schedule, with more intradivision games and September match-ups among contenders.
How to do it is another matter. And that's why major league owners have put off a decision on realignment until June. But Commissioner Bud Selig promises changes will indeed be coming.
"There will be some realignment," he said Monday night after owners cut short their spring meeting, having completed their agenda in one day. "We'll go to an unbalanced schedule, rotate divisions. Everything I wanted to do, I will do."
For the first 60 years of the 1900s, it was simple. Each league had eight teams, and each team played every other team 22 times for a 154-game season.
Then came expansion to 10 teams per league, and each team played every other team 18 times for a 162-game schedule.
When the American and National leagues increased to 12 teams apiece in 1969, each league split into two six-teams divisions.
and there was a major change. Teams still had 18 games against division rivals, but they cut games against teams in the other division to 12.
And in 1977 came another major change. The AL increased to 14 teams and went to the so-called balanced schedule — 13 games against division rivals and 12 against teams in the other division. For the first time, interdivision games outnumbered intradivision games.
"A one-year experiment which lasted 23 years, which is not unusual in baseball." Selig said.
Because each league split into three divisions in 1994 and interleague play began in 1997, each schedule has become a patchwork. Teams in the same city are home at the same time and teams crisscross the country on long road trips. As a result, intradivision games dwindled.
"The biggest problem we've had is clubs really don't like the schedule." Selig said. "They've grumbled."
So Selig, working with John Harrington, Boston Red Sox chief executive officer; Dave Montgomery, Philadelphia Phillies' chief executive officer
and Katy Feeney, NL senior vice president, settled on this as the best option for 2001:
Arizona would move to the AL West.
Texas would move to the AL Central.
- Tampa Bay would move to the NJ.
- the NL would have four four-team divisions
the AL would have six teams in the Central, four each in the East and West.
Under this plan, each NL team would play 20 games against each division rival, AL East and AL West teams would play 18 each, and AL Central teams would play 14 each against three division rivals and 15 apiece against the other two.
Interdivision and interleague games would fill out the schedule. But teams in the AL Central object to a six-team division. And some NL owners don't want to lose
the wild card, which allows more teams to remain in contention until the season's final weeks.
"There's so much up in the air that has to be considered," Harrington said before updating owners. "We'll let them think about it, see where it goes."
Harrington said three plans remained under consideration, with more possibilities ahead. Under most plans, the NL remains with 16 teams, but one has 15 teams in each league with at least one interleague game nearly every day.
Arizona owner Jerry Colangelo has been the biggest objector. He doesn't want to leave the NL.
Only the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays, the two newest teams in the majors, can be forced to change leagues against their will. Every other team has veto power over league shifts.
"The NL made a mistake putting "Arizona there," said Mike Herman, Kansas City Royals' president. "That has to be corrected."
David Glass, the Royals new owner, was among the proponents of radical realignment in 1997. In that plan, there would be major shifts, with teams grouped geographically.
top of the hill is KU students' chance to vote for the best of Lawrence Fill out this form or the form on kansan.com with your favorites; return it to the Kansan business office. 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Your name will be placed in a drawing for a dinner for two at the winner of the Best Overall Restaurant and for gift certificates.
Deadline: April 21, 2000
restaurants
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services
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miscellaneous
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