Selig To Testify on Disparity

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” Congress wants to hear about the disparity between baseball's large- and small-market teams. <br><br>A Senate subcommittee summoned commissioner Bud Selig to testify Tuesday on

Tuesday, November 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” Congress wants to hear about the disparity between baseball's large- and small-market teams.

A Senate subcommittee summoned commissioner Bud Selig to testify Tuesday on baseball's economic problems.

``My concern is that baseball is not moving fast enough to deal with this,'' said Ohio Republican Mike DeWine, chairman of the antitrust and competition subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

``There really are the 'haves' and the `have-nots' today,'' DeWine said. ``There are literally fans in the spring who have a hard time coming up with scenarios in which their team makes the playoffs.''

Union head Donald Fehr was invited to the hearing, but will miss it because of a family commitment.

Broadcaster Bob Costas is scheduled to testify along with two members of the owners' latest economic study committee: former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and commentator George Will.

Mitchell is a director of the Florida Marlins, and Will is a director of both the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.

Baseball's collective bargaining expires next Oct. 31, and some owners would like to lock out the players and try to gain economic concessions. It would be the sport's ninth work stoppage since 1972.

The union is expected to fiercely resist any attempt to gain a salary cap or a luxury tax that acts like a cap.

``I'm a Reds fans,'' DeWine said. ``We have a new ballpark coming on in 2003, Pittsburgh has one, but our teams will remain small-market teams. The new ballparks will be a shot in the arm for a while, but only for a while.''

The New York Yankees, who won their fourth World Series in five years, had baseball's top payroll this year, about $113 million.

Cincinnati's payroll ranked 23rd this year at about $35 million, and Minnesota was last at around $15.8 million â€” less than one-seventh the amount the Yankees spent on players.

Some have said baseball has become boring because the Yankees have won three in a row.

``We've had different eras with different Yankee dynasties,'' DeWine said. ``We had the Mickey Mantle-Roger Maris-Whitey Ford teams. I don't think that is so much the problem as there are teams that are so low in revenue.''

DeWine said he doesn't anticipate Congress trying to regulate baseball.

``The purpose is not to write legislation,'' he said, ``but to do what Congress can do â€” put a spotlight on a problem.''