Debate on Vincent Expected to Be Tense : Baseball: Owners’ meeting today could produce a no-confidence vote on commissioner.

In what is expected to be a volatile debate, major league baseball owners will meet here today to evaluate Commissioner Fay Vincent’s powers and performance.

How volatile will it probably be?

A member of Vincent’s staff, insisting on anonymity and citing information he had received from several owners, said it has all the aspects of “a train wreck . . . a real donnybrook” between foes and supporters of Vincent.

Bill Giles, the Philadelphia Phillies’ president, said the other day that he expects the anti-Vincent faction to seek his resignation in the form of a no-confidence vote, adding that he isn’t sure there are enough votes to make that happen.

Vincent has said that he will not resign; that to do so before the end of his term in March of 1994 would harm the commissioner’s office forever. He has hired Washington lawyer Brendan Sullivan Jr. to fight what he would consider “any inappropriate action” by the owners, who will be receiving a legal opinion on their position during today’s meeting.

Neither Vincent nor his deputy, Steve Greenberg, will attend the meeting, believing it to be illegal under terms of the Major League Agreement, which is baseball’s constitution. The agreement states that a commissioner cannot be fired during his term, nor can he have his powers diminished.

Vincent has cited that clause and said it was included by baseball’s first commissioner, Judge Kenesaw (Mountain) Landis, when he wrote the agreement more than 70 years ago to forestall intimidating tactics being employed against the commissioner’s office.

It is not clear how many votes the anti-Vincent faction can muster. Angel owner Jackie Autry has said it is a clear majority--about 20 of the 28 teams. Vincent says it is less than a majority.

This much is certain: Stanton Cook of the Chicago Cubs, Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, Bud Selig of the Milwaukee Brewers, Peter O’Malley of the Dodgers and Autry are among the leaders of the opposition.

Aside from acknowledged dissatisfaction with Vincent’s leadership and decisions on several issues, they say he has often acted arbitrarily rather than attempting to create a consensus; they question his ability to negotiate the new television contracts and they fear the possibility of his conciliatory intervention in the next bargaining negotiations with the players’ union.

Although thwarted by Vincent recently, Selig and others continue to seek ways to eliminate the commissioner from labor negotiations--a prime motivation in their call for today’s meeting.

Among supporters of Vincent--or, at least, his office--Haywood Sullivan, the Boston Red Sox general partner, said:

“We’re supportive of the office and the commissioner from this standpoint: What is the better alternative? Who is the candidate? What would be the result of this happening?

“I mean, there wouldn’t even be a commissioner’s office if every time somebody disagreed (with a decision) he would go to court or try to throw the commissioner out.”

Said Nelson Doubleday, co-owner of the New York Mets: “I’m strongly committed to the opinion that the commissioner is the commissioner for better or worse. We’ve got this one until 1994, and to undermine his position is wrong. It’s subversive.”

Added George W. Bush, general partner of the Texas Rangers:

“If we’re conducting a trial here, the question has to be, is he guilty? I admit, the man has made some decisions I didn’t like, but the fact that he is making those decisions doesn’t bother me.

“I don’t expect to like every decision he makes. I don’t expect all 28 teams to agree with every decision. If he can be run out of office, the next person can be run out, too.”

Vincent has refused to comment on the meeting. Said Greenberg: “I’m still hopeful we can resolve any internal differences we may have and move on to other issues. That’s always been my hope and the commissioner’s hope.

“We hope it’s the owners’, as well.”