Television, Baseball: Partners : Business: Plan, which would create a new round of playoffs, is submitted to owners for approval.

A plan that would create a new round of baseball playoffs, eliminate the Saturday afternoon game of the week and change the way the networks do business with major league baseball has been presented to owners, who are expected to vote on it at a meeting in Chicago on Thursday.

The plan, devised by baseball’s three-man television committee--Chicago White Sox co-owner Eddie Einhorn, San Diego Padre owner Tom Werner and Philadelphia Phillie President Bill Giles--calls for ABC and NBC to share a prime-time game of the week that would not begin until after the All-Star game and to share postseason play on an alternating basis.

Baseball, ABC and NBC would become partners in a joint venture, with baseball getting no upfront rights fee. A separate entity, complete with its own administrators and sales staff, would be established, with the three partners providing start-up money.

Giles said the networks were not interested in an expanded postseason, but under the new setup, baseball would be free to add another round of playoffs.

Baseball wants the new round of playoffs because the fans do, Giles said, adding that in a poll of 11,000 fans, 79% voted for it.

If the two-division alignment remains intact, the second-place team in each division would play a first-place team in a best-of-five series. The owners will discuss realignment in June, and if they go to a three-division setup in each league, Giles said, the three division winners, plus one wild-card team, would advance to the the first round.

All four playoff series would be played simultaneously, beginning at 5 p.m., Pacific time.

“What we’ll do is bounce around from game to game, much the way ESPN used to with the early round of the NCAA tournament,” Einhorn said. “We think this is a great way to create excitement.”

If the plan is approved, the first round of the 1994 playoffs would begin Oct. 4. The plan would have the World Series concluding before the end of the month.

The same television format, in which games will be going on simultaneously, will be followed through the first five games of the second round of playoffs--known as the league championship series--with all games beginning at 5 p.m. There will no longer be day baseball in postseason play.

“Your headline should read, ‘Baseball Goes Prime Time,’ ” Einhorn said, also referring to the regular-season prime-time package.

Only one network will cover each round. Either ABC or NBC will get the All-Star game and the league championship series; the other will get the first round of the playoffs and the World Series.

A coin flip in mid-June will determine which network gets what.

During the regular season, ABC will televise the first six prime-time games on successive weeks after the All-Star game, NBC the next six. The telecasts will not always be the same day of the week. But Einhorn said all would start at 8 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific time zones, and they will not take place on school nights.

Einhorn said the games will be on a regional basis, meaning in Los Angeles the Dodgers or Angels would almost always be involved.

Talks have already taken place with cable entities, such as ESPN and Turner, but no deal has been made for other games.

“One thing we know: we want to cut back on the number of cable telecasts,” Giles said, adding that three per week might be a good number. ESPN now does six.

Baseball would also like to eliminate superstation telecasts to protect its national packages, but Einhorn said that issue has not been addressed. He also said there are no plans for any pay-per-view telecasts.

Einhorn said the new entity formed by the joint venture among baseball, ABC and NBC will be headed by a chief executive officer and a 13-person board of directors, consisting of five representatives from baseball and four each from the networks.

“This is the wave of the future,” said Bud Selig, the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers and the interim commissioner. “We believe we have control over our destiny in this partnership. Baseball’s been slow to react and this shows us to be proactive.”

The plan, if approved, would end CBS’ association with baseball. When its four-year, $1.06-billion contract expires at the end of the season, it is estimated that CBS will have lost as much as $450 million on baseball.

The New Deal

Key points in proposed deal among major league baseball, ABC and NBC, which, if approved, would go into effect in 1994: * A new round of playoffs, with eight teams qualifying. The first round would be best-of-five. * Regional prime-time games of the week during the regular season, six by ABC, six NBC, all beginning after the All-Star game. * No upfront television rights fee. Baseball will sell the commercials and produce the telecasts in association with ABC and NBC, and the three partners will share profits.