MLB's plan "to vault the game into the next century"
calls for "dramatic" realignment with teams switching
leagues and a reduction from 162 to 156 games, according to
Hal Bodley in USA TODAY. A reduced schedule, with the
season starting a week later to "avoid those early
postponements because of weather," will be a "key element"
of a preliminary report the MLB schedule-format committee
must submit to owners by June 30. Bodley notes the "biggest
loss" would be in radio-TV income, which is "typically"
spread over the 162-game schedule. The committee's original
plan, which must be approved by owners and the players
union, called for implementation by '99, but Red Sox CEO
John Harrington "says 2000 might be more realistic."
Harrington: "To be honest, the sentiment is split in the
industry. It's going to be a tough sell." Other "major"
changes being discussed include realignment, with as many as
six teams changing leagues; expanding division playoffs from
a best-of-five to best-of-seven format; and introducing an
"unbalanced schedule," with division and geographic rivals
playing each other "more frequently" (USA TODAY, 4/25).
