Baseball’s Owners, Players Swap Threats While Orioles Rebel

Baseball owners said Saturday they were prepared to play the 1995 World Series with replacements, and striking major leaguers said they were considering a barnstorming city-to-city tour of all-star teams this spring.

“As difficult as it would be to conduct a World Series with replacement players, it would be something we would do,” said Boston Red Sox chief executive officer John Harrington, chairman of management’s operations committee.

Spring training is to start Feb. 16 with minor leaguers and replacement players. On Friday, baseball’s ruling executive council adopted rules for replacements, most of whom will earn $628.42 per day during the season, the new major-league minimum under the system owners implemented Dec. 23.

A Baltimore Orioles source, speaking on the condition he not be identified, said the team will refuse to play spring training games with replacements. The source said the Orioles will bring their minor leaguers to camp next month for workouts and possibly “B” games, but the team will not play exhibition games in which admission is charged.

That is expected to lead to a fight between the Orioles and baseball officials.

“We expect all of the clubs to meet their schedule obligations,” American League president Gene Budig said Saturday.

Meanwhile, a top baseball official said the Clinton Administration is considering becoming more involved in efforts to settle the strike.

Union head Donald Fehr said there was a good chance that Congress will set a date this week for new hearings into baseball’s antitrust exemption.

Union officials, without going into much detail, talked about the traveling all-star tours during meetings with players and agents last week.

“We’ve received at least two or three viable proposals,” union lawyer Lauren Rich said Saturday. Rich said the union’s executive board will consider the proposals when it next meets, probably the week of Jan. 30.