Devil Rays Could Be Next on Firing Line

It appears the Tampa Bay Devil Rays might be next on Commissioner Bud Selig’s hit list.

During Wednesday’s meeting of baseball owners in Chicago, some owners wondered where the sport’s contraction plan was headed after Selig’s decision to attempt to settle a lawsuit by guaranteeing the Minnesota Twins’ existence through the 2003 season.

Minnesota and Montreal were the two teams Selig attempted to eliminate last winter, only to be blocked by a court order that forced the Twins to honor their lease at the Metrodome.

Several owners, among them Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, John Moores of the San Diego Padres and Stan Kasten of the Atlanta Braves, spoke during the meeting and asked what was next, according to two high-ranking officials in baseball who attended the session and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“We’re going to have to find a new partner,” one of the officials quoted Selig as saying.

During his April 9 testimony in the grievance against contraction by the players’ association, Selig was asked what team would replace the Twins on his contraction list, one of the officials said.

Selig said that the Devil Rays were next.

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Former Dodger and Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves, will have surgery next week to remove a growth on his left kidney. Doctors will not be able to determine if it is malignant until a biopsy after its removal. Sutton, 57, will miss at least three weeks of broadcasting.... Reliever Jeff Shaw and the Cincinnati Reds have ended discussions without reaching agreement, meaning the former Dodger closer will remain retired.