Did Robin Yount trash Bud Selig tonight?

[JoeHova]

That was my impression, but I can't say for certain. I wrote down what he said when he was in the booth tonight, tell me what you guys think:

I didn't enjoy playing the game, to be honest with you, just to play it. That's why I retired when I did. I felt like the organization was going the wrong way and we were kind of in those early years of small-market/large-market stuff and, uh, it seemed like we were trying to cut payroll versus trying to put championship teams out there again and I said, well, if that's the case, well, I'm done 'cause I don't enjoy playing just to play. I wanna compete.

Brian and Bill seemed to try to want to shut down that line of conversation pretty quick and didn't follow up on Yount's thought. I agree with Robin that the Brewers didn't seem to want to compete throughout the 90's but I was somewhat surprised to hear the franchise icon say that so plainly.

[DSFastball55]

I thought the same thing. It's certainly not surprising if that is true, but I certainly didn't think I'd ever hear Robin actually say it.

[pitchleague]

I was at Chili's and didn't see this. Was Yount, perhaps, a little "tipsy" when he said this?

 

I'm not accusing him of being "Rick Sutcliffe" in the booth; I'm just curious.

[davego]

Robin was also 1+ years into not being very productive.

 

I'm sure I'll get flamed, but it has been a bone of contention for me a long time that the 'Crew chose to keep him over Paulie.

[pebadger]

The Brewers letting Molitor go probably cost them more fans until the last few seasons than any single move in franchise history. I know that it didn't help my interest in the team at all. Was pretty happy Paulie got to win a ring with the Jays though.

 

Robin was just being Robin and telling things the way he saw them.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

As much as losing Paulie was perhaps the darkest memory of my Brewers fan life...the pitching falling apart after an awesome 92 was a bigger part of the demise. Robin can do no wrong on my book. The club was starting to rebuild, all the small/big market stuff was big on Bud's agenda and Robin's physical skills were tailing off. All valid reasons he hung it up.

[RockCoCougars]

Robin nearly quit after the '92 season when Molitor left, and the team didn't make any effort to resign guys like Bosio, Seitzer, Fletcher and Plesac and traded Bichette and lost Darren Holmes. He made statements at the time that he wasn't happy with what was going on, and who could blame him? You don't lose guys like that and then expect to replace them with Kevin Reimer being your marque offseason acquistion and washed up guys like Dickie Thon, Tom Brunansky and Bill Doran.

 

I don't blame him one bit for being honest about things.

[Invader3K]

I was at Chili's and didn't see this. Was Yount, perhaps, a little "tipsy" when he said this?

 

I'm not accusing him of being "Rick Sutcliffe" in the booth; I'm just curious.

No, didn't seem "tipsy" at all. He was pretty matter of fact with his statements.

 

I was surprised to hear him be so blunt about the reasons why he retired. It's true his skills were declining, but it would have been nice to see the Brewers try to make a run in '93 and '94 while they still had some talent they could have kept around. Yount could have at least been a DH or something (assuming Molitor still would have left).

 

And yeah, Brian and Bill didn't do a good job following up on that one...which is dumb, because it's not like the Selig's own the team anymore. Ah well.

[NYChez]

A follow up question wasn't necessary because Yount was simply stating a fact. How could anyone, including Selig, challenge Yount's claim?

[jwill535]

Its pretty common knowledge that Yount wasnt on the best of terms with the team for a couple years.

[endaround]

Yount was done. Its hard to find another player who went from MVP to crap the next season, but Yount pretty much did.

[Nottso]

I saw it, and the thought of him bashing Selig never entered my mind. I took it as more of a comment on how baseball began to change as a whole during that time period, and that the Brewers were unfortunately (and unavoidably) on the bad end of those changes. Of course, that could have just been my perspective.

[Invader3K]

I saw it, and the thought of him bashing Selig never entered my mind. I took it as more of a comment on how baseball began to change as a whole during that time period, and that the Brewers were unfortunately (and unavoidably) on the bad end of those changes. Of course, that could have just been my perspective.

I guess I took it as partly him blaming the ownership at the time, but also stating that the whole dynamic of baseball was changing at that point.

[davego]

I love Robin like everyone does, but at the time they signed him I sort of thought they were choosing between him and Paul. I just thought they were making the wrong call.

 

Robin wasn't wrong with what he said, but let's not forget his tank was pretty dry, too.

 

Just throwing this out there; but I've wondered before if both Robin and the 'Crew might have been better off if Yount would have signed with California when he had a chance.

