Expansion Hopefuls Lobbying : Baseball: Two new NL teams won’t begin play until 1993, but franchises will be awarded next year. Cities are already trying to beat the rush.

They stood at the entrance of the hotel in which baseball’s owners were discussing National League expansion Thursday and chanted, “Let’s go Buffalo.”

About 150 Buffalo boosters had arrived by bus to try to influence the selection of two new cities in September of 1991.

They might not have had the desired effect.

Said one member of the commissioner’s office, “One of the drawbacks of the Buffalo area is its proximity in driving distance to three major league cities--Cleveland, New York and Toronto. This just re-emphasizes that.”

The game has begun, with geography and demographics just part of the consideration as the National League expands for the first time since 1969, ultimately achieving symmetry with the 14-team American League. The expansion teams will begin play in 1993.

The timetable was outlined at the conclusion of a joint meeting of American and National league owners Thursday by Commissioner Fay Vincent, National League President Bill White and the chairman of the league’s expansion committee, Douglas Danforth, who is also chairman of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Danforth said there had been no decision on franchise fees and would not comment on speculation that fees will be $50 million to $100 million per team.

“I can only tell you that it will be more than $10 million,” he said, alluding to the amount charged Montreal and San Diego in 1969.

There will be a deposit required when interested groups and individuals return the official questionnaires that will be available in July.

Then:

--The expansion committee will ask prospective owners to make presentations in New York before Sept. 30.

--The committee will cut to a “short list” of five or six by Dec. 31.

--The prospective cities or areas will be visited during the first quarter of 1991, with the committee making initial recommendations at the June ownership meeting and a final recommendation at the September meeting, at which a vote will be taken.

--The new clubs will be eligible to field minor league teams in 1992 and participate in the amateur draft of that year, preceding a dispersal draft in November, when each select 36 players from the 12 National League teams.

Danforth said no decision had been reached on the possibility of the American League’s supplying players in the dispersal draft, but that would be at odds with previous expansions and would force the National League to share the franchise fees with the American League, an unlikely consideration.

He said that the new teams would not receive national TV income in 1993, the last year of the current contract.

Buffalo, of course, is one of only several cities or areas under consideration. Among the others: Tampa-St. Petersburg, Denver, Orlando, Miami, Washington, Phoenix and Northern Virginia.

Danforth and Vincent stressed the need for local ownership and said the preference was for baseball-only stadiums with grass fields and no domes, but in any case baseball must be the primary tenant.

Danforth added that the expansion teams would be allowed to play in minor league facilities for a year or two, but only if new stadiums were being constructed.

He said there are no geographical limitations, that the committee could chose two East Coast cities rather than two from different parts of the country, and that the possibility of National League realignment has been discussed only in a general way.

That discussion, it was learned, has centered on the possibility of new teams in Denver and Florida, prompting possible realignment along the following lines:

West: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago.

East: Atlanta, Florida, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Montreal and New York.

Said the general manager of one Eastern Division team: “As much as it makes sense geographically, I believe the Cubs and Cardinals would resist moving to a new division because of the loss of established rivalries.”

The decision to expand now, when many baseball people contend there is not enough talent to stock two new teams, represents a response to Congressional pressure regarding the possible loss of baseball’s antitrust exemption.

“They bring that up every time I go to Washington,” Vincent said, adding that it is Congress’ desire to have six new teams by the end of the decade.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out, but we have made no commitment beyond these two.

“It’s a complicated process, and what I have said to Washington is, ‘Let us see how these two develop first.’ ”

In other business, the joint ownership voted approval for the San Francisco Giants to move to Santa Clara if that city approves construction of a new stadium, which is expected to be a ballot issue there this fall.