EDITORIAL GOING, GOING, GONE OUTRAGEOUS SALARIES PUT BASEBALL OUT OF AVERAGE FAN'S REACH.

ALEX Rodriguez's record-shattering $252 million 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers signifies two major trends in pro sports: the rise of the millionaire athlete and the fall of the average fan.

Per game, the former Seattle Mariner will make about six times the annual wage of the average American. Per game!

Should someone else come along and sign an even bigger contract than Rodriguez, an ``escalator'' clause in his deal will kick in - guaranteeing him at least $1 million more than any other player, $2 million more than any other shortstop.

That's great news for Alex Rodriguez, but it raises an obvious question: Where do the Texas Rangers plan to get the money to pay him? Only three years ago, the team itself and its stadium sold for less than the total value of Rodriguez's contract.

The answer is clear enough: the fans.

Across the country, sporting venues continue to raise ticket prices, and bleacher seats give way to corporate boxes. A night at the ballgame has become prohibitively expensive for many, maybe most, American families.

The other detrimental effect of escalating players' salaries is that the league has split into two classes - big-market and small. The result is that the game is less competitive and less interesting than ever.

Rich teams in major markets can use their resources to literally buy championships. The New York Yankees, for example, have won four of the last six World Series thanks to a lucrative TV contract in the nation's No. 1 media market.

Less affluent teams in smaller markets struggle. More than half the Major League teams can be bought for less than Rodriguez's contract.

This season's World Series - a clash between the two teams from the nation's largest market - drew dismal TV ratings. Millionaires took to the field and millionaires filled the luxury sky boxes, but working-class fans tuned out the Limousine Series altogether.

With escalating prices and a diminishing market share, baseball's future is looking bleak. Unless the league can reverse the current trends, the national pastime will belong only to the nation's past.