
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 22, 1990                   TAG: 9003221816
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                 LENGTH: Medium

EXTENDED SEASON STUDIED/ NO AGREEMENT ON RESTORING SCHEDULE

Baseball officials and CBS Sports could not complete their effort to restore the 162-game schedule on Wednesday, but the commissioner's office and the network said they hoped the job could be done within a few days.

The first week of the season was wiped out because of the owners' 32-day spring training lockout, and the first week of games must be rescheduled in order to have a full season.

The New York Yankees rescheduled one of the three games they missed from their opening series against Cleveland on Thursday, April 12, which had been an off day before a three-game series at home against Texas. The Boston Red Sox rescheduled a missed game at Detroit for April 12.

The option being given the most attention is extending the season by three days and trying to reschedule two games during the season, baseball and network officials said.

"We're trying to preserve the 162-game schedule and we hope we'll be successful," said Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner's office.

CBS begins its $1.06 billion, four-year contract with baseball this season. The network expected the playoffs to start on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and the World Series to begin on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Commissioner Fay Vincent said Tuesday that the preferred method would be to play the last week of the season during the first week of October, and push the postseason back a week.

"It's very difficult to move around a week of prime-time programming," said Susan Kerr, the new director of communications for CBS Sports. "I know the people here are working at it."

Under the plan being discussed, American League teams would make up their scheduled opening series during the season and play what had been their first scheduled weekend series on Oct. 1-3.

AL teams make only two trips to each city per season; National League teams make three trips to each city in their division.

The NL schedule being discussed would make up the weekend games during the season and reschedule the missed opening series from Oct. 1-3. The playoff would begin Friday, Oct. 5.

Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports, said he thought CBS was having problems rescheduling its prime-time programming to accommodate a change in the postseason schedule.

"It shows where their strategy has taken them in a different place," Ebersol said Wednesday. "It really doesn't impact on the sports department."

CBS, which has had a low-rated prime-time schedule in recent years, intends to use the playoffs and World Series to show commercials promoting its new fall series.

by CNB