Baseball owners expect a new offer from players today and still say they'll impose a salary cap Thursday unless they see signs of progress.

The sides met three times over a 151/2-hour period that began Tuesday morning and didn't end until in the afternoon today. The bizarre day saw union head Donald Fehr appear in an Australian hat and play the piano while answering questions during a break."It's a search for a mechanism that does the job," Fehr said.

Officials on both sides said much of the talk involved discussions that went around in circles with no progress. The union raised the possibility of trading salary arbitration for earlier free agency, but sources said owners didn't give a direct reply.

Colorado Rockies chairman Jerry McMorris, the most optimistic member of management's negotiating committee, revealed the possibility of a new offer from the players.

"They had some consulting to do with their people and they'll be back to us in the morning," he said.

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Whether the players would come up with something that will convince owners not to impose a salary cap Thursday, however, was uncertain. Owners are to meet Thursday in Chicago, and management negotiator John Harrington has said if there isn't a deal by then, the teams will declare an impasse and impose a salary cap.

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