European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March 2, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 25commentarylook for Denver Back in january i wrote a column in the form letter to baseball a leadership and owners. The letter advocated baseball expansion to 32 teams including All six National league expansion finalists Denver Miami St. Petersburg fla. Orlando fla. Buffalo and Washington at $100 million each the plan received a Cool reception from baseball a leadership who were asked to reply by March 1. All of four replies came in. But they were from four influential baseball people. The most substantial response came from John Mcmullen chairman of the Board of the Houston astros. He a working on Selling the team but he still answered. = a was you know a he wrote a i am no longer on the expansion committee so i cannot comment on anything having to do with the present plan. A however after Reading through your plan my Basic initial opinion is that we just cannot stand that Many baseball teams. A right now there is a dire Lack of Talent and in Many ways that accounts for the Ever escalating salaries which Are in my opinion destined to Hurt not Only the ownership Structure but also the game  this is from los Ari Geles dodgers president Peter of Malley dated Jan. 29, received feb. 11 a quite frankly i believe the National league is Well prepared for the upcoming expansion. We Are doing our Best to address the various issues. Additional plans will be announced later this summer and i think you will find them to be  from the american league president or. Bobby Brown feb. 13 Quot a you have made Many excellent Points and suggestions but until baseball can assure itself of being fiscally sound in the future it would be difficult to expand to 32  baseball commissioner Fay Vincent echoed Browne a financial concerns to Usa today a Hal Bod Ley on feb. 13. A a in a concerned about the viability of the institution As a whole. I done to Citize the red sox for what in a wait Morrissette they did pay Roger Clemens $5 million a year i guess they can afford it. But the pressure on the other markets is severe both because these prices find their Way into arbitration awards and secondly it Means clubs like Seattle Minnesota Milwaukee Pittsburgh a their Revenue base is going to be less than the payrolls paid by some of the major  a a major being clubs with huge local television contracts like the new York Yankees $50 million annually while the Chicago cubs los Angeles dodgers and new York mets each get More than $20 million a year from their contracts. All clubs get $15 million a year from the lbs esp contract that expires after the 1993 season. But Seattle gets Only $5 million a year from its local to Deal a one tenth of what the Yankees get. Vincent wrote a Minnesota Drew 3 million fans a few years ago but Minneapolis is under great pressure. The revenues there Are very Small but we know people there love baseball and will turn  a letter was dated feb. 4, but it Wasny to received until feb. 25. He was also Cool to the notion of adding More than two teams. He wrote a the National league will expand by two teams at the Start of the 1993 season. I believe it is Best to wait and observe the addition of these two franchises before discussing the possibility of any further  received was a great letter of support from Kevin Lee a pirate fan in Pir Masens Germany. A some folks May still be yearning for inter league play a he wrote. A a in a reminded of a Cleveland indians fan who moaned that he never got to see Willie Mays play in person. Yet he drove to Cincinnati to see his Mother once a month. You figure it out. A the world series seems to be Best contested by the Best of two separate leagues. What May appear to be a Gross mismatch set reds 1990 can actually yield a tremendous Surprise a. V National league president Bill White did not reply but he did hint in an associated press Story at possible winners. Like Miami. That town has made a miraculous ninth inning rally in the no expansion game. Blockbuster video chairman Wayne a Kuizenga nought 50 percent of Joe Robbie stadium declared baseball the primary tenant and began knocking out scats to make Way for moveable stands so the stadium can convert to a baseball configuration. While in Miami with the no expansion committee which visited Miami Orlando and St. Pete White did not Rule out the possibility of both expansion teams going to Florida. A i would imagine we would expand to the two Best Sites regardless of their location a White told the associated press. Bill Giles president of the Philadelphia Phillies and an expansion committee member said a a in a impressed with the parking facilities at Joe Robbie  a a a a. A. A a. A. St. Pete which was my Choice As an expansion Derby co Leader with Denver in my first column last March was caught with its pants Down by the com Milter. City officials gave the committee a tour of the Sun coast dome a with foul lines drawn on the Concrete floor. They Hadnot bothered to install the artificial turf yet. Plus Giles said they need More parking. If first impressions Are lasting ones St. Pete s bid is in trouble.  