RIrealestate: @notpmekts Those oysters are either radioactive or on steroids...hope u didn't eat them!! lol
about 6 minutes ago
socialitedreams: @janebender858 so mlb says he always wore these shoes..this BRAND or THESE shoes? 30 years of the SAME shoes? they should disintegrate!
about 39 minutes ago
KSmith18: Leaving for Indianapolis TOMORROW for the @MLB Winter Meetings!! Hopeful Z & the Ms might actually make a move or 2 ha! I will be jobhunting
about 2 hours ago
Marty2634: @MatthewMDay Hello Matt, Did Umaga die from a Heart Attack? Do you think Steroids or Drugs had a role in his death?
about 2 hours ago
joycetotheworld: link - just bit into the biggest pear i've seen in my life. it's on steroids or something
about 2 hours ago
Follow us on Twitter ...
 | By Andrew Wagner   OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer Photography by Eron Laber of Front Room Photography E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andrew Wagner |
| Published Nov. 20, 2005 at 5:05 a.m. |
|
After months of scrutiny, Major League Baseball finally has a steroids policy that makes sense. And like so many other instances in which National Pastime found a way to take a giant step forward, the credit will never find its way to the man who made it possible.
What else will Bud Selig have to do before he finally starts getting some respect? Just what will it take to get self-righteous, pompous blowhards like Bob Costas to just shut up and accept the fact that Selig is doing more as Commissioner than any of his predecessors, save for Kennesaw Mountain Landis.
Weather people want to admit it or not, Selig has done everything in his power -- and then some -- to make the game successful, stronger, and position it for an even more prosperous future.
OK, so the current revenue sharing plan is far from the panacea found in the National Football League's model, and a salary cap is a pipe dream. But you can't argue with facts. The luxury tax -- at times -- has worked. The shared revenue between teams has increased, and a competitive balance is starting to return to MLB.
Idiots who claim to be almighty, holier-than-thou "baseball purists" holler and scream blasphemy at the mere mention of interleague play, but the fact remains that the concept is a huge hit with fans, who have packed ballparks in droves.
Then there's the always touchy issue of realignment and the wild card. Sure, Selig's former team (the Brewers) was the only one to move. But how can these people who admonish every move Selig makes claim the Wild Card has killed the sanctity of the game, yet boast about how great it was to see the Marlins-Cubs series in 2003, or tune in for the annual Yankees-Red Sox playoff installment.
Looks like another argument against Selig flushed down the toilet.
Face it, Selig is the best thing to happen to the game since ... well, now that it looks like the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 was a steroid-enhanced farce ... Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig's streak, or Hank Aaron breaking the home run record.
He's taken a game that is notorious for staying 50 years behind the times, reformatting it, and marketing it to a new generation. The recent steroid debate is a prime example.
In 2003, Selig fought hard to get steroid testing included in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. He knew he was treading in dangerous waters, having been the guy at the helm when baseball came to a halt in 1994. But he didn't back down.
He knew before the season that changes had to be made to the program and he fought again, finally getting a plan through that was tougher than the original, yet way below the standards others had in mind.
When Congress came calling, he was straightforward and honest. He said he wanted a tougher plan. He outlined it; 50 games out the first time, 100 the second, and hit the road if a player was moronic enough to do it a third time.
Fehr and the players balked. Congress blamed him. Again, Selig played the role of the bad guy, but kept working it. He knew he had to. He knew the game needed it. Now, finally, a "similar" plan has passed and the accolades are being handed out to the players and to Congress for finally doing the right thing.
And nowhere, has anybody seen Selig screaming "it was my idea".
If you've ever read a story on the guy, you'll know right away, he doesn't unilaterally decide to make changes. It's the mark of a good leader. Make a suggestion, ask for other proposals, and then build a consensus. Sounds a lot more democratic than David Stern's iron fisted reign over the NBA, don't you think?
Maybe someday, long after that yokel from Milwaukee has finally been run from office and a guy like Costas has taken over the game, people will finally realize that nobody cared about the game more than Selig.
What's most amazing about Selig is that he doesn't seem to care. Sure, nobody likes to get trashed in the media day in and day out, but how many people would take that kind of abuse and still get the job done.
