USA TODAY's Hal Bodley examines the impending
resignation of NL President Len Coleman and writes that
Coleman is giving up a title "he would have lost anyway."
Under MLB's reorganization plan, "expected to be announced
this week," the positions of league presidents "will be
eliminated after the World Series." Their separate duties
"will be absorbed by one of the three departments" MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig has created. Coleman and AL
President Gene Budig "will become senior advisers and be
paid through 2002." Coleman currently earns $650,000 a year
(USA TODAY, 9/14). ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler writes that
Coleman's departure "underscores just how divisive the whole
umpiring issue has become in baseball, and how split the
parties remain on how to handle it." Kreidler: "Memo to
[MLB Exec VP/Operations] Sandy Alderson ... You won. ...
There is such a thing as grace in victory" (ESPN.com, 9/14).
MORE NOTES: In Boston, Frank Dell'Apa writes that MLS
Commissioner Don Garber "has kept a low profile" since being
named to the position in August. Garber: "I've been kind of
undercover." Garber says he has been attending MLS games,
"mostly in New York," and has "been sitting and talking with
fans." Garber: "We have a lot of work to do" (BOSTON GLOBE,
9/14)....In Cleveland, Amy Rosewater reports that an
announcement will be made today regarding CART's return to
the city. CART's deal with Medic Drug Grand Prix promoter
IMG is "believed" to be for three years, with the event
expected to be held July 9, 2000 (PLAIN DEALER, 9/14).
..ESPN's David Aldridge, on players' salaries: "For those of
you keeping score at home, players have generated more than
$1.23 billion in new contracts since the end of January.
What was that lockout about again?" ("SportsCenter," 9/13).
