EXPANSION COMMITTEE TO CONFER BY PHONE TODAY

     MLB's expansion committee is scheduled to "confer by
telephone today and is expected to recommend that owners add at
least two teams," according to Marc Topkin in this morning's ST.
PETERSBURG TIMES.  Phillies President Bill Giles:  "I anticipate
we will have a phone meeting soon.  We are definitely going to
decide. ... I can tell you that most of the committee members do
want to expand."  Today's meeting is expected to cover "only
whether the major leagues should expand and whether they should
expand by two teams, expand by two teams with a pledge to
consider adding two more later, or expand by four teams over a
set period of years."  Leaders in Tampa Bay and Phoenix have been
"publicly confident that they are the top two choices."  Orlando
and Northern VA are also finalists.  No ranking of the sites is
expected to be released today.  Suns Owner Jerry Colangelo, who
is leading the Phoenix effort: "I believe in five weeks Tampa/St.
Petersburg and Phoenix will be awarded franchises."  After the
committee recommendation, the full group of owners must vote on
whether to expand -- 21 of 28 votes are needed.  "There is no
firm date" for an owners' meeting with expansion on the agenda.
The next scheduled regular owners' meeting is March 6-8 in Palm
Beach, FL (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 1/20).