Realignment Plan Runs Into a Giant Roadblock

The focus of baseball’s realignment efforts remained on the West Coast as owners ended a three-day meeting Thursday without voting but hopeful of doing so by mid-October.

“I think we all have a better understanding [of the need for realignment], Texas Ranger President Tom Schieffer said. “The momentum is there. I think it will happen, and happen quickly. Everyone is in a spirit of compromise.”

Well, almost everyone.

San Francisco Giant owner Peter Magowan remains strongly opposed to the Oakland Athletics joining the National League and expressed his concerns in a meeting before adjournment.

Did he win any allies?

Magowan said he didn’t know.

Will he have to take the legal action he has threatened if the A’s intrude on what he considers his exclusive National League territorial rights?

“That’s the last thing I want to do, but it’s an option,” Magowan said. “I don’t think it’s the intent of [acting Commissioner] Bud Selig to shove Oakland down anyone’s throat.

“I think a lot of things could be done that would keep Oakland in the American League and satisfy the A’s, as well as everyone else.”

That would seem difficult on the surface. Virtually every scenario has the eight teams from the Pacific and Mountain time zones in the National League.

Seven teams would switch leagues in what seems to be the most acceptable plan.

The NL West would remain intact, with the Dodgers, Giants, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies. The Angels would join the A’s, Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks in another Western division of the NL.

“Peter Magowan has valid concerns and we’ll see what we can do, but I’m not Harry Houdini,” Selig said.

“I’ve heard it said by TV and other people that the happiest clubs to come out of this should be the eight on the West Coast [because of reduction in travel and more prime-time TV games]--and I’m not hearing a whimper out of the other seven. It’s only the Giants.”

The Giants, however, are not the only problem in the plan.

The American League West--a geographic identification that would have to be changed--would comprise five teams in the Central time zone: the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, who would be switching leagues.

Houston owner Drayton McLane, who would have veto rights because of the switch, had said Tuesday he didn’t object to going to the American League, providing he was in a division with the Rangers.

However, that apparently kicked up a strong reaction from National League loyalists in Houston, and McLane backed off Thursday.

He said he still wanted to be linked to the Rangers but would go to the AL only if the designated hitter were eliminated--which the union won’t agree to--and his team was in a division with better drawing opponents than the Twins, Brewers and White Sox.

With 30 owners--and, apparently, 30 agendas--is it possible to achieve a plan that won’t leave one or two aggravated?

“I hope no one is aggravated, but there’s no perfect plan,” said John Harrington, chairman of the Boston Red Sox and the realignment committee.

“You could start the industry from scratch today and there would be no perfect plan. That’s human nature.”

A resolution passed by owners in January called for a vote by Sept. 30. Selig asked for and received an extension Thursday until Oct. 15.

He acknowledged a pressing need to get the 1998 schedule to the clubs, but reiterated that solving the alignment problems was more critical and said at least five teams will have to switch leagues to do it properly.

“I’ve looked at more maps than Magellan,” said Selig, who added that the process is starting to resemble the four-year quest to get revenue sharing approved by the clubs.

Individual players have voiced concerns about restructuring the leagues, but Selig said, “We’ve been operating with an inflexible schedule. When you mix in interleague and expansion and the three division/wild-card format, it just doesn’t work.

“A schedule that terrorizes individual clubs and the fans in general isn’t helpful to anyone, including the players, who can only benefit from less travel and more [geographic] rivalries. The clubs have a right to increase their revenue streams. I’m sure the players can appreciate that.”

Owners approved a resolution allowing clubs to sell shares to the public. Selig said teams may offer a significant, but not total, percentage to the public. He would not reveal the percentage. Four teams are already owned by publicly held companies, the Angels by Walt Disney Co., Cubs by Tribune Co., Braves by Time Warner Inc., and Toronto Blue Jays by Interbrew S.A. of Belgium.