[1992casey]

JoeHova's summary doesn't sound like anything personal, and it certainly doesn't sound like bashing. It's simply an assessment of how he felt things were at the time.

[Mr QL]

I was at Chili's and didn't see this. Was Yount, perhaps, a little "tipsy" when he said this?

 

I'm not accusing him of being "Rick Sutcliffe" in the booth; I'm just curious.

Well, he did make a joke about Rollie Fingers being the father of his grandchild. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif

[The Truth]

Bud Selig deserves to be trashed. He treated the Brewers like a tax write off for a long long time.

[Patrick425]

Bud Selig deserves to be trashed. He treated the Brewers like a tax write off for a long long time.

If you are a Brewer Fan I will never understand how you can bash Selig. Be dissapointed with how he ran the team at times?..maybe.

 

Selig brought baseball back to Milwaukee under impossible circumstances. He got a State of the Art stadium built in a hostile political climate full of people who have no vision of the future for Milwaukee. Without the new stadium, I'm convinced there is no MLB team (again, a team that he made possibe) in Milwaukee right now. Did he make a lot of money on the sale of the team because of Miller Park. Yes. So what? If you spend $100K a year in the 5 county area (which few people do), you are paying $100 a year for the opportunity to have a MLB team in your community. Mos people spend much less than that. Not a bad trade off, even if you are not a baseball fan, unless of course you prefer to live in a place similar Omaha or Des Moines. People that live in Milwaukee should be very grateful for some of the "bigger city" stuff we have in this town. Selig is very much responsible for part of that.

 

My avatar is Selig because he is my all time favorite Brewer. Without him, I would not be going to the game tonight with my son.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Bud Selig deserves to be trashed. He treated the Brewers like a tax write off for a long long time.

If you are a Brewer Fan I will never understand how you can bash Selig. Be dissapointed with how he ran the team at times?..maybe.

 

Selig brought baseball back to Milwaukee under impossible circumstances. He got a State of the Art stadium built in a hostile political climate full of people who have no vision of the future for Milwaukee. Without the new stadium, I'm convinced there is no MLB team (again, a team that he made possibe) in Milwaukee right now. Did he make a lot of money on the sale of the team because of Miller Park. Yes. So what? If you spend $100K a year in the 5 county area (which few people do), you are paying $100 a year for the opportunity to have a MLB team in your community. Mos people spend much less than that. Not a bad trade off, even if you are not a baseball fan, unless of course you prefer to live in a place similar Omaha or Des Moines. People that live in Milwaukee should be very grateful for some of the "bigger city" stuff we have in this town. Selig is very much responsible for part of that.

 

My avatar is Selig because he is my all time favorite Brewer. Without him, I would not be going to the game tonight with my son.

+1

 

I have been a Selig apologist all my life. Unfortunately, too many people take the "what have you done for me lately" tact. They forget that without Bud Selig there is no Milwaukee Brewers. Period.

 

I think they see a frail, awkward old looking man with goofy glasses and a bad comb over and decide that he must be a doofus. I haven't always agreed with Selig, but I'm thankful for what he means to baseball in Milwaukee.

[NYChez]

Yount was done. Its hard to find another player who went from MVP to crap the next season, but Yount pretty much did.

Back in the old days, guys didn't start hitting 73 home runs when they turned 40. Yount may have been one of the last MVP's prior to the steroid era becoming in full bloom.

[AdvantageSchneider]

Selig will start to look a lot better to many Milwaukeeans once the Bucks leave town. Then people will really know what Bud did for this town.

 

I don't begrudge Yount his opinion. I don't think he said anything most is not all brewer's fans felt at some point.

[BrewCrewForever]

I will always be thankful to Selig for bringing back baseball to Milwaukee in 1970. But I will never forgive him for handing the team over to his daughter and letting her run the team into the ground for years and blowing up the team after the 92' season. I am thankful they approved the sale to Mark Attanasio, thanks for that Bud.

[tomwopat]

If I remember correctly, Robin was skeptical about coming back after his 1989 MVP season, wanting to play for a winner, but after talks with Selig he decided to stay, netting a big fat paycheck. It's hard for me to consider these comments in the light of those actions, especially when you trash your former boss and the current commissioner at the same time.

 

Anyone care to correct my recollections on this?

 

Robin is one of my favorite of all time Brewers, so I'm hoping the "tipsy" theory holds true.

 

I would have loved to have seen the Brewers retain Molitor, but in reality, they could have saved legions of fans with better PR.