By MIKE LOPRESTI
Gannett News Service

Baseball in December. Looks like an airport departure lounge, doesn't it?

That's Ivan Rodriguez - hero of Florida's October - saying goodbye to the Marlins. But not, apparently, with hugs and kisses.

And there are Greg Maddux and Gary Sheffield - stalwarts in Atlanta - waving to the Braves.

And that's Vladimir Guerrero - the only recognizable Montreal Expo in the hemisphere - packed and ready to leave Quebec in his rearview mirror.

And there's Rafael Palmeiro - a 500-homer man with some bite left in his bat - wishing farewell to the Texas Rangers, who then went back to trying to trade their $250 million shortstop to Boston.

Baseball in winter used to be called the hot stove league. Now a better term would be ... Exodus.

The Braves did not offer salary arbitration to 10 of their free agents, opening the door for nearly half their roster. It looked like a fire alarm went off. The Chicago Cubs did not offer nine, the Red Sox six.

Money is the reason, of course. The teams don't have enough of it. The owners want to keep more of it. The agents and players want too much of it. Depends upon whom you believe. This is like watching liar's poker.

The clubs always vow they have left no incentive clause unturned.

"We worked hard at extending our relationship with Vladimir," said the general manager from Montreal.

"We will go to sleep tonight knowing that we made an effort," said the general manager from Florida about Rodriguez.

"We will be no less determined in our efforts to build a championship team," said the general manager from the Braves about replacing Maddux and Sheffield, to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Maybe so. But baseball front offices do not always remind you of George Washington and the cherry tree. When the city of Milwaukee pitched in to help build a new stadium, the Brewers promised Miller Park would help pay for a contender.

The Brewers finished last in 2003, and reports suggest they may cut the payroll to as low as $30 million for 2004. That wouldn't buy the Yankee starting rotation.

Now you might call that exaggerating. You might call it wishful thinking. You might call it fibbing. I call it baseball.

Meanwhile, the players can play a little loose with the numbers, too. Rodriguez, sounding a tad miffed at the Marlins, said he didn't even ask for a raise after 17 postseason hits helped disarm the Giants and Cubs and Yankees. He just wanted the $10 million he got last year.

Ah, but did he mention he wanted that for four seasons? A $40 million contract sounds like an awfully big jump from a $10 million contract. But maybe that's just me.

In any case, the fans are left following a revolving door, with rosters to annually relearn. The idea of having a long-term attachment to a player on a favorite team is nearly an historical relic. Like black-and-white television.

This latest migration confirms the following:

• Losing Rodriguez is an awful way for the Marlins to reassure their fragile faithful, who still remember the post-1997 World Series fire sale.

• Time must tell if the Braves are rebuilding or reloading. Whichever, it is a massive makeover for a franchise known for consistency. Only John Smoltz and Chipper Jones are now left from the 1995 champions.

• The Expos remain everybody else's farm team, developing talent until it gets known, then watching it go somewhere else to get rich.

Oh, and Palmeiro will be in a different uniform in his next Viagra commercial.

One other certainty, too. Whoever gets the money, and wherever they get it, ticket prices always go up. As sure as spring follows winter.