CINCINNATI -- It was a fastball down the middle and the Northern League took it for a called third strike. They didn't swing at the pitch. The bat rested on the shoulder and runners were left in scoring position.

The subject in question is the Northern League expansion draft, which takes place tomorrow when the yet-to-be-named teams in Calgary and Edmonton begin the process of stocking the shelves as they select up to 10 players they hope to sign for the 2005 season.

The 10 teams in operation during the 2004 season were allowed to protect 10 players (from those under contract) and the list had to be submitted to the Northern League office by Nov. 5.

It was believed those lists would be available to the public sometime after the fifth and before the 15th, but that plan was squashed at the behest of league managers, general managers and owners.

So rather than operate the way the big leagues do -- all sports fans knew which players were available to the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA, the Houston Texans of the NFL and the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets at their respective expansion drafts -- the Northern League decided it would be best to protect the egos of those left unprotected and weren't actually selected.

It's not that the release of the lists would have been front-page news, but it would have created some interest during the off-season in the cities that have a strong following.

TOUGH DECISIONS

We don't dispute there were tough decisions to make when it came down to submitting the protected lists. Many of the picks are no-brainers but a few can leave you pulling your hair out when deciding what direction to go.

Do you load up on pitching, which is often a scarce commodity? Hitting? What about a defensive specialist?

Excellent veterans and capable rookies can often have a big impact on the standings, but will those young guys continue to have similar success over a 96-game season when they go from role player to starter? And will the veterans stay motivated and produce?

Recruiting has been tougher in the past few years with the growth of independent baseball, but all that means is that managers, general managers, coaches and talent evaluators need to continue to work harder when building their rosters.

Worrying that a few players might react negatively to being left unprotected was the short-sighted view. Taking the path of least resistance doesn't make it right.

Not being on the list is no sign of disrespect. It simply means the player has some work to do, which is true for all players in the independent circuit hoping to find a way back into a big league organization.

If managers are worried about certain players dogging it or being a distraction (otherwise known as acting unprofessionally), those players don't deserve to be on the team anyway.

They will ultimately be released or traded, left to find a fresh start place to play.

Keeping the lists top secret and treating it as confidential material hurts the credibility of the Northern League.

The damage may be minimal, but it's clearly a step in the wrong direction.