ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 19, 1997 TAG: 9701200151
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
Being on the West Coast of Florida apparently is enough for the Tampa Bay Devils Rays to wind up in the AL West - at least for the team's first two seasons.
To secure the agreement that placed the Devil Rays in the American League and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National, owners reached an understanding that none of the existing teams will be forced to switch divisions in 1998 and 1999, several sources said Friday on the condition they not be identified.
Because of that, Tampa Bay probably will join Anaheim, Oakland, Seattle and Texas in the AL West. Arizona will be a natural fit in the NL West.
``Honestly, division assignment is immaterial with a balanced schedule,'' Devil Rays CEO Vince Naimoli said Friday. ``Division assignment only matters to me from the standpoint of competitive balance, and I can make a case that I would prefer to be in a certain division.''
To broker the deal, some teams wound up trading interleague opponents in 1998, the sources said. The New York Yankees traded games against the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins to Tampa Bay in exchange for games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Tampa Bay got the regional opponents it wanted, and the Yankees got games against the two former New York area teams - probably better draws at Yankee Stadium and perhaps weaker opponents.
``We had to switch,'' Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said Friday. ``We had to take a third trip to the West Coast, which I agreed to do so he could have those natural rivalries.''
An unusual geographic placement would not be unusual for baseball or Tampa Bay. Atlanta played in the NL West from 1969 to 1993, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played in the NFC Central since 1977 after spending their inaugural season in the AFC West.
Among the other understandings reached by owners are that schedule makers will attempt to ensure regional rivalries are included among the interleague games each year. That was especially important to the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, who won't play this year in the initial season of interleague games.
Kansas City and St.Louis also expressed a desire to play each other every season. Other regional rivalries expected to get special attention are New York's Mets and Yankees, Chicago's Cubs and White Sox, the Los Angeles area's Dodgers and Angels, the San Francisco Bay area's Giants and Athletics, Canada's Expos and Blue Jays and Florida's Marlins and Devil Rays.
When owners adopted interleague play one year ago, the plan was to rotate interleague opponents. The NL East, which plays the AL East this season, would play the AL Central or West in 1998 and not face the AL East again until 2000.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines KEYWORDS: BASEBALLby CNB