Citing $15-Million Deficit, Twins Plan to Cut Payroll

The Minnesota Twins are slashing their player payroll next season, saying they can’t compete under baseball’s economic structure. The club’s payroll will fall to between $10 million and $15 million, down from $27 million at the beginning of the 1998 season.

“My goal is to keep the team here,” said Jim Pohlad, son of Twin owner Carl Pohlad. “If there is any kind of proposal to achieve that, at this point, we’re not proud anymore.”

Twin President Jerry Bell said the payroll cut is the team’s only hope of breaking even over the next two seasons. The Twins claim losses of $15 million for 1998.

Three players will account for about $9 million of the club’s payroll next season: closer Rick Aguilera ($3.2 million), outfielder Marty Cordova ($3 million) and pitcher Brad Radke ($2.5 million).

*

Without mentioning Roger Clemens, the baseball commissioner’s office sent teams a memo saying side agreements such as the one between the pitcher and the Toronto Blue Jays were unenforceable.

During a news conference Tuesday, Clemens said he had a written agreement with Toronto that gave him both the right to demand a trade and the right to block one. Those clauses are not contained in the copy of Clemens’ contract sent to the American League.

In a memo sent to teams last Friday, the commissioner’s office told teams it has always insisted all agreements with players must be contained in the uniform player contract, and that the commissioner’s office considers any agreements not in that contract to be unenforceable.

*

Trevor Wilson, who played for the Giants from 1988-95 and for the Angels last season, has returned to San Francisco, agreeing on a one-year contract.

*

The Hagerstown Suns say they will fight a federal lawsuit aimed at the minor league baseball team’s policy of giving discounts to those who bring church bulletins to the ballpark.

“Just to give up and throw our hands up and back down would be a disservice not only to our industry but to all small businesses that run such promotions,” said David Blenckstone, the team’s general manager.

The American Civil Liberties Union notified the team Tuesday that it had filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Baltimore seeking to stop the promotion. The Suns have offered the discount for five years.

Miscellany

Mark McGwire hit another home run--this time in voting for The Associated Press sports story of the year.

The feat of McGwire, who broke Roger Maris’ record and set a new mark by hitting 70 homers, was the overwhelming winner in voting by AP member newspapers and broadcast outlets.

McGwire’s home run assault received 1,433 points in the annual voting.

The Super Bowl triumph of quarterback John Elway and the Denver Broncos was second with 972 points.

The New York Yankees were third with 789 points for winning a record 125 games in the regular season and playoffs, the NBA lockout was fourth with 688 points and Michael Jordan leading the Chicago Bulls to their third straight title--sixth in eight years--was fifth with 468 points.

The challenge for the home run record by the Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa, who wound up with 66 homers, was sixth with 404 points, followed by the Nagano Olympics (386), Jeff Gordon’s domination of NASCAR (316), Florence Griffith-Joyner’s death (276) and golfer Casey Martin’s court victory over the PGA (242).

Jurisprudence

Former Arizona basketball star Miles Simon faces a misdemeanor trespassing charge involving the Baltimore Orioles’ Albert Belle.

Police say Belle called them at 1 a.m. Dec. 15 to complain that Simon was knocking loudly on his door. Simon and two friends went to Belle’s home in West Tucson to see Simon’s ex-girlfriend, according to a police report.

A conviction on the trespassing charge would carry a penalty of up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Simon, drafted by the Orlando Magic in June, is working out in Tucson during the NBA lockout.

Pro Basketball

Six charities have been sent a total of $600,000 as their share of the proceeds from the game played by locked-out NBA players in Atlantic City, N.J., last Saturday, according to Falk Associates Management Enterprises.