The commish has a week to forget -- if only he could
Posted: Monday July 15, 2002 8:29 PM
Bud Selig's return to Milwaukee was less than auspicious. AP
By Dan George, CNNSI.com
Everybody has a bad day now and then. But, hoo boy, how about Bud Selig's week?
That wasn't bad. That was apocalyptic. To commemorate it, we give baseball's favorite whipping boy a special place in this week's Power Rankings. That's right -- he's No. 31.
You know all about the All-Star Game Without a Winner -- and we mean that in every sense -- but commissioner Bud's woes started well before Tuesday night. And they didn't end there, either.
Sunday: Fans and media arriving early for the All-Star extravaganza in Selig's hometown are welcomed by a front-page article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel urging the Selig family to sell the Brewers -- the worst team not being mentioned as a contraction candidate -- for the good of the franchise.
Monday: Because of a thunderstorm, Miller Park's retractable roof is closed for the Home Run Derby -- but that doesn't stop people from getting wet. Thanks to leaks in the 2-year-old stadium's roof, some fans watch the contest from beneath open umbrellas. When he presents the Home Run Derby trophy to Jason Giambi, Selig is roundly booed -- and that's before fans leaving the park have to wait up to two hours in the rain for shuttle buses. The storm also forces singer Natalie Cole to cancel an All-Star Gala outdoor concert at the Milwaukee Art Museum; no singin' in the rain for her.
Tuesday: For only the second time in major league history -- and the first time because the managers simply run out of players -- the All-Star Game ends in a tie. And for the second consecutive night, Selig is booed in his hometown. As a bonus, some fans also throw trash on the field. An historic moment, and we'll get back to it in a moment.
Wednesday: Selig holds a news conference explaining why he called the game after 11 innings with the scored tied 7-7. Much like Max Bialystock tells the judge before being sentenced for defrauding investors in The Producers, Selig says, "This will never happen again." Almost as an aside, he mentions that one major league team may not make its next payroll, and another is in danger of not finishing the season. He declines to name either.
Thursday: Teams scramble to deny that they are the franchises Selig was talking about. Uh uh, not us, no way. Baseball's chief operating officer, Bob DuPuy, essentially contradicts the commissioner by saying that actually no teams are in danger of missing the July 15 payday, although he adds the situation could happen later in the season.
Add this to a season already riddled with public relations disasters -- the gluttonous Yankees gorging themselves on one superstar after another while other teams starve, growing suspicions that today's records just may be steroid-enhanced, the seeming inevitability of yet another game-crippling players strike -- and you gotta wonder if the commissioner is starting to feel like Wile E. Coyote with a truckload of new Acme products.
Now, we're hardly Selig apologists -- we suspect there will be an especially warm spot for him in the hereafter, if only for giving us the wild card and interleague play -- but he was hardly to blame for all that happened last week. In fact, we don't see how the commish could have done anything but halt the All-Star Game when he did. Sure, that mid-11th inning announcement was clumsy: Well, the National League still has a chance to win, but for you AL fans, uh, sorry. But nobody wants a player to be injured.
No, the real culprits Tuesday night were Joe Torre and Bob Brenly, whose main goal was to make sure everyone played (perhaps to assuage their guilt for shamelessly selecting so many of their own players?), not to win a ballgame.
Hard to say exactly when this mentality took over (free agency and interleague play have certainly taken the edge off what used to be a fierce league rivalry, but Torre's presence as AL manager in five of the last six All-Star games also is a huge smoking gun), but it's sure there. How else to explain guys like Barry Bonds getting their two at-bats, then hopping on a plane well before the seventh-inning stretch? Can you imagine Pete Rose doing that? We can't either.
But even when their roster mismanagement forced the tie, Torre and Brenly were hardly apologetic. And, curiously, while fans who paid $125 or more for a ticket were justifiably outraged, more than a few observers just shrugged and looked the other way. Stuff happens, right? Winning? Hey, it's just an exhibition. It's the show that counts, not the outcome. Oh, yeah? Then why are you keeping score?
Say what you will about Bud Selig, but his pain at having to call the game after 11 innings was all too obvious. He was in agony. He cared who won. Or at least that somebody won.
We should, too. Everybody should.
CNNSI.com's Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1
3
Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki accumulated 352 hits in his first 1,000 at-bats. Only four other players had more: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (389), Benny Kauff (362), Chuck Klein (360) and Paul Waner (358).
2
2
Atlanta Braves Their series winning streak ended at 13 with Sunday's loss to the Expos. But the four-game split pushed their unbeaten series string to 18 in a row -- the franchise's longest since the 1897 Boston Beaneaters went undefeated in 19 straight series.
3
1
New York Yankees They are 13-0 against teams in the American League Central, and they haven't even played the Royals yet.
