Your choices for a new commish

The August 5 issue of Sports Illustrated detailed 15 ways to fix Major League Baseball. One of the suggestions was to hire Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan as commissioner. CNNSI.com offered some other serious and not-so-serious candidates for the job and asked users to submit their choices. Here is a sampling of those submissions.

Carlton Fisk. If there can be an ex-owner as commissioner why not an ex-player? Fisk is a no-nonsense Hall of Famer, who is totally credible and honest. Remember when he called out teammate Carl Yastrzemski for not running out ground balls or when he confronted Deion Sanders for making a dollars sign in the dirt before an at-bat? Fisk only has one interest in baseball: the game itself.
--Jim, South Hadley, Mass.

George Bush, the elder. He's retired with lots of free time. He knows what it's like to play the game and is a big baseball fan. He stood up to an egomaniacal dictator (Saddam Hussein), so he'll have no problems with the owners.
--Mark Pachankis, Shreveport, La.

Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita) from The Karate Kid. If he could turn Ralph Macchio into a champion, think what he could do with any of those bottom-feeding teams (i.e. the Brewers, Devil Rays, Rangers). Mr. Miyagi could intimidate the players' union by breaking ice blocks or something. He'd also teach both sides a little about appreciating the game rather than the money.
--Doug, Falmouth, Mass.

I think the next commissioner of Major League Baseball should be Peter Gammons. First of all, he knows all there is to know about the game. He also knows all the people there are to know in the game and, most important, he has common sense. He's a fan, not a player or an owner. He has respect for baseball's past and its quite shaky future, and I believe he'd do the best job of anyone around.
--Mike Sullivan, Darien, Conn.

Mark McGwire. He was one of the only active players to speak out, saying the players were making a ton of money and that if they couldn't survive on it then there's a problem. He has always appeared to be a straight shooter who is not obligated to the owners or the union.
--Michael Field, Naperville, Ill.

Tom Seaver. Both the owners and the players would respect a first-ballot Hall of Famer who has stayed close to the game and done a great deal of good in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
--John Keenan, N.Y.

Ernie Banks. Then finally we'd have double-headers again.
--Amelia Bedilia, Ky.

Frank Robinson should be the next commissioner. As a former superstar he knows what the players expect in terms of money and treatment, and his experience as both a manager and high-ranking Major League Baseball official has shown him the business side of the game. His incredible work with an undertalented Montreal club shows that he really knows baseball. He would be amazing!
--David Gooley, Colorado Springs, Colo.

After Jesse Ventura finishes his term as governor of Minnesota, he'll have a lot of time to kick around. He possesses a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is mentality, and certainly isn't afraid to speak his mind. He made Bud Selig look really dumb at the Congressional hearings in Washington, so maybe this is just what baseball needs -- a man capable of letting the players and owners know just where they ought to stand.
--D. Fleming, Boston

Whitey Herzog. The best baseball mind in the sport. He understands the business side and certainly knows how the game is run. He had some terrific ideas on realignment and, I feel, would be accountable to no owner and would do what is best for baseball.
--Terry Weber, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Why not have Bill Clinton as the next commissioner? Put his negotiating skills and desire to fix everything to good use. A former President should want to fix the "national pastime." He will be in the limelight, not burdening taxpayers, and could bring baseball to an even larger international audience.
--John Martin, Albany, N.Y.

Don Vito Corleone. Forget about any union problems or strikes.
--R.J.S., Boston

Make Tommy Lasorda commissioner. He's smart, knows baseball and has charisma. I'm not sure what the players would think, but since he was a player and a manager, he should know both sides of the game.
--Steffen, Cincinnati

Anna Kournikova. Maybe being commissioner is something Anna could be good at. And who's going to argue with a commissioner that looks like her?
--Paul Chan, Toronto

 

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