AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > September > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWise up: Selig’s brilliant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Once again, despite more than a few folks trying to place a dunce cap over his head through the years, baseball honcho Bud Selig looks smarter than the rest of us.
Seriously.
Among other things, the commissioner was right about interleague play. Matchups like the Braves versus the Yankees or Red Sox continuously attract larger than normal crowds.
Selig also was right about switching from two to three divisions in each league and adding wild cards to the playoffs.
See the NL, which began Wednesday’s action with the Braves and six other teams sitting no more than five games from the wild card lead. The AL had three teams sitting no more than six games from the wild card lead.
In addition, the NL West remains close between the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. And the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox stay within striking distance of AL-central leader Detroit.
That’s a lot of teams involved with a pennant race in early September. Just as Selig envisioned it.
I wonder if he has any lottery numbers.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Quick Hit, Terence Moore
Comments
By Robert Daniell
September 6, 2006 10:32 AM | Link to this
Good job Bud!!! His direction and ideas as to improving the game have paid off. I’m like Terrence….got any numbers!!!
By Head Coach
September 6, 2006 10:48 AM | Link to this
Well Terence , just wait till the DH comes to the N.L. , then there will be a real lovefest directed at putting Bud Selig’s head on a platter. Also , apparently Selig’s brilliance doesnt extend to Pittsburgh , Kansas City ,Milwaukee and Washington . These four small market teams were eliminated from the playoffs before the season ever even started. Then again I would laugh my a.s.s off if the Marlins made the playoffs , made it to the World Series and beat the Yankees. It would be David and Goliath all over again.
By Robert H. Barron
September 6, 2006 11:03 AM | Link to this
The dunce cap is well deserved for keeping his head in the sand about steroid and HGH use. All those touching moments in the McGuire-Sosa chase of Maris’ record were all a fraud. Would Maris’ relatives want a hug from McGuire now or call him a cheat? The Phillies playoff win over the Braves in 1993 is also suspect with the 50 lbs Dykstra suddenly added that year. Did the Phillies deserve to go to the World Series instead of the Braves? The legacy of Selig’s years as commissioner; every stat and championship team is suspect. We’ll learn more as failing kidneys and other physical problems push ex-stars to tell the truth.
By Roper
September 6, 2006 12:17 PM | Link to this
While Bud has made some moves that ruffled the feathers of true baseball fans, many seemed to workout well. Splitting the leagues into three divisions and creating the wild card, along with interleague play, has raised the level of competition, compensation and interest from the fans. These will be a part of his legacy.
But his inaction in regards to steroids (and god knows what growth hormone like things are out there today.) will be the stuff of his infamous legacy. Getting tough and not letting the all-time hit leader into the hall of fame for gambling.* For gambling? We shall see how the “brilliant” Selig copes with McGuire’s first appearance on HOF ballots. My guess is that he sits on his hands and does nothing as the likes of Palmeiro, Sosa and, finally, Bonds come up for the HOF vote. Then perhaps Bud will instate the DH in the NL. Immediately we (the fans) will notice the upswing in power numbers and thusly the increase in revenue for teams in the NL. Then, in turn, the editorializers will write articles boasting of the brilliant tough love approach that Bud has taken for baseball. They may even go so far as to say that Bud “looks smarter than the rest of us.”
“Seriously.”
Seriously?
*my internet is slower than slow right now, so i’m not going to go research that bit about bud being responsible for pete, but I think he was.
By ben
September 6, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this
His stance on steroids is another sign of his marketing brilliance. The renewed interest in the game plus the attraction of shrimp cocktail eating businessmen to see 150 pound shortstops “go yard” was a result of his blind eye policy. Without Bonds, McGuire and Sosa, ticket sales and television contracts would have been enemic in comparison.
By Roper
September 6, 2006 12:34 PM | Link to this
So I hit the post button and realized I wasn’t quite finished showering Bud his due dose of brilliance. Let us not forget the job Bud has done for keeping baseball balanced. Thanks to those salary caps…oh, wait, that’s all those other professional sports teams. Thanks to that luxury tax on teams spending more than 1oo millionish (again, slow internet not doing research, this is a blog, I can do that.) the level of competition in baseball has never been so even. It looks like the Mets will finally be able to compete with their crosstown rivals. While the new management around here will likely bring us ever closer to a level playing field with the Marlins’ payroll, which is about 10 percent of the Yankees by now. Or was that before Abreau went to New York. (yeah, so i exaggerated the marlins vs. Braves payroll thing, so what. The president does it all the time, so why can’t I, a lowly blogger.)
Seriously.
By Sam
September 6, 2006 02:16 PM | Link to this
Selig has been terrible. He’s been totally spineless in dealing with the player’s union and has been complicant in the steroid problem. Selig cares nothing for the integrity of the game. You can also point to Selig as being a big part of the reason the Braves can’t play all their games on TBS and also I believe he’s had a hand in the Braves money issues with his revenue sharing effect on the national TBS contract.
By Shaun Payne
September 6, 2006 06:01 PM | Link to this
You could argue that Selig hurt the game. There will no longer be a pennant race between two great teams because the second place team is going to be the Wild Card.
By doc
September 7, 2006 07:31 AM | Link to this
c’mon t man. the braves havent been in the playoff run since back in late july or august when they lost a winnable home series after a fairly good road trip. what drugs are you on or are you paid by selig and baseball. maybe you just dont know baseball. are the crowds up for those teams in the running? not here or cincy or boston etc. the fans who know dont quite have the enthusiasm for it that you do.
what it does allow is a team like the astros last year or the marlins this year come back from poor starts to have a chance at winning it all. it also makes the regular season to be little but a side show and add in an extra teir of meaningless games in the playoffs to make money for the owners, seen the prices this year for “playoff” games?
no terrance there is little joy in the cities that perenially cant compete aginst the teams that can throw money at players like boston and the yanks leaving other teams like pittsburg, kc and soon to be atlanta to watch the folly that is nothing more than packaging and marketing. please dont sell this as baseball or baseball enthusiasm because it isnt.
By John Hughes
September 7, 2006 01:20 PM | Link to this
If you think Selig is brilliant, you are DUMBER than he is and he is dumber than Bobby Cox in his mismanagement of the Braves.