So go ahead, say what you want. Call him whatever name you want. But find somebody in baseball that's done more.
|
13 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by OMCreader on Dec. 3, 2005 at 3:37 p.m. (report)
mike said: BUD'S THE BEST EVER!!!! MOVE OUT OF THE STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIKE
| Rate this: |
Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 25, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. (report)
D.O. said: Allowing Pete Rose to enter Cooperstown would be a good olive branch for me.
| Rate this: |
Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 22, 2005 at 9:48 a.m. (report)
Mike said: It just occurred to me that anyone who is upset about the creation of the Wild Card might want to rethink their complaints about cancelling the 1994 Post-Season. I mean, if you're so infuriated with "devaluing the regular season," fine, the Yankees and Expos were league champs in 1994. That's what would have happened prior to October of 1969. To put that in perspective, the DH was introduced in 3.5 years later in April of 1973. Okay, all in favor of retroactively including 1994 when we eliminate the "failed experiment" known as the League Championship Series, say 'I.' Start minting out your Yankees and Expos rings, guys. They'll be collectors items some day. I still can't figure out why they gave out individual awards and not team awards. Wasn't it the players who went on strike? Why did Frank Thomas get an MVP award in 1994, but the White Sox weren't declared Central division champs? He's the one who didn't want to finish the season. Can anyone who blames Selig for the cancellation of the 1994 World Series answer that question? Also, wouldn't a real traditionalist just ignore the AL outright, and declare the team with the best regular season record in the NL to be the World Champ? They did that from 1876 to 1902. You can't get more traditionalist than that. Okay, the Expos are the 1994 World Champs. What do you think that might have done for their attendance from 1995 thru 2004? Wow, I've actually found something that Bud Selig did wrong that's not a straw-man talking point.
| Rate this: |
Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 21, 2005 at 2:34 p.m. (report)
Mike said: Bud Selig's contribution to baseball can be summed up in 4 points: 1. The All-Star Game means something. It determines which league has home-field advantage for the World Series. 2. Games played after the All-Star Game mean something. With more teams qualifying for the post season, even more teams will be in contention late into the season. Any team with a winning record has a realistic shot at the post season heading into the final month. 3. Games played before the All-Star Game mean something. The introduction of revenue sharing has helped to increase the competitive balance, allowing more teams to begin the season with the hope of making the playoffs. 4. Preseason games mean something. Cracking down on Sterroids will mean more competition for roster spots during spring training. So there you have it, Selig has done absolutely NOTHING for the time between when Pitchers and Catchers report and the first spring training game. Talk about inneffective. He should resign right now!!!
| Rate this: |
Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 21, 2005 at 2:21 p.m. (report)
Mike said: Is anyone actually upset about the Wild Card? Should the Red Sox and Marlins (twice) turn in their World Series Rings? Are these same people outraged about the concept of the LCS? Did anyone care who won the All-Star Game before it determined Home Field for the World Series? If you didn't care who won, how can you be furious that it was a tie? If Selig is simply a puppet of the owners, why did he take on the large market owners with his revenue sharing? Does anyone know the difference between a Strike and a Lockout? Has anyone ever blamed management 100% when a union decides to strike? Yes, I've heard the talking points against Selig, but they seem to fall apart rather easily in an intelligent discussion. Baseball's All Star Game means something. Games after the All-Star Break mean something for an increased number of teams. Games played before the All-Star Break mean something more frequently in an increased number of markets. And coming soon, a real sterroid policy. Selig not only presided over these changes, he PUSHED for them. The fact that he had to work so hard only proves how huge of an accomplishment each of them are.
| Rate this: |
Show me the other 8 Talkbacks
| Top Clicks | Top Searches | Most Talkbacks |
- Brewers introduce Wolf
- Brewers roster has a balanced look
- Seth McClung's farewell tweet
- Forget the bargains -- go high-end holiday shopping
- Saturday Scorecard: A crucial holiday shopping trip
- Predicting the biggest events of this decade
- Fielder fourth in National League MVP voting
- Yankees' success is proof Brewers are a lost cause
- Hardy trade just the beginning
- Hardy traded to Minnesota, Brewers get CF Gomez
