NEW YORK — Baseball players are still at least 10 days away from considering possible strike dates.

        In a memorandum sent to players Monday, union head Donald Fehr said no decision on a date has been made, despite a report that one was tentatively set. A union official, speaking on condition he not be identified, said the executive board wouldn't consider setting a date until August at the earliest.

        The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that players had tentatively set Sept.16 as the start of what would be the sport's ninth work stoppage since 1972. A strike date that late would give the sides only a week or two to save the World Series, which is threatened with cancellation for the sec ond time in nine seasons.

        “The executive board hasn't considered a date. It won't for a while,” Fehr said in Cincinnati, where he met with players.

        The union, seeking an agreement to replace the deal that expired Nov.7, would consider setting a strike date because it fears that if the season is played to completion, owners would change work rules after the World Series or lock them out.

        Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, speaking in Boston before Monday night's tribute to the late Ted Williams, said he didn't want to think about the possibility of having to cancel the World Series.

        “We've got a lot of negotiating sessions,” Selig said. “We need to get something done.”

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