PENNANT RACES ON HOLD COMMISSIONER POSTPONES GAMES AMID `DEEP MOURNING'.

Within hours of the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Major League Baseball closed its offices and canceled Tuesday's 15-game schedule.

In making the announcement, baseball commissioner Bud Selig gave no indication when games would resume and if postponed games would be played at a later date.

``In the interest of security and out of a sense of deep mourning for the national tragedy that has occurred (Tuesday), all Major League Baseball games for (Tuesday) have been canceled,'' Selig said in a statement. ``I will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and make ongoing decisions accordingly.

``My deepest sympathy and prayers go out to the families and victims of this horrendous series of events.''

Two days of owners meetings in Milwaukee, which were to begin Tuesday, were canceled. Dodgers chairman Bob Daly was scheduled to fly to Milwaukee on Tuesday morning, but he did not make the trip.

Yankee Stadium was evacuated shortly after the attacks. Dodger Stadium was closed to the public all day, the offices were shut down early and the parking lot was used as an emergency tactical site by the Los Angeles Police Department. The parking lot at New York's Shea Stadium was used as a triage station.

Also, all minor-league playoff games were canceled, including those of the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate in Jacksonville, Fla.

``Baseball games are the furthest thing from our minds right now,'' Dodgers senior vice president Derrick Hall said. ``Our thoughts are on the devastation associated with this tragedy. We will keep our fans, employees and players posted, but we have no information beyond today.''

It's the first time baseball has postponed games for a disaster since an earthquake rocked the San Francisco-Oakland area hours before Game 3 of the 1989 World Series. The World Series between the Giants and Athletics was delayed for 10 days.

Before that, the last time a complete schedule of baseball was canceled for nonlabor-related issues was April 14, 1945, two days after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Games were also canceled when Allied forces invaded France in World War II, June 6, 1944. Two games were canceled that day, including the Brooklyn Dodgers at Philadelphia.

Baseball canceled games when President Warren G. Harding died Aug. 22, 1923, and in 1918, the regular season was cut short by a month because of World War I. The last regular-season game was played Sept. 2 that season.

``I believe we are a social institution,'' Selig said during a news conference in Milwaukee. ``We have a lot of responsibilities, but above all, we have a responsibility to act in a manner befitting a social institution.

``I was stunned by the JFK assassination and it took me a long time to get over that. I didn't think that was possible. The (San Francisco) earthquake in '89, the World Series, that was a tragedy. But this is incomprehensible. The greatest country in the history in the world being attacked. So all of this doesn't mean very much today.''

Selig gave no time frame for games to resume. The NFL will make an announcement today whether it will play Sunday. If those games are canceled, it could make it difficult for baseball to resume games before Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all flights until 9 a.m. today. Teams use charter flights, but with 18 teams scheduled to be off Monday, several players, as is typical, were in cities other than where their teams were scheduled to play.

Dodgers closer Jeff Shaw, who traveled to his offseason home in Washington Courthouse, Ohio, after Sunday's Dodgers game in St. Louis, remained home. He said he was in the Columbus, Ohio, airport Tuesday waiting to board a 10:30 a.m. flight to San Diego when his wife, Julie, called with the devastating news.

``I really don't know what to say,'' Shaw said. ``I'm at a loss for words. We, as baseball players, are sometimes in a fantasy land. We get to play a game that everyone wants to play. When stuff like this in the world happens of this magnitude ... the magnitude of baseball is so much smaller.''

The Dodgers were scheduled to bus to San Diego on Tuesday morning, but they did not make the trip. Only three Dodgers - Al Reyes, Eric Gagne and Jeff Branson - were in San Diego. The club will wait until Selig makes his decision on when games will resume before traveling. They are scheduled to open a three-game series Friday in San Francisco.

But before games are resumed, teams are likely to revamp their security measures. Mark Guglielmo, director of stadium operations for the San Diego Padres, said he already spoke with San Diego Police Department officials about taking increased security measures when play resumes.

Guglielmo said, typically, there are no police officers inside Qualcomm Stadium. Instead, the Padres use 100 to 150 security guards, depending on attendance, at each game. He added there were five or six uniformed police officers patrolling the parking lot on game days.

``I know we can increase the security force without a problem and we could do it quickly. And that's also uniformed officers,'' Guglielmo said. ``It depends what you want to do. Do we want to pat people down? Do we want to do what? Do we want to conduct complete searches?''

The Dodgers aren't scheduled to play at Dodger Stadium until Monday, but Hall said discussions will take place regarding security issues.

``It's something that we will discuss as games get closer to being played at Dodger Stadium,'' Hall said. ``It's not something that's been addressed.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore sits empty Tuesday after the Orioles-Blue Jays game was postponed.

Roberto Borea/Associated Press

(2) Tuesday's terrorist attacks forced the postponement of the Astros-Giants game at Enron Field in Houston.

David J. Phillp/Associated Press