Major leagues will study geography

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Baseball owners finally put the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the AL during a nine-hour meeting Thursday. To get past opposition in the AL, owners agreed to form a committee to study reshaping the leagues and divisions.

"There has been a growing realization that we have to look at geographical realignment," acting commissioner Bud Selig said.

A group of eight AL teams threatened Wednesday night to block the expansion assignments, but six changed their minds during Thursday's meeting.

The realignment committee, chaired by Boston Red Sox CEO John Harrington, could recommend league switches for existing franchises. The committee is to report by June 30, and owners are to vote by Sept. 30.

League constitutions say no team can be forced to switch leagues against its will. In the NL, no team can be forced to switch divisions against its will.

"It is entirely possible that as this committee moves forward now that teams could be switching leagues, (and divisions) within leagues," Selig said.

Eleven votes in each league were needed to approve the assignments for the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays. NL teams approved the plan unanimously and AL teams voted 12-2, with Kansas City and Texas in opposition.

In a straw poll Wednesday, AL owners rejected the plan 8-6. The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Anaheim Angels changed their minds early Thursday, and the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics followed in the afternoon.

"This has been an intense 24 hours," Selig said.

While division assignments weren't made -- those will come "reasonably soon," Selig said -- it appears certain Arizona will wind up in the NL West. If Tampa Bay is put in the AL East, one team will have to move to the Central and one will have to move from the Central to the West.

"We're the only American League team in the Southeast," said Tampa Bay CEO Vince Naimoli, happy the Devil Rays will have the territory to themselves.

Some AL teams were concerned they would have additional games out of their time zone, causing early and late television starts that could decrease ratings and revenue. Rangers president Tom Schieffer raised the issue and surprised Selig when other teams supported him.