Stern said the owners had ratified the agreement by a substantial margin in a meeting in New York yesterday.

When the owners ratified the agreement two years ago, the Yankees were the only one of 30 teams that voted against it.

There will be a final deal when both the owners and players ratify it.

If the owners ratify the agreement, Levine will have to discuss two issues with the union.

Consider the following: *The owners ratified the collective bargaining agreement, guaranteeing labor peace through 2003.

The minor league ratification came two days after the owners of the 26 major league teams ratified the agreement.

This afternoon, the owners ratified the agreement with the networks and teams will see the effects of that bonus almost immediately.

The owners unanimously ratified the deal, but player representatives refused to vote on it, in effect rejecting it.

The owners will unquestionably ratify the agreement; the outcome of the players' vote is unpredictable.

American and National League owners have ratified baseball's new four-year collective-bargaining agreement with the players' association.