Reds’ Sale Ends Schott’s Reign

Marge Schott’s rocky 15-year reign as owner of the Cincinnati Reds ended Wednesday when baseball approved the $67-million sale of the team to her limited partners.

Owners also voted in Cooperstown, N.Y., to merge the operations of the American and National leagues, and put off the sales of the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics, citing the uncertain futures of baseball’s small-market teams.

They unanimously approved the sale of a controlling interest in the Reds from Schott, who repeatedly has infuriated baseball with inflammatory statements about minorities and women, to Carl Lindner, who owns the Great American Insurance Co.

The deal, in which 36.7% of the Reds’ shares change hands, values the franchise at $181.8 million.

The new ownership group said it would have no comment until the deal is closed in early October.

Owners also unanimously approved a resolution calling on their attorneys to redraft the Major League Agreement, which governs baseball, to merge the AL and NL in all areas but on the field, where the leagues and divisions will remain unchanged for now.

NL President Len Coleman, who announced his resignation effective at the end of the World Series, will become a senior advisor to Commissioner Bud Selig. AL President Gene Budig was offered the job of senior vice president.

Meanwhile, the owners voted, 28-2, to table the $122.4-million sale of the A’s to a group headed by Save Mart Foods chairman Bob Piccinini, and 29-1 to table the $75-million sale of the Royals to a group headed by Miles Prentice.

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A sore shoulder, combined with Arizona’s comfortable lead in the NL West, has spoiled Randy Johnson’s longshot chance to break Nolan Ryan’s record for most strikeouts in a season.

Johnson, needing 49 strikeouts to break the record, sat out his scheduled start Wednesday and won’t pitch again until Saturday, meaning he will have only three more starts this season in an unlikely bid to surpass Ryan’s 26-year-old record of 383.

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The Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked up the $3-million option on designated hitter Jose Canseco’s contract for next season. Canseco, 35, was leading the AL with 31 home runs before he was sidelined for six weeks after back surgery to repair a herniated disk. . . . Philadelphia Phillie ace Curt Schilling, scratched from his scheduled start Monday, will not pitch the rest of the season because of shoulder trouble. Schilling (15-6) leads the team in victories, complete games (eight) and strikeouts (152). . . . Arizona third baseman Matt Williams left the team to be with his mother, Sarah, recovering from a stroke in Carson City, Nev. . . . A small fire at Orlando Cepeda’s home in Suisun City, Calif., ruined some of the Hall of Famer’s memorabilia, including the baseball from his 2,000th hit.