committee moved on to Denver Buffalo and Washington which spent $85,000 to shape Frk stadium into a baseball configuration for the first time since the senators left in 1972. Denver and Miami Are my new front runners but Well All know for sure when the no announces its winners in september. Then those new franchises can join the player salary headaches club. _. A the Start and strip handicapping basketball s final 64 by Don Markus v the Baltimore Sun a a a a it with eight Days to go before the invitations Are sent out and less than two weeks before the 1991 tournament begins Here is a look at who a in arid who a out and who a somewhere in Between. More than one invitation these leagues receive an automatic bid for conference champions plus they have other Strong teams who should make the Mcaa Field. J _ Atlantic coast five definite one maybe Duke 24-6north Carolina 21-4north Carolina state 18-8georgia tech 16-9 and Virginia 20-9 Are in. Wake Forest 17-9though shaky on the Road in the acc has enough big wins in the league to get invited. Big East five definite two maybes Syracuse 25-4st. Johns 20-6pittsburgh 20-9seton Haji 18-8 arid Connecticut 17-9 i Are in. Georgetown 1610 needs to win at Syracuse or get to the conference tournament semifinals to avoid missing the Mcaa tournament for the first time since 1978. Providence 1511 might need to win the big East tournament or at least reach the final. Big eight three definite two maybes Kansas 21-5oklahoma state 215 and Nebraska 23-6 Are in. Colorado 15-11 and Oklahoma 16-12both with 5-8 league records need to do a Little damage in the conference tournament. A lot of people would like to see Billy Tubbs get his comeuppance. Co state 21-4 Are in. Why play the conference tournament if nobody in the country can beat the running rebels nobody in the big West is going to do it. Metro one definite two maybes though Louisville will miss the Mcaa tournament for the first time since 1987, Southern Mississippi 20-5 is in while Cincinnati 17-9 and South Carolina 19-10 Are of so close. A a Pacific-10 two definite three May bes it has been an up and Down season it Nii _ a a Kucla 20-7which could enl within the league for Arizona 23-5 and enhance the chances for Washington state 16-8arizona state 16-8 and Southern Cal 16-8 to get in. \ Southeastern three definite two maybes leu 20-7mississippi state 19-7 and Alabama 17-9 Are in and Vanderbilt 16-11 and Georgia 15-11 probably Are within a win of getting there. Southwest three definite one maybe Arkansas 28-2texas 19-7 its Uncertain what would happen to Temple 19-8and vice versa. It another team wins it one of those other schools might be looking at the nit. Big sky Montana 19-7 is the favorite. Colonial athletic one definite one maybe even lefty Driesell says that James Madison 19-8 will have to win its conference tournament to get a bid since the Dukes have not beaten anybody prominent. If Richmond 18-9 wins a the tournament is being played at the Richmond coliseum a the spiders will be the Only ones invited. 1 a metro Atlantic athletic one definite two maybes Siena 22-8lasalle 18-8 and St. Peters 21-6 each would have to win the postseason tournament to get a bid mid american one definite one maybe either Eastern Michigan 20-6 or Ball state 20-7or whoever else wins the postseason tournament gets in. This could be one of those first time multiple invitees. Mid continent one definite one big ten four definite no maybes Pion does not win the tournament a a. O. _ i 4 \ r t a. _ it \ a Xvi Fri a in / an Hupf lilt and Houston 17-9 can pack their bags maybe Northern Illinois 22-4 won the but thu 17-9 might need a we or two w1 a 71-70 Victory Over Illnois Chi in the conference tournament. A a a Western athletic two definite two rna Ybes Utah 25-2 is one of the Surprise teams in the country and the league Likely will get two More bids from among Brigham Young 17-11new a Mexico 18-8 and Wyoming 17-10. One invitation two possible each leagues tournament Champion receives an automatic invitation and another team May be in if the regular season Cham ship state 24-1indiana 23-4michigan state 17-8 and Iowa 18-9 Are in though the spartans and Hawk eyes should be. Thankful that Illinois is on probation and Michigan is having a Down season. Big West two definite no maybes Nevada Las vegas 26-0 and new mexi american South one definite one maybe new Orleans 22-6 could be Strong enough to get in on its own Merit but Arkansas state 2q-7 will have to win the tournament. A a Atlantic 10 one definite one maybe if Rutgers 19-8 wins the tournament Cago thursday. Wisconsin Green Bay 20-6 had respectable wins. A a Missouri Valley one definite one maybe Creighton 20-7 probably will get in regardless a Mccona team would have to win the conference tournament. Southern one definite two maybes East Tennessee state 25-4 has established itself and Tennessee Chattanooga 18-91 and Furman 20-7 still need to win the league tournament. Sun Bell one definite no maybes South Alabama 19-8 will get in. West coast one definite no maybes Pepperdine 19-8 is Back in the Field. A one invitation j in these leagues with automatic bids the regular season champions wont a a. V make the Caas unless they win the conference tournaments East coast Towson state 17-10 has everything in its favor to repeat Quot. Ivy league Princeton 21-2 is in. Midwestern collegiate Xavier 17-9 is looking for big schools to Knock off and Pete Gillen will have to Start denying those notre Dame coaching rumours. Ohio Valley Murray state 22-8. Independents Depaul 17-8. Leagues that must play in the tournament champions in these. Leagues must play other champions to make the Mcaa Field big South coastal Carolina 20-7and Radford 21-6 Are the favourites. Radford was 6-21 a year ago and is coached by former Maryland assistant Oliver Purnell. Mid Eastern athletic Coppin state 18-9 is in the same situation As Towson state minus the Home court. Northeast either St. Francis a 217 or Fairleigh Dickinson 21-7. Patriot league Fordham 22-6 is the class of this pseudo Ivy league. It will play the Winner of the Northeast conference. Southland northeastern Louisiana 22-7. Southwestern athletic Jackson state 15-12 or whoever wins the Swap will be Host to the big  sports television College basketball a big South conference final 8 40 . Saturday Southland conference final 10 40 . Saturday. Radio College basketball a Bradley at Southwest Missouri state 1 . Sunday