By asking waivers on Espinoza today, the club will only pay $166,667 of his $1 million salary.

That's the last day clubs can ask waivers on players and not have to pay them their entire 1992 salaries.

We figured we'd be asking waivers at some point so we might as well do it now.

The earliest the Expos could ask waivers on Martinez again would be Sept. 27.

Besides wanting to reduce the outfield congestion, the Mets might have had other reasons for asking waivers on the players.

The Knicks trimmed their roster yesterday to the required 12 players by asking waivers on two veterans and placing two others on the injured list.

They began by asking waivers on Rod Scurry for the purpose of giving the left-handed relief pitcher his unconditional release.

However, if a team asks waivers on a player Wednesday, the player can't clear until next Monday.

The Yankees won a game and then asked waivers on Balboni for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.

Before, if you asked waivers on a player and someone claimed him, you could withdraw him.