Baseball World Cup could get green light soon
Posted: Monday November 10, 2003 8:58PM; Updated: Monday November 10, 2003
8:58PM


NEW YORK (AP) -- Another World Cup may be in the offing, this one for
pitchers and batters.
Looking at soccer's success at creating the world's most-watched tournament,
major league baseball could give the go-ahead by the end of January to start
a World Cup in March 2005.
Many issues are unsettled, but both the commissioner's office and players'
association would like to have at least one year of lead time to prepare.
The U.S. team might have a difficult time winning. Stars such as Pedro
Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero could play for the Dominican Republic, and
the Japanese team could include Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.
"We're very optimistic that we can get it all accomplished and start a World
Cup in the spring of 2005," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer,
said Monday. "That's our current objective. It's our goal to sort it out in
the next 60 days."
The tournament would include 8-to-16 national teams and be played in 4-to-8
U.S. ballparks, according to DuPuy and union head Donald Fehr. Talks with
the union already have begun.
"That's a goal we share, and with a reasonable amount of luck, I think we
will get there," Fehr said.
While the United States was eliminated from Olympic qualifying on Friday,
that roster was stocked mostly with minor leaguers. Management and the union
envision the World Cup teams having top stars.
The Olympic qualifying loss shocked many major league baseball officials,
who repeatedly have said they cannot stop the regular season to allow major
leaguers to participate in the Olympics. Canada and Cuba will represent the
Americas in Athens next year.
"I'm sure that's going to get people's attention and could lead to further
discussion on a World Cup and the Olympics, as well," said Paul Archey,
senior vice president of Major League Baseball International.
The commissioner's office and the union are working on several international
events for the 2004 season. Talks are under way to start next season in
Japan -- last season's opener between Oakland and Seattle in Tokyo was
scrapped because of travel concerns prior to the U.S. war in Iraq.
While talks for next year's Japan games originally envisioned having the
Athletics and Mariners participate, the teams could be changed, several
baseball officials said.
The union is awaiting a management response to its latest proposal to move
22 Expos' games from Montreal to San Juan, Puerto Rico, or Monterrey, Mexico

Spring training games will be played once again in Mexico City, and if the
Expos don't play in Monterrey, that city could wind up with either
exhibition or regular-season games involving other teams.
In July 2005, baseball hopes to play a regular-season series in Europe,
according to Archey, possibly in Rome's Olympic Stadium.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.







Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/baseball/mlb/11/10/bc.bbo.worldcup.ap/inde\
x.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]