A committee formed last fall by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet is reviewing competitive issues in baseball stemming primarily from regional differences in climate.

The Division I Baseball Issues Committee is soliciting comment from various constituencies -- including coaches, conference commissioners and student-athletes -- about ways of improving competitive equity in the sport. The committee will meet in June to review those comments and will attempt to make recommendations to the Cabinet by September.

Baseball programs in warm-climate regions long have been perceived to have a competitive advantage over programs in cold-climate areas, because they typically can play contests earlier in the year and generally can play more games without interference from weather.

The 10-member committee -- including coaches, athletics administrators, conference commissioners and members of the Division I Baseball Committee -- is reviewing such aspects of the issue as start dates for baseball practice and competition, length of season, and dates of postseason competition, as well as possible options for nontraditional seasons.

Establishment of a consistent start date throughout Division I for practice and competition is among the ideas the committee is studying. The committee also is reviewing possible impacts of a start date, including effects on the permissible number of contests and on when a season would end.

The committee, in an initial report to the Championships/Competition Cabinet in February, indicated there is a general consensus among members that consistent start dates should be established for practice and competition. Cabinet members agreed with the committee that early results from the committee's work are encouraging.

Although aspects of baseball competition related to climate currently are the primary focus of the committee, it also is reviewing other issues, ranging from summer baseball leagues to umpire certification.

The committee is chaired by Dennis Farrell, commissioner of the Big West Conference. Other commissioners serving on the committee are Kevin Weiberg of the Big 12 Conference, Rick Chryst of the Mid-American Conference and Daniel Morrison of the Southern Conference.

Other members are Skip Bertman, director of athletics at Louisiana State University; Charles Carr, senior associate athletics director at Florida State University; David Housel, director of athletics at Auburn University; Bernard Muir, associate director of athletics at the University of Notre Dame; Bill Rowe, director of athletics at Southwest Missouri State University; and Robert Todd, head baseball coach at Ohio State University.