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| Selig's usual reaction to...anything. 1 |
I rarely say many positive things about Selig because I rarely think that he makes any decisions that improve the game of baseball. In fact, I’ll do a happy dance the day he steps down, after the 2012 season, according to Selig. This is the man who made great strides to make sure baseball would not expand instant replay by the start of the 2011 season, in spite of a comedy of umpiring follies in 2010, including ruining a perfect game for Detroit Tigers pitcher Armondo Gallaraga and hanging the contrite umpire, Jim Joyce, out to dry. This is a man who has never seriously put the idea of a salary cap on the table, in spite of the glaring lack of parody among clubs in free agency. The list is as long as the day.
I will also give credit where it is due. The best move Selig made in his entire career, in my opinion, was facilitating the expansion of the playoffs to include a wild card team and a divisional round. MLB, prior to 1995, had 28 teams with only 4 qualifying for postseason play. This resulted in some dull Septembers (and some Augusts) for the majority of teams’ fans. Doubling this number to 8 was a huge step in the right direction without completely reinventing the MLB postseason wheel.
Since then, there have been two more teams added to the league. With only 8 teams reaching the playoffs, Major League Baseball, by far, has the lowest percentage of teams, among the four major team sports, reaching the playoffs at 27%. In contrast, the National Football League sends 38% of its teams to the second season. The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League send 57% of their teams to the playoffs. It still suffers with the problem of too many teams, by modern standards, having very little to play for at the end of the regular season. In contrast, the drama and suspense for most teams in the other three sports begins to peak in the final month of their regular seasons.
The possibility of expanding the MLB playoffs from 8 to 10 teams, by adding two more wild card teams and a wild card round, was suggested in the media late last season. Last Thursday, Commissioner Selig, last week, announced that he thought MLB was moving “inexorably” toward adding two more playoff teams. Hallelujah! Bud “Flintstone” Selig finally sees the light on something (that the rest of the sporting world saw years ago)! Finally! There will be a little more life injected into the MLB regular season. Good for you, Bud! I knew you couldn’t be incompetent 100% of the time!
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| Selig six days ago.... 2 |
♪♪ “Back to life. Back to re-al-i-ty. Back to the here and now, yeah!” ♫
Bug Selig came through only like Bud Selig could: (risking) screwing up a good idea! In order to expand the playing schedule, it must be agreed upon in MLB’s collective bargaining agreement with the player’s union, which expires after this season. While there are no signs that the MLB collective bargaining process is a threat to be the cluster that has become the NFL’s CBA process, there are no guarantees and there are always details to be smoothed out. Players union chief Michael Weiner said that “it’s just too early” to treat the issue of expanding the playoffs as if it is a foregone conclusion.
There is always a story behind every story on any potentially contentious issue. The fact that Selig spoke with confidence, to the point of signaling an agreement on the issue was all but inevitable, six days ago only to be countered by a union head saying, “slow down,” tells me that the “inexorable” result of expanded playoffs may have gone from “inexorable” to a “bargaining chip”.
I have no idea what words were exchanged or ideas were floated between Selig, Weiner, or any of the owners since last week. However, the notion that a key decision maker in this process could tip his hand, ever so slightly, to the public and make the mere suggestion that a no-brainer change, a significant improvement to the game and the fan experience, such as expanded playoffs may not be implemented, in spite of the support of the Commissioner, is yet another unflattering reflection on Selig’s tenure as commissioner.
He had ignored the inexorable need for improvements in game play, he has ignored the inexorable need to improve basic fan safety, and he appears oblivious to the inexorable need to further level the playing field between large and small market teams. Now, the “inexorable” process of expanding the playoffs is not as inexorable as it was about a week ago. Bud Selig’s ineffectiveness as commissioner is inexorable.
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| Two days ago.... My frustration with this man is "inexorable". 3 |
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1) Image from yabadabadoo.wordpress.com
2) Image from newsday.com
3) Image from bleacherreport.com
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