SYDNEY – Today a big international baseball event still features Hensley Meulens vs. Rick Krivda. But in the future – the near future – it very well could be Mark McGwire vs. Pedro Martinez or Sammy Sosa vs. Greg Maddux.

Sandy Alderson, vice president of baseball operations, is part of a large contingent from the major league office that is attending these Olympics, partially as a liaison because professional players are being used for the first time and partially to continue the outreach program to spread baseball around the world.

No single event would be more likely to spur that kind of global interest than a World Cup-style tournament in which major leaguers would play for their home countries. Alderson said enough tracks have been laid that 2001 is not out of the question for such a tournament, but that 2003 is more realistic.

“The Players Association and most clubs are in favor of this,” Alderson said.

It is unlikely the best major leaguers would compete in the Olympics because the teams would be unwilling to shut down business in mid-season like the NHL did two winters ago. But Alderson envisions a tournament being played in non-Olympic years in either November or, more likely mid-March.

Unlike with NBA players making the American Dream Team all but unbeatable, a baseball tournament would be a much more competitive affair, especially because of the abidance of talent in Latin America. Teams from the Dominican (Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, Armando Benitez), Puerto Rico (Sosa, Bernie Williams, Ivan Rodriguez, Roberto Alomar) and Venezuela (Edgardo Alfonzo, Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez) would all be formidable as would a U.S. team with McGwire, Maddux, Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey.

Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Korea, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands also would be viable options for such a tournament.

The idea of the major leagues tying the next TV contract to a World Cup-like tournament has been discussed because it would probably elevate a deal by millions of dollars.