The Olympic Committee has an important conference call Tuesday, but at this point Bob Watson and his associates have found it's a lot easier to put together a team for summer events like last year's Pan Am Olympic qualifier than the Olympic Games in Sydney in September. Before getting around to teams like the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles, who have undermined the effort, the big problem is September callups.

The Indians, for instance, have five minor leaguers that the Olympic Committee would like to use -- shortstop John McDonald, outfielder Russell Branyan, left-handed pitcher C.C. Sabathia, outfielder Dave Roberts and first baseman Danny Peoples. Of the five, the only one that may be available is Peoples, as McDonald is Cleveland's best backup shortstop, Roberts is the one player they could use to come off the bench and steal a base and Sabathia may get a start or two as the Indians play 32 games in the 30 days of September.

The committee would like to get Giants right-hander Kurt Ainsworth and Reds shortstop Gookie Dawkins, but they may not be available. Some of the young prospects still under serious consideration are Tigers catcher Brandon Inge, Tampa Bay second baseman Brent Abernathy, Toronto shortstop Felipe Lopez, Astros shortstop Adam Everett, Astros second baseman Keith Ginter, Cubs center fielder Corey Patterson, Expos outfielder Brad Wilkerson, White Sox right-handers Matt Ginter and Jon Rauch, Mariners left-hander Ryan Anderson (if he is healthy), Brewers righty Ben Sheets, Royals lefty Chris George and Oakland reliever Bert Snow.

The U.S. is being realistic, especially in the fact that the Japanese are using several major league top-line starting pitchers. Japan and Cuba are the heavy favorites, while the U.S. will be fortunate to make it to the final round because it will have to oust either Korea, which hopes to have Boston's Sun Woo Kim, or Australia to get there.

Speaking of Cubans, third baseman Andy Morales, a two-time escapee, will head off this week to get citizenship that will get him free agency. With Morales, a 27-year-old with good hands, a strong arm and power, escaped with his cousin Carlos Castillo, a shortstop. Because Morales' in-laws live in Miami, he expects his wife and seven-month old daughter to be allowed to leave Cuba shortly. But Morales revealed that Kendry Morales, an outfielder/pitcher who may be, at 16, the best young player in Cuba, is not actually related to him. If you want to see someone get big free agent bucks, get Kendry Morales out to Costa Rica.

	The Royals had high expectations for Carlos Beltran, the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year.

Around the majors
It's getting to the point where you wonder if players and owners 1) can ever try to get rich together and 2) agree it is a team game. The grievance that will be heard in 10 days on Carlos Beltran is an indication that the Players Association and the lawyers think the concept of team is trash.

Beltran, who had to be benched for lackadaisical play while hitting .247 with six homers this season, was sent to Florida to rehab, as is the case with all Royals players. He refused, after being convinced to do so by his agent Scott Boras and the union, who believe the individual is always greater than the team.

Relations don't seem to be getting better as a major 2002 showdown lurks on the horizon, and while traditionally the union has counted on divided ownership, bad negotiators and help from the National Labor Relations Board, the landscape may have changed to the point where ownership may pull an NBA-type lockout. The player landscape has changed, and if the New York lawyers don't understand some of the resentment, they'll be mistaken.

In 1994 the big-market coalition was around a dozen teams, but that may be down to the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and perhaps one or two others now. And where once whoever negotiated needed complicated forms of consensus, Bud Selig will negotiate as he feels he must, and while some think Selig would never allow a second shutdown in his administration, he is more interested in changing the playing field back to the point where the small- and medium-market teams have a chance. Now, the only place the small markets can compete is for minor-league free agents, as evidenced by the fact that at the deadline after the Yankees added a pro-rated two-month total of $7.9 million to their payroll to top the $113 million mark, while the A's were able to only add a pro-rated total of $100,000.

Looking ahead
Right now, clubs are looking to the free-agent market and wondering what's out there for them. Here's a few things they're thinking: