The men and the boys are separated by the price of their toys, as the old saying goes. Minor League teams are definitely on aisle two of the billionaire boys' toy store (Major league teams are on aisle one, but we'll leave Mr. Stern's problems with the Redskins to a publication that covers the NFL.).

The ABA-2000 is a study in sports ego. The league, which has yet to opens its doors, has grand ambitions. Forces in the organization see their future as reattaining the glory days of the old American Basketball Association, which contributed organizations like the Pacers, and sports legends like Dr. J.

Back then, both the NBA and the ABA were struggling to define themselves. Sports television, and the massive revenue it generates, was in its infancy. The NBA had the leg up on the television market, and the ABA was squeezed into a merger to survive.

Two weeks ago, both the IBL management and the ABA-2000 management assured this publication that their merger was a "done deal." Ralph Rossi, Jr. the CEO of the IBL, particularly aware of his league's jump-the-gun media releases, was particularly cautious to make announcements that stick.

Yet, come this week, the deal came unglued. The official rationale, that they ran out of time, is about 10% of the truth. The larger truth is that, in the vision department, the IBL and the ABA-2000 have entirely different directions. The 'on-hold' status is either face-saving or a delay of an inevitable conflict over fundamental goals.

The IBL is striving to become a quality developmental league, playing in near-major markets. It is a workable plan to put high quality pro basketball in front of fans who otherwise would have none, in cities where a higher standard in pro sports exist.

The ABA-2000 has conflicting visions of its future within the organization, but its leadership seems convinced that the red, white and blue phoenix will rise from the ashes of the old ABA, and evolve a new competitor to the NBA.

The one thing that is certain is that the IBL pulled out of the deal, realizing the suicidal implications of tackling the NBA, which is a thousand-fold more powerful than it was when the last ABA was reduced to a memory.

Already this office has heard internal grumblings from sources in the Clippers, Bulls and Pistons organizations about ABA-2000 teams pilfering fans. It is true that NBA patrons spend far too much on a basketball ducat. An average evening can run a family of four in the mid-three figures.

The ABA-2000's marketing plan (Which should include losing the dating) is geared towards siphoning away those fans who can get a great evening of basketball for $10-$40.00 per person, in cities with NBA teams.

Nowhere will this come up faster on Commissioner Stern's radar than in L.A., where the lowly Clippers already siphon off the fan leftovers from the dominant Lakers organization. If the ABA-2000 succeeds in its business plan in cities like LA and Chicago, it is declaring war on the NBA's revenue stream in ticket sales and, more importantly, merchandising.

ABA-2000 President Dick Tinkham, himself a vet of the old ABA, believes that by instituting a set of rules which create an exciting game that is tailored to those players who the NBA now shuns, largely for height issues, an "alternate" league can coexist with the NBA.

The IBL balked at the ABA-2000's rules, which one executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, likened to "an evening at the circus." They also did not like the idea of stepping on the basketball giant's toes, particularly with teams that have no television contract and a scant fraction of the NBA's audience potential.

"People thought Bill Gates was crazy when he started." noted Greg Burke at the IBL. Actually, people didn't even know who Bill Gates was. He was gifted the operating system market by IBM, and used it to gain a permanent foot over the throat of the computer market ever after.

The ABA-2000 is not in such a position. Their teams are not up to the level of the NBA. Operating as an "alternate" league in markets where the NBA plays is an uphill road.

The new world order has sports agents, players unions, merchandising deals, and multi-million dollar contracts. The ABA is nonunion, and must remain so to be able to deliver basketball at the low prices that they will charge.

If the players' union, which could definitely see a threat to their lucrative contracts in an "alternate" low-priced league, organized the players and forced salaries upward, it would either kill the league outright, or make the ABA-2000 an even bigger deer in the headlights of the NBA semi truck barrelling down on it.

The ABA-2000's stability is a definite question mark. The IBL merger would have brought in six strong ownerships to about three to four of the eight in the ABA-2000, making a viable developmental league for all.

Many of the ABA-2000's teams lack the financial depth or ownership commitment to see year two. In the last two months, the league has announced entry into, and pulled out of, many cities.

The great loss in the collapse of this week's merger between the IBL and the ABA-2000 has been the opportunity for the players.

Building a stable developmental league requires a tiered system where leagues aren't constantly fighting each other for the limited pool of talent, already under competitive pressure from European leagues.

If the ABA-2000 was backed by powers as big and financially adept as those in the NBA, if major networks like ABC/ESPN had signed on in its development, and sponsors like Nike had publicly backed it prior to its roll-out, then the buzz would be about an alternate league of stature.

The reality is nothing more than a mere shadow of that. Could the ABA-2000 get to be what the League's management envisions? My Magic 8 Ball says "The outcome is far from certain."

This League had the opportunity to rise from the ashes of the old ABA as a powerful developmental league which could someday gain NBA blessing.

It is very clear from this week's divorce of the ABA-2000 and the IBL that the petty infighting and ego above rationality that pervades minor league sports continues to make these toys of men with great means and little vision.

Perhaps Commissioner Stern's concept of beginning from scratch with an organization that he can control, the NBDL, is the wisest path after all.

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