ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 8, 1996 TAG: 9607080156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
Major-league baseball owners will hire a new commissioner after a labor agreement is reached, acting commissioner Bud Selig said Sunday, reiterating he is not a candidate.
``It's not going to be me, and I have said that right from the beginning,'' Selig said on NBC-TV's ``Meet the Press.'' ``I have never deviated since September of 1992.''
Baseball has been without a commissioner since Fay Vincent resigned under pressure Sept.7, 1992, and without a collective bargaining agreement since Dec.31, 1993.
Selig said baseball eventually will expand to 32 teams, but that it may not happen by the target date of the 2000 season. He also said that although he is reluctant to let teams change cities, he wouldn't rule out a move by the Houston Astros to Northern Virginia.
Astros owner Drayton ``McLane has never officially asked us for anything and really hasn't discussed it for a long time,'' he said. ``I wouldn't want to say there is no chance, but at this point he has made no formal or informal request ... to move his club.''
The last major-league team to move was the Washington Senators, who became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.
``I hope we can go the next 25 years without having to move a franchise,'' Selig said. ``But, having said that, I must say to you that there are some franchises ... unless the economics are changed - we've gone through that in Milwaukee, as you know, in the past six months - and unless they have new stadiums and have the ability to be competitive, then, yes, we're going to have to think about moving them.''
Selig said he hopes George Steinbrenner keeps the Yankees in New York City rather than moving them to New Jersey.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB