Selig plans to step down after 2012 season.

[logan82]

Put the WBC in Debatable/TBD and I agree with your list.

[HiAndTight]

I have to repeat this every time the subject of Selig and what he did as an owner of the Brewers comes up. I don't know how anyone who is a Brewer fan can criticize his ownership tenure here. If I had to pick one personal hero for myself when it comes to baseball and how that person has effected my love for the game, it's Bud Selig.

I can't tell you how incredibly refreshing it is to hear such a perspective.

 

I have long since stopped arguing with people who think Selig is the baseball anti-christ. It's truly maddening how chastized Selig has been throughout his career and for what? Because of roids, the strike, the ASG and what? That the Brewers were bad when he was the owner? Again, let us not forget that he left in 1994 and relinquished control of the team. Now leaving the team in the very incapable hands of Wendy and Laurel is on him, but that aside, he has been the hero for Milwaukee and Wisconsin Baseball fans.

 

 

No Bud Selig DOES equal no baseball in this state. At least IMO. There are far other places as likely if not more likely to get a team than us, and were it not for Bud fighting to bring it back in '69, who would have?

 

 

Bottom line, he's left the game in this state SOOOOO much better off, and he's left the game as a whole much better off IMO. And he does it without the righteous indignation that a certain previous Commish who cannot allow himself to be out of the headlines and who choses to undermine virtually every decision that Selig makes.

[Invader3K]

Hearing people bring up the All-Star Game tie as a reason to dislike Selig reminds me of those "fans" I encounter every once in a while that no longer watch baseball because of the strike back in '94. It's like, "let it go already."

 

Personally, while I think the idea of a tie was kind of stupid at the time, at least it makes people remember that game. If that game hadn't ended in a tie, I doubt it would have been that much more memorable than others.

[Tbadder]

I think what I'll remember most about the Bud Selig era is how Scot Boras and the like consolidated their hold on baseball.

 

He is no doubt a sincere guy who loves baseball, and when I look at the very nice list compiled by obsessedwithbrewcrew I'd have to say he did a fair job, and that's where I'd place him objectively--somewhere in the middle of the most effective or ineffective commissioners. Subjectively, he didn't do enough for me and I won't miss him. Many of the annoying little problems have been fixed under Bud's watch, but it's most fundamental problems remain.

[kramnoj]

I think what I'll remember most about the Bud Selig era is how Scot Boras and the like consolidated their hold on baseball.

 

What kind of hold are you referring to? An agent negotiates a deal between a team and a player. If the team doesn't want to pay the player, the agent can't force them to.

 

Baseball has never been healthier, there's no reason players shouldn't get paid their fair share.

[Patrick425]

Invader3K[/b]]Hearing people bring up the All-Star Game tie as a reason to dislike Selig reminds me of those "fans" I encounter every once in a while that no longer watch baseball because of the strike back in '94. It's like, "let it go already."

No Kidding! I was at that game and when I was walking to my car, I just thought "Wow, that was weird", but I had no idea how outraged some fans would become about it. I got in my car, turned on the radio, and I could not believe the venom spewing from the mouths of callers in a post game talk show. Why?

 

It's an exhibition game! Give it a rest already.

[Patrick425]

snyttri[/b]]Although Bud seems like a great down to earth guy who loves baseball and was friendly to me when I met him at a convenience store I don't think he is above criticism.

I agree that he's not above criticism. No one is. Two things that I will criticize Selig for:

 

A: Tying the All-Star game to home field for the WS. Was an over reaction and was not necessary.

B. I cringe every time he refers to this era of baseball as the "Golden Era" of baseball. I personally think there is a lot more to that label than just looking at attendance and revenues.

[TooLiveBrew]

I agree with most that Bud the Commish has been pretty good & definitely over-criticized. However, I'm hopeful that his moving on will open up expansion of instant replay & technological innovations in the game's officiating (discussed at length in the 'Worst Call of the Year' thread). It's long overdue, and imho an embarrassment to baseball at this point.

[HiAndTight]

Hearing people bring up the All-Star Game tie as a reason to dislike Selig reminds me of those "fans" I encounter every once in a while that no longer watch baseball because of the strike back in '94. It's like, "let it go already."

