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LORNA BENSON: A tripartisan stadium task force has just wrapped up its first meeting. The 18-member panel is made up of members appointed by the House, the Senate, and Governor Jesse Ventura. The group has been asked to study the stadium needs of the Minnesota Twins and the Vikings, as well as the University of Minnesota's Gophers. But the possibility the Twins could be eliminated before the next season dominated the discussion.

Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo joins us now from the Capitol. Michael, how did the task force begin its work?

MICHAEL KHOO: Well, Lorna, the initial testimony came from a group of former Twins who made a pitch for the importance of the team to all Minnesotans really. And there was general agreement among the panel that the team represents a valuable asset to the state. But the task force then has to decide whether and at what cost tax dollars should be involved in supporting the team.

Now, co-chair Will Hadland, who is also a senior advisor to Minnesota Public Radio, asked if building a new ballpark would really solve the team's economic problems. Harmon Killebrew, who played for the Twins in the '60s, said it would make some difference.

LORNA BENSON: Hello, Michael?

MICHAEL KHOO: Yes?

LORNA BENSON: We cannot hear your cut.

MICHAEL KHOO: OK, here we go. Well, he essentially said-- I'm sorry about that. He essentially said that the new ballpark would make a difference. Although, it certainly wouldn't necessarily guarantee a competitive team every year or a team that's going to win the World Series every year. Although some committee members clearly had reservations that unless Major League Baseball initiated some reforms to boost the fortunes of smaller-market teams, a stadium was going to do little in the long run.

LORNA BENSON: If the League goes through with contraction, it could mean that the Twins will ceasefire to exist. So how is the task force dealing with that possibility?

MICHAEL KHOO: Well, a large part of the testimony focused on efforts to prevent or at least delay that contraction process. And now, as you know, the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission last week was granted a temporary injunction by Hennepin County Court, which essentially blocks, for the time being, the contraction threat.

Now, the Twins are appealing that ruling. And they're even trying to accelerate the appeal straight to the Minnesota Supreme Court in the interest of saving some time. Andy Shea is a lawyer who represents the Sports Facilities Commission. He says, he just doesn't see any reason for the court to accept that accelerated appeal.

ANDY SHEA: It is outrageous that we expect our courts to turn over all of the processes here simply because they are so slow in getting around to their scheduled items. There is no emergency here. Major League Baseball will play, the games are scheduled, and they'll go on.

MICHAEL KHOO: If the Supreme Court were to deny that request, that in and of itself could derail contraction by extending the process out to the point where it just couldn't be done in time for next year.

LORNA BENSON: What other efforts are being made?

MICHAEL KHOO: Well, out in Capitol Hill in Congress, DFL Senator Paul Wellstone, along with another Democrat, Representative John Conyers of Michigan, have introduced legislation which would, essentially, repeal part of baseball's traditional antitrust exemption, the part that deals with, for example, contraction or relocation of teams.

That legislation has the support of all of Minnesota's congressional delegation. And Congressman Bill Luther from the sixth district, also a Democrat, testified that the recent contraction talk shows that baseball is acting more like a business and not like a sport, and therefore, deserves to be under those laws.

BILL LUTHER: Major League Baseball is not acting like a community participant at all. It has not acted in the best interests of the public. It has made this decision based on business calculations. As such, the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision to grant the sport a unique exemption from our federal antitrust laws no longer seems compelling.

MICHAEL KHOO: Now, most observers will admit that repealing the exemption is going to be an uphill battle. But then again, delay may be as good as outright victory in this case. Again, just pushing it off another year, the contraction. The task force is going to meet again next week, where it's likely that they'll spend a little more time getting into some of the particulars of the various ballpark proposals.

LORNA BENSON: All right. Thank you, Michael.

MICHAEL KHOO: Thank you.

LORNA BENSON: Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reporting from the Capitol.