Dodgers Reduce Stadium Plan

The Dodgers slashed a planned $200-million stadium renovation but will add dozens of luxury seats in time for the 2000 season, the team announced.

The initial proposal was so expensive that it prompted the Fox Group, which owns the Dodgers, to consider tearing down the 37-year-old stadium and building a new one.

On Friday, Dodger President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Graziano said a revised plan will cost less than half the original plan, which had included new seating throughout the stadium along with new retail stores and restaurants.

The plan now is to add as many as 30 luxury suites along with more field-level seating between the dugouts and along the first- and third-base lines.

Those seats were kept in the plan because they will provide the most revenue, Graziano said.

A new press box also will be built on the reserved level.

The Dodgers have a payroll of $85 million to meet--a major league team record.

“The purpose of this is so we can afford to field the type of team we’re fielding in 1999,” Graziano said. “We really have to focus on those elements that can help us fund our player payroll.”

Construction will begin after the end of this season, he said.

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With spring training a month away, Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens hasn’t ruled out suiting up for the Houston Astros.

“Right now, I would say that anything is possible and in that regard, the Astros are a possibility,” Clemens told the Houston Chronicle. “I’d like to play in Houston. But we’ll have to see where it goes from here. . . . If I’m in Toronto, I’ll be happy there too.”

Clemens appeared to take his name off the market Dec. 22 when he rescinded a Dec. 2 request to be traded by the Blue Jays. That triggered talks with the Astros, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers.

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The Chicago Cubs reached agreement with relief pitcher Matt Karchner, meaning the club will not have to go to salary arbitration this year. Terms were not disclosed.