Maybe that's what will happen in Milwaukee during the next few days, but a gathering of baseball's player representatives in Chicago tomorrow could provide a little rain for Bud Selig's hometown parade.

The Major League Baseball Players Association will convene an important executive council meeting the day before the midsummer classic, the expressed purpose of which is to give player reps an update on the current collective-bargaining negotiations with ownership.

There also are rumblings of a darker agenda - speculation that union officials will discuss possible strike scenarios and may even set a strike date.

Why tomorrow?

The timing of the meeting is more a function of convenience than spite.

The All-Star break is a rare opportunity for player reps to meet in person, since there is no other break in the schedule that is common to all teams.

The proximity of the meeting to Milwaukee also is logical, since Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is a centrally located hub that can be reached non-stop from almost anywhere in the nation.

Nevertheless, the timing and location still create the impression that the union is using the popular All-Star Game as a backdrop for its first major strategy summit.

The players clearly are frustrated with the course of the collective-bargaining talks, which they suspect are headed for a November impasse declaration by the owners. If they hope to pre-empt a management bargaining ploy that could shut down the free-agent market this winter, they'll have to exert some leverage before the end of the season.

The only way to do that is with a strike date. It's just a question of what that date should be ... and when to make the announcement.

If history is any indication, the union probably will set a strike date for mid-August, which would leave a couple of weeks to get a deal done without endangering the postseason. But everyone knows how that strategy worked in 1994.

Union officials also could suggest an Oct. 1 strike date, which would allow players to collect their entire 2002 salaries while forcing the owners to bargain under the threat of an expensive postseason cancellation.

Either way, it would be a horribly bad idea to announce the date tomorrow, even though some players have expressed the desire to throw a little dirt on Selig's All-Star party.

The All-Star Game is the one baseball event that is devoted almost entirely to the fans, so any attempt to dampen the excitement associated with it could backfire badly on the players.

There is one other option for the union. The players could take the high road and set no strike date at all, leaving it to the owners to make the first move. Though an off-season lockout would create uncertainty and hardship for some players, it might be preferable to the long-term fan backlash that would certainly come from an in-season strike.

If no agreement can be reached this winter, the players can always choose to strike the opening of the 2003 season, which would create far less public outcry.

Don't bet on that scenario, however. Union executive director Donald Fehr has had great success in the past with a more proactive approach to baseball's troublesome labor relationship. There's no reason to think this year will be any different.

All-Star laments

If it's early July, then somebody is complaining about the All-Star selection process - in particular the way the All-Star managers stack their teams with their own players.

Get over it. The All-Star managerial assignment is one of the perks that comes with winning the pennant. Joe Torre and Bob Brenly should give a little extra consideration to their own players. That's part of the payoff.

Of course, you can't blame a few deserving players for feeling slighted, but that's just the rub of the green.

OK, just one complaint

If I were king, I'd throw out the requirement that at least one player be selected from every team. That would make it a lot easier to include the highest possible number of truly deserving players.

Perhaps the same thing could be said about limiting the number of players a manager can pick from his own team, but one of the good things about being king is, you don't have to be consistent.

The 30th man

The 30th man runoff is a great idea. It gives the fans a chance to correct an oversight on each team. I only wish that it were done to pick the 26th man. Thirty players on each team is just unwieldy.

If I were still king, by the way, I would also prohibit the use of the word unwieldy. It's unwieldy.

Batista gets thumbs up

Torre made the right choice in picking third baseman Tony Batista as the only Orioles player on the American League team. Batista has been the best player on the team all season, even though he drew the thankless task of replacing Cal Ripken at third.

Batista also is one of those great All-Star stories, since he was picked up on waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last summer. You don't pick up a lot of 35-homer guys off the waiver list, but Syd Thrift did, and the Orioles are a much more competitive team because of it.

It would have been nice if pitcher Rodrigo Lopez had been picked with Batista, but snubbed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii has a much bigger gripe.

Back to business

St. Louis remains badly shaken by the death of star pitcher Darryl Kile, but it knows it's going to have to find a replacement for him to sustain its run for the National League Central title.

General manager Walt Jocketty, while acknowledging the sensitive nature of trying to replace Kile before the July 31 waiver deadline, is focused on doing just that.

Jocketty has a history of holding off until close to the deadline to make a move, but he doesn't believe he can afford to wait a month to make a deal.

"I don't know if we can wait this year," Jocketty told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I don't think you jump at the first thing that becomes available to you, but there is a greater urgency."

Orioles veteran Scott Erickson and No. 2 starter Sidney Ponson are on the Cardinals' wish list.

Building for future

When the New York Yankees acquired Raul Mondesi on Monday, they solidified an already strong lineup with a player who still has superstar talent and plenty of time left to exploit it.

This, obviously, is not great news for the Boston Red Sox, who had hoped that the return of injured Manny Ramirez would re-energize them for the second half. The Yankees have trumped them again with an $11 million player who just might pop in a winning environment.

No doubt, Mondesi's arrival will renew the debate about the Yankees' unfair revenue advantage over the rest of major-league baseball, since owner George Steinbrenner was able to pick up the remainder of Mondesi's big contract without even blinking.

Compiled from interviews, wire services and reports from other newspapers.

Team rankings

Team Skinny

1. Mariners (1) Top competitors losing altitude.

2. Yankees (6) Thome would be a nice addition, too.

3. Braves (3) Interleague play was an elixir.

4. Dodgers (2) Glory days apparently haven't passed them by.

5. Diamondbacks (4) Sputtering a bit, but no reason to panic.

6. Red Sox (5) Ramirez should keep them in the hunt.

7. Angels (10) Still playing good baseball.

8. Giants (8) Should win Pulitzer Prize for friction.

9. Twins (7) Best home record in AL is no surprise.

10. Cardinals (11) Still shaken, but holding together well.

11. Reds (13) Need more pitching to stay up.

12. Expos (12) Colon makes them wild-card threat.

13. Athletics (9) Midseason comeback has lost steam.

14. Marlins (14) Not exactly flying fish.

15. Mets (16) Braves have left them in the dust.

16. White Sox (17) Bold prediction: Will catch Twins by Aug. 1.

17. Orioles (15) Thome would supply big second-half boost.

18. Rockies (18) Coors Field still in effect.

19. Phillies (23) Team will be broken up by July 31.

20. Padres (24) Can't compete with big three in NL West.

21. Indians (19) Stepping back into the future.

22. Pirates (20) Cannons don't thunder, nothing to plunder.

23. Astros (22) Berkman keeping it interesting.

24. Rangers (21) Terrible three weeks ahead.

25. Cubs (26) Only one reason to show up.

26. Blue Jays (25) Where's Pat Gillick when you need him?

27. Royals (27) Climbing up contraction list.

28. Brewers (30) Finally, a big game this week at Miller.

29. Devil Rays (29) Best promotional item is air conditioning.

30. Tigers (28) Not-so-big cats at wrong end of food chain.

(Last week's ranking in parentheses) - Peter Schmuck