4
5
Los Angeles Dodgers The last time the Dodgers were in first place at the All-Star break was 1994. Perhaps you remember how that season ended.
5
4
Boston Red Sox Jim Thome would be a nice fit at first, but even if he waives his no-trade clause, the farm system is almost bare and other teams aren't exactly falling over themselves to take Jose Offerman or Tony Clark.
Anaheim Angels They're just four games back of the Mariners in the AL West. But Mike Scioscia's crew is a mere 12-21 against teams with winning records -- with 20 consecutive games against Twins, A's, Mariners, Red Sox and Yankees looming.
8
8
Oakland Athletics Jason Giambi may have been replaced by Scott Hatteberg at first, but after 90 games, they had six more victories this season than in 2001 -- when they finished 102-60.
9
10
San Francisco Giants Poor David Bell. He's outplaying (13-43-.248) the guy who replaced him in Seattle (Jeff Cirillo, 6-40-.236) but if the Giants can get Scott Rolen (14-59-.260) from the Phils, he'll be out of a job again.
10
9
Minnesota Twins One reason they won't collapse like they did last season (aside from the fact that there's nobody as good as last year's Indians)? Injuries killed them last season -- and this summer they've built a 7 1/2-game lead with starters Brad Radke and Joe Mays on the DL. And both are due back soon.
11
11
St. Louis Cardinals They need a starting pitcher in the worst way. Which is why they're reportedly one of four teams still in the Chuck Finley sweepstakes.
12
12
Montreal Expos Hey, Cliff! Long time no see!Cliff Floyd makes a quick trip back to Florida -- this time in a Montreal uniform -- when the Expos open a three-game series Friday in Miami.
13
13
Cincinnati Reds When 6-foot-6, 235-pound Adam Dunn was told by his manager, Bob Boone, that he was the youngest and heaviest All-Star, his response was immediate: "I'm the best-looking and the smartest, too."
14
16
New York Mets They'd love to deal Jeff D'Amico (4-8, 4.92) and Shawn Estes (3-7, 5.08) but, incredibly, other teams are a lot more interested in Al Leiter (8-7, 2.80).
15
14
Florida Marlins Three games over .500 and six games out of the wild-card spot, and they ship Cliff Floyd to the Expos and Ryan Demptster to the Reds. Shades of Wayne Huizenga!
16
17
Houston Astros Only two switch-hitters have ever hit 29 home runs before the All-Star break. One was Mickey Mantle, in 1956 and again in '61. The other is the Astros' Lance Berkman this season.
17
15
Baltimore Orioles Jeff Conine, Chris Richard and David Segui are expected back from the DL within the next 2-3 weeks. The O's can hardly wait. They went 21 consecutive innings without scoring against the A's.
Colorado Rockies Clint Hurdle's team is also in a retooling mode. Among the spare parts are Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton. But with a combined $125 million left on their contracts, GM Dan O'Dowd is going to have to get real creative.
20
20
Philadelphia Phillies Minor league prospect Marlon Byrd (10-45-.298) is drawing comparisons to former major league slugger Bo Jackson. Well, except for that playing-in-the-NFL part.
21
22
Cleveland Indians How about Chuck Finley's take on the Yankees' deal for Jeff Weaver: "Ted Lilly for Jeff Weaver? You've got to be kidding me. The players ought to strike just to make the Yankees mad."
22
23
Pittsburgh Pirates What's that myth about closers on bad teams? The Bucs have won just 41 games -- but Mike Williams already has a career-high 27 saves (to go with that 1.73 ERA).
Chicago Cubs Is this one of those vicious cycle things? Bruce Kimm is the 22nd former Cub who has managed Chicago's National League team.
25
26
Toronto Blue Jays Are they already becoming disenchanted with Felipe Lopez (8-31-.229)? GM J.P. Ricciardi is suddenly musing about 26-year-old Chris Woodward, a career .215 hitter, taking over a short with Lopez possibly moving to second.
26
25
San Diego Padres Who has the biggest head in baseball? Actually, two people: Padres manager Bruce Bochy and Kevin Mench. Both wear a size 8 cap, according to the New Era Cap Co.
27
27
Kansas City Royals They gave GM Allard Baird a two-year contract extension -- then told him to trim their $50 million payroll for 2003. Gee, thanks.
Milwaukee Brewers The commissioner isn't the only one who can't win in his hometown. The Brewers are 19-27 at Miller Park. Of course, they're also 15-31 on the road.
30
30
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Not all of them are having a bad year. Randy Winn (8-43-.313) not only made the AL All-Star team and may soon be headed for a contender, but during the offseason he was randomly chosen to try a half-court shot at L.A. Clippers NBA game. He made it -- and won a car.
31
NR
Bud Selig Hey, if colleges can hand out honorary college degrees to the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kermit the Frog, we can give Bud an honorary spot in the rankings.
