Reportedly, baseball advisory committee considers floating realignment

For those of us who love major-league baseball, but are driven mad by some of its foibles, Bud Selig's recently formed 14-person advisory committee offers hope for meaningful change.

The committee, charged with brainstorming ways of improving MLB, has had one in-person meeting and several conference calls since its formation in December.

And judging by the proposal under discussion that leaked out this past week, it is adhering to Selig's instructions to think outside the box.

Maybe too far, but that's all right. Better to be overly creative and ambitious than stubbornly staid and conservative.

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong is one of the 14 committee members, joining Paul Beeston of the Blue Jays, Bill DeWitt of the Cardinals and Dave Montgomery of the Phillies as owner representatives.

"I was honored and flattered to be asked by the commissioner," Armstrong said Friday. "We all have strong opinions about the game, and we all care passionately about the game."

Also on the committee are four active managers (Jim Leyland, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Mike Scioscia), four current or former general managers (John Schuerholz, Andy MacPhail, Terry Ryan and Mark Shapiro) and at-large members Frank Robinson and George Will.

That's a lot of brain power, though I wish Selig had included some active players on the committee. However, the players will eventually have their say, because most changes on subjects such as pace of game, umpiring, postseason scheduling, instant replay, and realignment — all of which are on the table — will have to go through the Players Association.

But spit-balling ideas in a freewheeling, anything-goes atmosphere is always productive. Selig said in a conference call in December announcing the committee, "There will be no sacred cows," and it appears the panel is holding to that.

As described by Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, one proposal gaining "strong support" is a concept referred to as "floating realignment."

Aimed to increase competitive balance, and lessen the dominance of the Yankees and Red Sox, the idea is to allow teams to be, in Verducci's words, "free to change divisions from year-to-year based on geography, payroll and their plans to contend or not."

That's pretty radical stuff. The example used by Verducci involved the Indians, who are in a rebuilding phase and also struggling financially, voluntarily moving to the AL East to gain the revenue benefit of 18 home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox. Currently, they get eight.

Meanwhile, a team like the Rays or Orioles, facing the ordeal of competing annually (and often futilely) against the mighty Yankees and Red Sox, could switch over to the AL Central for a season and have, at least theoretically, a better chance of making the playoffs.

One proviso is that no team could join a division more than two time zones outside its own. Keep in mind that this is merely a proposal and very preliminary. But apparently this could even entail teams switching leagues, the numbers of teams in each division changing from year to year, and possibly having interleague games throughout the season in some years if each league winds up with 15 teams.

The logistical and philosophical complications of switching divisions on a temporary basis seem manifest to me. But never mind the potential flaws and inconsistencies. It's a start, and a mind-blowing one. What strikes me is that it's refreshingly innovative, and provocative enough to lead to something workable. Outside the box, indeed.

Armstrong, understandably, declined to talk about the particulars of this, or any other proposal. But he says that the committee members are taking their duties seriously.

"Our first meeting was very free wheeling," he said. "It went on another hour after we thought, and then we all went out to dinner together. Bud wanted to get the views of everyone on issues we thought we should be addressing and thinking about."

Armstrong, whose involvement in baseball dates to 1982, jokes about Groucho Marx's famous declaration that he wouldn't want to join a club that would have him as a member.

"I'm not sure how I got in this group," he said. "There are so many wise people and good thinkers. It's really stimulating to be involved in such a refreshing discussion. We're truly trying to do what's best for the game. No one talks about their own best interest."

Judging by the early returns, they're off to an intriguing, and encouraging, start.

Notes and quotes

• Angels team president John Carpino tells The Orange County Register they've earned "high six figures" in sponsorships from Japanese companies since signing Hideki Matsui.

• Love those baseball injuries. Joel Pineiro, a new member of the Angels rotation, missed a start last week when a tooth fell out Tuesday while he was eating a bagel.

• Braves rookie Jason Heyward is rightfully getting a lot of attention this spring, but another 20-year-old outfielder from the NL East, Florida's Mike Stanton, is opening eyes as well. In fact, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez didn't rule out Stanton making the team.

• Speaking of phenoms, I'd be shocked if Stephen Strasburg cracks the Nationals' season-opening rotation, no matter how dazzling he is. Never mind the fact that he's never thrown a minor-league pitch (instructional ball and Arizona Fall League don't count). Keep in mind that the Nationals can delay Strasburg's free agency and arbitration eligibility by keeping him down in the minors at the start. If you don't think that's a factor with team's decisions, you're fooling yourself.

• Andruw Jones, who has been noticeably pudgy in recent years, trimmed down considerably over the winter. Jones dropped 25 pounds and is looking more spry than he has in a long time — a necessity to play in Ozzie Guillen's aggressive style with the White Sox.

• Then there's Dodger catcher Russell Martin. After seeing his slugging percentage fall from .396 to .329, and his homers from 13 to seven, Martin decided to bulk up in the offseason. He reported to camp 20 pounds heavier — and promptly injured his groin in the first week. Martin will be out four to six weeks; in his absence, it looks like A.J. Ellis, with all of 12 major-league games under his belt, will hold down the job.

• Don Mattingly, who is the Dodgers' hand-picked successor to Joe Torre, managed his first game at any level Wednesday while Torre was in Taiwan for an exhibition tour. Oops — the Dodgers batted out of order when the lineup card in the dugout didn't match the lineup card given to the umpires.

• The Indians have finally moved Grady Sizemore out of the leadoff spot, putting him second in the order. IMHO, he should be hitting third. I've always felt that way. Remember, this is a guy that hit 33 homers two years ago.

• Derek Jeter told the New York Post that when his playing days are done, being an owner "definitely is a goal of mine." I wouldn't bet against it, although it's hard to imagine Jeter associated with any team besides the Yankees. Then again, they once said the same thing about Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com