 

Personally, while I think the idea of a tie was kind of stupid at the time, at least it makes people remember that game. If that game hadn't ended in a tie, I doubt it would have been that much more memorable than others.

Those people never were fans to begin with. They didn't love baseball.

 

Anyway, just because there is a bad outcome doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. You can't throw pitchers extra innings in an All-Star game. Not to sure how happy a team would be having a closer ruin his arm in a playoff race. Actually, I am. Ask Charlie Manuel. Real or not, the Phillies weren't happy, nor were the Rays, and that was just simply because those pitchers had to pitch last year.

[HiAndTight]

I agree with most that Bud the Commish has been pretty good & definitely over-criticized. However, I'm hopeful that his moving on will open up expansion of instant replay & technological innovations in the game's officiating (discussed at length in the 'Worst Call of the Year' thread). It's long overdue, and imho an embarrassment to baseball at this point.

I hope you're wrong, but my fear is that Bud was the progressive one of the group and all the owners were the ones who didn't want to change.

 

Maybe if W comes in he'll be able to ram things through just as if he was still in office....

[razzzorsharp]

If Bud had an ounce of charisma he would be looked upon completely differently by the media.

 

It's very dumb.

[TooLiveBrew]

razzzorsharp: As some other posters have mentioned, to hear Selig speak about baseball, you don't notice a lack of charisma. Or, believe it or not, even a lack of humor. I saw him speak at the Hillel chapter at UW-Madison a few years ago, and it was great. Definitely not what I was expecting http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I agree with most that Bud the Commish has been pretty good & definitely over-criticized. However, I'm hopeful that his moving on will open up expansion of instant replay & technological innovations in the game's officiating (discussed at length in the 'Worst Call of the Year' thread). It's long overdue, and imho an embarrassment to baseball at this point.

I hope you're wrong, but my fear is that Bud was the progressive one of the group and all the owners were the ones who didn't want to change.

 

Maybe if W comes in he'll be able to ram things through just as if he was still in office....

 

Sheesh, I hope Bud wasn't the progressive one. He made several comments that he had no interest in expanding instant replay beyond what it is now, so that's what I was referencing.

[Tbadder]

I think what I'll remember most about the Bud Selig era is how Scot Boras and the like consolidated their hold on baseball.

 

What kind of hold are you referring to? An agent negotiates a deal between a team and a player. If the team doesn't want to pay the player, the agent can't force them to.

 

Baseball has never been healthier, there's no reason players shouldn't get paid their fair share.

 

Maybe economically it is stronger, but econmoically it is still skewed tremendously (which leads it to be skewed competitively) and it is Scott Boras' job to use that to his advantage. It is a travesty what has happened in the draft and free agency and that can be laid at the feet of people like Boras. He isn't the only one obviously, and the owners have to look at themselves as well, but all one has to do is look at this years world series winner and one could make a case for saying that it was player agents who determined the competitive outcome. And I don't want to hear the old saws about "but nobody put a gun to their head" or "but that's the system" or blah, blah, blah. The system is broke. Money determines the winners, and the few anomalies we have doesn't make up for the year in year out frustration, the year in year out sense of inevitability. But to be a Brewer fan, or Royals fan, or Padres fan, or Pirates fan...and support this system, well, on some level that isn't a fan at all or a fan with an aberrant taste for punishment. Bud should have been hammering this home everyday of his tenure. he should have taken it to every city that supports baseball and said "you can demand a better system out of the owners, the players, the agents, the unions, etc." but he didn't and for me that makes him an average commissioner.

[HiAndTight]

TooLiveBrew wrote:

 

 

Sheesh, I hope Bud wasn't the progressive one. He made several comments that he had no interest in expanding instant replay beyond what it is now, so that's what I was referencing.

Hey, all I'm saying is that it appears that Bud's been the one trying to bring the owners along in virtually every move for the last 10 years.

 

I don't mean he's "progressive'', just realitively speaking he's progressive. MLB Owners are an stuffy old group that does not like change.

 

With regard to the instant replay, I haven't followed the comments he's made very closely, so I don't know what he's said, or how he's said it, but I'll take your word that he's been very much against it.

