BEESTON'S BURDEN? THE FUTURE OF THE (INTER)NATIONAL PASTIME

          MLB COO Paul Beeston was interviewed by MSG's Jim Kaat
     and Ken Singleton during a rain delay at last night's
     Yankees-Angels opener.  Beeston, on MLB's plans for an
     international competition: "We want to get to either a World
     Cup or get in an Olympics or get some type of a competition. 
     I think the players want it.  I think the international
     baseball people want it.  I think we want it, and the game
     has such an international component to it right now, I think
     it's going to be very exciting."   Beeston, on whether MLB
     would shut down its season for the Olympics: "I don't think
     it can. ... We can't start too much earlier than we do now,
     and we can't go too much later."  Beeston, on MLB's
     commissioner search: "At the very end of the day, what we're
     going to find is a group that will come together that will
     take it forward but you still have to have that one person.
     ... We're not in that bad shape right now."  Beeston, when
     asked why Selig doesn't just take the commissioner's job:
     "Maybe that's what will happen" (MSG Network, 4/1).