Japanese sports papers are saying the Central and Pacific Leagues are thinking of expanding their season schedules to 140 games in 2001, and the PL is considering re-adopting its split-season format used between 1975 and 1982. If they follow through, it will be the most games played by the teams here since 1965, when the number was reduced from 140 to 130. The schedule was increased to 135 games in 1997. I, for one, would welcome the boost to 140 games, which would still be 22 fewer than played in the major leagues. But, frankly, I don't care for the split-season, spring-summer pennant race idea. June is just not pennant-clinching season, and it seems to me the team that wins the first half becomes complacent in July, August and September. But if the first-half winner does stay hot, you have a chance of the same club winning both legs -- and there's no playoff.

What I would suggest instead is the Pacific League go ahead with a double-pennant race format but, rather than playing two 70-game half-seasons, how about East and West divisions? It would be very simple: Put the Nippon Ham Fighters, Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines in the East and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and Orix BlueWave in the West. Then have your division winners vie in an October playoff for the right to meet the Central League champion in the Japan Series.

Yes, I know three-team divisions would be somewhat "lonely," and there is the danger a team could win a division title with a record under .500. But I still think it would be better than two half-seasons.