Forming New Baseball League Sounds Pretty Good, but . . .

In the sad silence after the momentous -- and moronic -- labor battle that dismantled the 1994 season and threatens the future of major league baseball, the whispers are becoming louder.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darren Daulton says he thinks players could run a league better than the owners. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser believes the concept of a players’ league should be seriously considered. Dodgers outfielder Brett Butler says he would play in a new league.

Agents such as Dick Moss, who represents players such as Butler, Andy Van Slyke and Andre Dawson, are exploring an alternate league in which players and investors would provide capital for franchises in return for equity. All income from gate receipts, media and merchandising would be pooled and profits or losses divided equally. A partnership wouldn’t have the economic burdens or tension of the current system, and investors are interested, organizers say.

In 1989 and 1990, Moss and attorney David LeFevre lined up eight teams for the United States Baseball League, with investors such as Donald Trump. The alliance collapsed after players signed long-term deals with their old teams. Hey, call it whatever: the World League, the North America Baseball Association, the Second Coming of American Baseball, it’s all fantasy baseball. Or more accurately, a baseball fantasy.

The logistics, legal and financial hurdles are daunting and risky, sports business and marketing experts say. “It’s always been one of the great theories,” said Craig Tartasky, a sports consultant and executive director of the International Sports Summit, an annual gathering of leading industry executives. “It sounds great in the classroom, but it just doesn’t play out practically.”

Tartasky lists “a host of real problems to try to overcome in five months: They would have to solicit support, determine which facilities are available, define which players are legally available, sell sponsorships, negotiate with TV. Is the union, which has been fighting against a limit on salaries, prepared to take down its revenue structure: reduced ticket prices, less attendance, a decrease in advertising money? I’m not sure there are enough corporate sponsorships ready to buck major league baseball.”

Remember, the American Football League, American Basketball Association and World Hockey Association were created when salaries were a fraction of what they are today. Are there investors willing to spend tens of millions on speculation?

“If you begin with the assumption that major league baseball will be back eventually -- even if it’s with minor-leaguers and players who flee the union, that’s formidable competition,” said one sports executive who said he has had discussions with agents about a rival league. “You’re taking a tremendous chance unless all the ducks are in a row. So far, they’re not close.”

The anarchist in me thinks it could be a marvelous rebellion. Imagine a fan-friendly league, with earlier starting times, less expensive tickets. The realist says dream on.

Let’s go through a start-up scenario. First, you need players. Faced with the prospect of a continued strike or a salary cap, the Players Association, along with some of the 200 free agents, such as Dave Winfield and Dennis Eckersley, forms a partnership with some Fortune 500 companies. Two big problems. Will players easily surrender lucrative marketing and benefits money? Maybe not. Will owners go to court to retain the contracts of individual players? Absolutely. The litigation delays the rest of the league’s development for months.

Say that’s resolved. Where to play? Many city-owned stadiums have exclusivity deals with the major league teams. The Dodgers and Cardinals own their ballparks. Some stadiums are available. The SunCoast Dome in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Pilot Field in Buffalo, the Superdome in New Orleans, RFK Stadium in Washington, the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. And Charlotte, Phoenix, Vancouver, Mexico City, and New Jersey might come up with something. But before April? Please.

Next, what about TV, which drives the professional sports machine? The proposed A-League, which was supposed to rival the NFL with teams backed by corporations such as Federal Express, never got off the ground last year. CBS backed down when it learned that some of the organizers simply wanted to prove that they should be considered for NFL expansion franchises.

As for a new baseball league, executives at the Fox Network, which has taken the rubber bands off Rupert Murdoch’s bankroll to acquire rights to the National Football Conference and NHL, say they have zero interest. CBS Sports executives dismiss callers by saying simply: “We don’t deal in hypotheticals.”

Sure, a cable network, such as ESPN or Prime, might take a chance, but would anybody watch? “More than ever, fans are disenchanted and disgusted with major league baseball,” said one sports TV executive, noting the continual national ratings decline. “And people not in that category now suffer from a raging indifference. You’re asking me if people are going to go to a bogus baseball league game? Maybe once for the novelty. But they’re not paying for skyboxes.”

Beyond that, who would run the league, sign and cut players? The players themselves? And where’s the continuity, the credibility? Would they play 154 games? How do you feel about 50?