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Major Leaguers Eye Olympics

ATLANTA -- Uninspired by the story of young amateurs who've practiced and played together for two years with one goal -- winning the Olympic gold medal against the odds? Want a U.S. team guaranteed to beat Cuba like a conga drum?

Sorry, but a rotation of Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Tom Glavine facing Orestes Kindelan and Omar Linares seems unlikely in the 2000 Olympics. Same with a lineup of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn, Mike Piazza and Frank Thomas against Cuban pitchers Pedro Lazo and Omar Luis.

The U.S. baseball team that began semifinal play Thursday against Japan has been heading toward a gold medal showdown Friday night with Cuba, which defeated Nicaragua, 8-1, in the semifinals. The defending world champions haven't lost a meaningful international game in nine years.

``We're the underdogs. If you win the gold medal, it would be the greatest moment of your whole life,'' said pitcher Seth Greisinger, Friday's scheduled starter.

The Americans, average age 20, may be the last all-amateur team representing the United States in the Olympics.

There is support for having professional ballplayers in the Olympics -- if the many technical hurdles can be worked out.

The International Baseball Association meets in September and is expected to vote to approve professional participation for the next Olympics. International Olympic Committee head Juan Antonio Samaranch has expressed his support.

``Yeah, I'd play,'' Griffey said Wednesday night. ``I think anyone in this locker room would want to go out there for their country.''

But there are problems.

The 2000 Games are scheduled for Sept. 16 through Oct. 1, and some baseball officials have suggested that teams mathematically eliminated from the pennant races supply a player or two to the U.S. team. But acting commissioner Bud Selig worries that still would affect the pennant race.

``Let's say your team and my team are out of it and we supply a player, but we're playing a team that's not out of it. That's skewers the pennant race. That's what a lot of people worry about,'' he said.

In addition, players would lose the chance to achieve certain milestones if they missed 20 regular-season games. And that would translate to dollars lost when it comes to salary arbitration the following winter.

Union head Donald Fehr suggests somehow allowing Triple-A players to compete in the Olympics.

``We could essentially say that for the year 2000 anybody whom a club doesn't bring up on Sept. 1 be eligible to play,'' he said.

U.S. baseball head coach Skip Bertman is opposed to pros, but sees it as inevitable.

``It's about television, advertising, marketing. It's about making money,'' he said.

Although his team has drawn selloutcrowds for most of its games, it has been virtually ignored on television.

``We're behind synchronized swimming and just ahead of kayaking. We just moved ahead of air rifle,'' he said.

``My feeling is that they might play better baseball in skills, but they can't play more exciting baseball. They can't have more heart or fulfill the Olympic ideal better than this team.

``This is the real dream team,'' Bertman said.

``It's something we hold very special to us,'' pitcher Kris Benson said. ``But I guess a lot of people want to see Cuba beat swiftly and handily. I don't see the point.''