NEW YORK -- As baseball prepared Monday for a big week of meetings, lawyers for owners and umpires again pushed back picking an arbitrator for their grievance.

The American Arbitration Association's Philadelphia office has given the sides a list of 15 arbitrators, and owners and umpires will take turns striking names until one remains. He becomes the arbitrator for this case.

Owners and umpires asked the AAA to find out how busy each of the 15 arbitrators is during the next 30-60 days.

The arbitrator will decide whether owners legally accepted the resignations of 22 umpires earlier this month, or whether to order owners to rehire the 22.

Owners will try to convince the arbitrator that he has no authority to decide the case, claiming decisions of league presidents are final when it comes to hiring and firing umps.

Baseball's meetings begin Tuesday in New York, when owners and players hold their annual session on international play. Sandy Alderson, baseball's executive vice president of operations, said the meeting will look at plans for the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and for a possible World Cup.

While professionals are being allowed in the Olympic baseball tournament for the first time, the 30 major league teams are providing only those players who are not on 40-man rosters. A World Cup would take place during the offseason and could include major leaguers.

On Wednesday, the focus shifts to Cooperstown, N.Y., for two days of owners meetings that will be dominated by franchise sales.

Owners are expected to approve the sale of control of the Cincinnati Reds from Marge Schott to Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner and they may approve the proposed sale of the Oakland Athletics to a group headed by former team executive Andy Dolich.

Proposed sales of the Kansas City Royals and Montreal Expos also are on the agenda, but their status was unclear going into the two-day session.

Owners also will be briefed on the legal fight with umpires, whose strategy of mass resignations collapsed, and NL president Len Coleman's intention to resign.

Coleman concluded a proposed restructuring transferring umpires, player discipline and scheduling to Alderson would leave league presidents merely figureheads.