Baseball to Expand in ’97 or ’98

Strike? What strike?

Baseball’s expansion committee Friday recommended that owners add four teams, most likely two in 1997 or 1998, and two some unspecified time later.

Phoenix and St. Petersburg, Fla., are expected to get the next two teams. Orlando, Fla., and Northern Virginia also are vying for franchises.

Owners are expected to give expansion the go-ahead at a meeting during either the week of Jan. 29 or Feb. 5. Final approval of the franchises is expected at a meeting set for March 7-9 at Palm Beach, Fla.

The franchises are expected to cost $125 million to $150 million.

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Gene Budig, American League president, said in New York that he could use his power under the league constitution to fine or suspend Baltimore owner Peter Angelos if the Orioles refuse to use replacement players in case the player strike continues into the season.

The league maintains that it can fine the team $250,000 for each missed game, suspend Angelos or even take over the franchise.

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The Dodgers have received permission to negotiate with Japanese free-agent pitcher Hideo Nomo.

The Dodgers would like to sign Nomo to a triple-A contract, but he would be prohibited from becoming a replacement player.

Nomo, 26, has pitched the last five years for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, striking out 1,205 batters.

The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays also are negotiating with Nomo.

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Pitcher Dwight Gooden, suspended from major league baseball for this season for failing drug tests, met with Marvin Goldklang, a part-owner of the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League, about playing for his team.

Gooden is free to play for St. Paul because the Northern League isn’t affiliated with major league baseball or the National Assn. of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of the minor leagues.

Boxing

Details are being completed to move the April 22 fight between heavyweight champion George Foreman and Germany’s Axel Schulz from the Louisiana Superdome to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Promoter Bob Arum pulled the fight out of New Orleans this week because area casinos, which had guaranteed site fees, were unable to get their gaming machines in operation before the fight date.

An attorney for former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, serving time in Indiana for rape, argued in federal appeals court in Chicago that Tyson failed to receive a fair trial because the judge was selected by the prosecution, giving the state a clear advantage. Tyson is scheduled for release in May.

Winter Sports

Five-time Olympic champion Bonnie Blair finished in 39.71 seconds, beating Oksana Ravilova of Russia and Franziska Schenk of Germany in the women’s 500-meter World Cup speedskating event in Davos, Switzerland.

Germany’s Michaela Gerg-Leitner spoiled American Picabo Street’s shot at a World Cup victory with a 1:25.82 run in the downhill at Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy. Street finished second. Germany’s Olympic downhill champion Katja Seizinger was third, taking the lead in the overall standings with 703 points.

Kristian Ghedina covered the famous Lauberhorn course in 2 minutes, 26.33 seconds in Wengen, Switzerland, becoming the first Italian since 1990 to win a World Cup downhill ski race and capping his comeback from a near-fatal auto accident. He finished .85 of a second ahead of Peter Rzehjak. American Kyle Rasmussen was 10th, beating compatriot Tommy Moe by .02 of a second.

Ellen Breen of West Hills, the reigning world and World Cup ballet ski champion, won her fourth consecutive event of the season at Lac Beauport, Canada. In the men’s competition, reigning World Cup champion Fabrice Becker of France defeated Heini Baumgartner of Switzerland.

Miscellany

Ickey Woods, former Cincinnati Bengal running back, pleaded not guilty in Cincinnati to charges of carrying a concealed weapon and drug abuse.

Kevin Mahaney’s Young America continued dominating the first round of the America’s Cup defender trials in San Diego with a convincing yachting victory over the all-woman America 3, giving him five points to one apiece for Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes and America 3.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, tennis players ranked in the top three in the world, will play in the Evert Cup Feb. 27-March 5 at the Hyatt Grand Champions at Indian Wells.