Reporters won't be able to sift through thousands of internal baseball documents that have been held under lock-and-key after being turned over as part of a now-settled lawsuit against the Twins and baseball owners by the landlords of the Metrodome.

The compact disc of documents reportedly related to discussion about contraction and financial information had been turned over earlier this year under order from Hennepin County District Court Judge Harry Crump, who presided over the lawsuit.

The case was brought by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission and challenged the Twins right to simply fold under an announced contraction plan by baseball owners rather than fulfill their Metrodome lease.

The suit was ultimately successful, forcing the Twins to play this season. The MSFC still pressed the case after that ruling, and early last month the two sides settled and ensured the Twins will also play next season.

After the settlement ended the case, Crump still had the CD of documents in his desk, and several Minnesota media outlets petitioned to see the documents, arguing they are public as part of the lawsuit.

But Crump ruled Wednesday that they must remain private, and ordered the MSFC to destroy or return all the baseball owner materials its attorneys collected as part of the case.

The documents reportedly include information about loans made between owners.

During the flurry of stories following last November's announcement by commissioner Bud Selig that two teams would be bought and eliminated by baseball owners was one that detailed a loan made by Twins owner Carl Pohlad to Selig's Brewers in 1995 when Selig both rain the Brewers and was acting commissioner.

There have been published reports that the documents include information about other business transactions Pohlad made to six unidentified individuals.

The reports said that the whited-out sections apparently include personal financial information in bank records from institutions owned by Pohlad.

Crump's announcement came on the same day that Selig told reporters the day after the all-star game that there is a team in the league that won't be able to meet its payroll Monday, and that the unidentified team would likely "surprise" many people.

He added that another major league team has so much debt it may not survive the season, but he didn't name the teams.

John Borger, one of the attorneys representing Star Tribune, The Associated Press, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and KARE-TV, planned to appeal the ruling and ask Crump to put his order on hold until things play out.

"Important public questions remain regarding the status of the documents and they ought to be considered by courts at all levels before the documents are destroyed or returned," Borger said Thursday.

Roger Magnuson, the Twins attorney, said he was heartened that the court enforced a prior agreement between the Twins and the commission, which spelled out how the information would be handled if produced. He was not immediately available to comment on the planned appeal.