And establish BigMac(k) Land in the upper deck, just inside the left field foul pole.
By ANDREW DAMPF
Associated Press Writer
ROME (AP) -- New York Mets star Mike Piazza took some practice swings outside the Colosseum as part of a publicity stunt in November. Next year, he could be hitting balls for real in this ancient city.
Officials for Major League Baseball met with local authorities Tuesday to discuss the possibility of playing regular season games in the Italian capital next year.
Murray Cook, an independent consultant who checks out venues for the American professional league, spent part of Tuesday checking out the Olympic Stadium, an 80,000-seat facility that is home to Rome's two soccer clubs.
"This is the first visit in Europe," said Dan Bonanno, MLB's representative in Italy. "We're just getting some ideas, nothing concrete."
Bonanno said Cook was taking measurements to see if the Olympic Stadium could be converted from its current soccer and track and field format into a baseball diamond.
"We were there today looking at all the options, doing all the calculations, checking all the logistics to see if it can be modified," he said.
Last month, senior vice president of MLB International Paul Archey called Italy a "front-runner" for becoming the first European city to host a game "because they have one of the strongest fan bases and they have facilities."
Bonanno hinted that MLB would likely have to reconfigure the Rome stadium to cover some seats, which would make the facility seem less empty in case of a small turnout by Italian fans.
While there is a professional league in Italy, the sport is largely unknown to locals.
Asked about fan interest, Bonanno said: "We're doing some market research. That's another big point."
Bonanno said the plans being discussed were for a two-game series at the "minimum," which would "probably" be held in the June-August period, when no soccer is being played.
In November, Bonanno helped organize a baseball clinic for children in Rome led by Piazza - the Mets catcher who is of Italian descent.
MLB officials have not made plans to visit any other facilities in Europe yet, Bonanno said.
"Rome is a major city," he said. "It has good transport links from the airport and is easily reachable from New York."
Baseball has been aggressively expanding its presence outside the United States and Canada, playing season openers in Monterrey, Mexico (1999), Tokyo (2000) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (2001). The Montreal Expos are playing 22 "home" games this season in San Juan.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said last month that he was excited about the possibilities of taking the game to new areas of the world.
SD
And establish BigMac(k) Land in the upper deck, just inside the left field foul pole.
It's time to look for new saps.