We have no idea what the outcome will be of Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday's lawsuit against partner Fred Wilpon. But it's a case well worth paying attention to.

It's one thing to have Congressmen, columnists or players suggesting that Major League Baseball's financial figures don't add up.

It's quite another to have one of MLB's own longtime owners charging that the losses claimed by Bud Selig and his cohorts are a "sham."

It's not just a New York story anymore when an owner is accusing MLB of being "determined to manufacture phantom operating losses and depress franchise values ... (as) the cornerstone of MLB's labor strategy and an incredible public relations campaign."

MLB, not surprisingly, is denying everything. MLB's president and chief operating officer, Bob DuPuy, called Doubleday's charges "nonsense and a complete fabrication." Nevertheless, regardless of whether this suit ever reaches a court room, the questions asked of Selig and his closest advisors could get very uncomfortable.

"Before it ever gets to court," said one attorney who has done some work representing MLB in the past, "you would need to get to discovery (which allows attorneys to subpoena a vast amount of information). In a case like this, I can't see a judge not allowing discovery. And discovery would be very bad (for MLB)."

Why, for instance, did Starkey allegedly tell Doubleday's representatives that he was "instructed by Major League Baseball" to issue his appraisal of the Mets' franchise value without even speaking with Doubleday?

Why was Starkey allegedly recommended by MLB as an "independent" appraiser in this case when he'd also been the architect of baseball's controversial "60/40 rule," which uses a formula that appears to vastly understate the value of most, if not all, franchises -- including the Mets?

Why was Starkey allegedly allowed to consult with a former colleague at Arthur Andersen -- his partner's accounting firm? And why did Starkey allegedly neglect to mention to Doubleday that information from the buyer's accountants would be used to help draw up an "independent" appraisal?

According to the suit, Starkey's formula estimates a franchise's value as two times its annual revenues (including revenue sharing). But if that's accurate, the Expos' value, according to the formula, would be $68 million. So why did MLB purchase the club from Jeffrey Loria for more than double that amount (about $150 million)?

Here we actually have an owner using the recent Forbes magazine assessment of baseball economics -- described by the commissioner as "pure fiction" -- as a reference. The suit describes Forbes' work in estimating franchise values as "a benchmark in the industry." Which isn't quite how Selig characterized it.

It also contends that if Forbes' estimates are inaccurate, they are wrong because they "undervalue teams by 20 percent," compared with what those franchises eventually sell for.

If that were true, it would mean that Starkey's assessment of the Mets' true value would be about $200 million low. Which would explain why this lawsuit was filed in the first place.

Miscellaneous Rumblings

Sources say the schedule shows all 30 clubs playing next year and lists the Expos in Montreal. Obviously, it would be tough to list them as playing anywhere else at the moment. But it's interesting to note that their designated interleague rival is still listed as Toronto -- and the schedule shows home-and-home series in both Toronto and Montreal. Well, pending further developments, anyway.

Says who? Says Pete Rose.

	Sammy Sosa Right fielder Chicago Cubs Profile
	CAREER STATISTICS GM HR RBI BB SB AVG 1,833 483 1,310 714 233 .278

"I think Sammy (Sosa) has a better chance at the record than Bonds," Rose said. "One reason is age. One guy (Bonds) is 38. The other (Sosa) is 33. And the second reason, most important, is he's a Cub. That's why Barry Bonds walks 190 times and Sammy Sosa walks 110 times -- because the Cubs lose all the time.

"If Sammy was on a good team that was in the pennant race, he'd get walked that much, too. So he'd get 70 fewer at-bats a year. If you're trying to win the game, you don't pitch to Sammy Sosa. But the fact that Sammy gets those extra 60 to 70 at-bats every year, if he gets them for 10 years, that's an extra 600 to 700 at-bats.

"See, now is the hard part of breaking that record. I used to say the first 3,000 hits were easy to get, just like the first 500 home runs are easy to hit. The next 2,000 hits -- and the next 200 home runs -- are hard to get. Barry's not gonna keep doing this (at this rate) another four, five years. He's not gonna do this at 42. That's where you lose contact."

Fortunately, that one didn't go far. The Cubs -- who didn't know the extent of Lieber's elbow trouble themselves at that point -- quickly withdrew his name from the conversation, according to sources who have talked with both teams.

But when those clubs talked before the deadline, Toronto was pressing for the inclusion of Rafael Soriano in any deal for Cruz. And there now are concerns about the health of Soriano's shoulder. So with another player Toronto liked, Chris Snelling, out for the year, the clubs didn't match up, and the Blue Jays apparently withdrew the waivers. Meaning Cruz isn't going anywhere this year.

LaMar also disputes reports that he wanted two top prospects for Randy Winn, saying he never proposed a single 2-for-1 deal involving Winn.

	Orlando Hudson Second baseman Toronto Blue Jays Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM AB HR RBI SB AVG 13 44 2 8 0 .341

Baird worked feverishly right till 4 p.m. ET to try to deal Byrd for a young, big-league-ready second baseman. But the prospect of getting the dazzling Orlando Hudson from Toronto (in a three-way deal involving the Mets) apparently was so appealing, Baird is believed to have waited on that one until the final hour before the deadline, because Hudson was, by far, his first choice.

It wasn't until right before the deadline that the Mets opted to trade for John Thomson instead of Byrd. And that left the Royals with no real attractive options. Baird has taken some heat for this, on the premise that Byrd isn't affordable as a free agent. But returning to Kansas City is his first choice. And if there's a labor deal requiring Royals owner David Glass to spend his revenue-sharing money on players, Byrd will almost certainly re-sign.

"He doesn't want to exert himself unless he has to," the scout said. "Any team he can get out with breaking stuff, he does. He throws a lot of changeups. I know that."

"All they need to do (to win in October) is get their starting pitchers healthy," he said. "They've got a really good club. They're balanced. They've got great depth in the outfield. They're just spotting (Michael) Cuddyer right now, but he could be a starter on 75 percent of the other teams in the league. They play hard. They catch the ball. They've got a great team concept. My only concern is that they don't have a legit 1-2 starter for October, as they shape up right now. But Mays or Milton have the stuff to be that guy."