 

Which is disappointing. I consider myself a "traditionalist", but there's simply no reason to not have instant replay on fair/foul balls. Beyond that it gets a little iffy for me. Do you want to have instant replay on every out call at 1st base? We're talking about a slow game getting even slower....which is fine for me, I love 5 hour games, but most people hate them.

 

If anything you do it like CFB and have a guy upstairs who is in communication with the Home Plate ump and he reviews questionable plays and makes the call so they don't all have to go behind the dugout and make the call.

 

For the record, I think that GW would be a good commish. I'm not going to get into politics other than to say I was not a fan of his administration, but I think he'd be a great commish.

[HiAndTight]

Maybe economically it is stronger, but econmoically it is still skewed tremendously (which leads it to be skewed competitively) and it is Scott Boras' job to use that to his advantage. It is a travesty what has happened in the draft and free agency and that can be laid at the feet of people like Boras. He isn't the only one obviously, and the owners have to look at themselves as well, but all one has to do is look at this years world series winner and one could make a case for saying that it was player agents who determined the competitive outcome. And I don't want to hear the old saws about "but nobody put a gun to their head" or "but that's the system" or blah, blah, blah. The system is broke. Money determines the winners, and the few anomalies we have doesn't make up for the year in year out frustration, the year in year out sense of inevitability. But to be a Brewer fan, or Royals fan, or Padres fan, or Pirates fan...and support this system, well, on some level that isn't a fan at all or a fan with an aberrant taste for punishment. Bud should have been hammering this home everyday of his tenure. he should have taken it to every city that supports baseball and said "you can demand a better system out of the owners, the players, the agents, the unions, etc." but he didn't and for me that makes him an average commissioner.

I have a hard time faulting Bud for not taking on the worlds most powerful union yet again just a mere decade after a devastating strike, however needed that action may have been.

 

Frankly, as much as I love the game of baseball and how much I would miss it, I would welcome a 18 month strike, or even a 2 year strike if it meant that there would be something resembling a level playing field.

 

I see no reason why MLB cannot institute a system somewhat similar to the NFL, the most powerful sports league in the country.

 

Set the salary cap at maybe 150 and the floor at 75, and make it so that it goes into effect 6-7 years down the road, and that for every dollar over you pay a dollar in a tax like the NBA.

 

Actually I guess I would combine the NFL and NBA. More revenue sharing, a floor and a ceiling, and you do allow those big market teams to go over, but they would have to pay a tax. Hell, you could even have the tax be something like 50 cents on the dollar.

 

Spend 200 with a 150 cap and you spend 25 million to be divided up between the rest of the teams.

 

Take 20 pct of the total gate reciepts and divide those up amongst the rest of the MLB teams.

Take 20-25 pct of everyone's TV deal and divide those up.

 

 

I believe the NFL is significantly higher in all respects.

 

 

Of course this will never happen, but just imagine if the Brewers had an additional 20 million dollars to spend? You add John Lackey, possibly Derek Lowe and bring back Mike Cameron this season, and lock up Prince Fielder. All of those would be very, very possible if the Brewers had 105-110 to spend this year. Not talking about signing the best TWO pitchers and the top position player in one off-season as the Yankee's did, just spending enough to stay competitive.

[davego]

Just my 2-cents, but I consider Bud a personal hero in him bringing baseball back to Wisconsin and doing what he could to keep it going here. Not a guy w/o flaws, but has my gratitude. As Comish, I think he did the best anyone could while trying to avoid (another) blow-out with the union.

[LouisEly]

I agree that he's not above criticism. No one is. Two things that I will criticize Selig for:

 

A: Tying the All-Star game to home field for the WS. Was an over reaction and was not necessary.

B. I cringe every time he refers to this era of baseball as the "Golden Era" of baseball. I personally think there is a lot more to that label than just looking at attendance and revenues.

If those are the two biggest gripes someone has against a baseball commissioner, then I'd say that he's done a pretty darned good job.

 

Hey, all I'm saying is that it appears that Bud's been the one trying to bring the owners along in virtually every move for the last 10 years.

 

I agree with that whole-heartedly, and I think it might surprise people how much difference there really is amongst the owners and not just about salary cap/revenue sharing.

 

Take 20-25 pct of everyone's TV deal and divide those up.

 

I've been saying that for years, and not just 25% - I think it should be 50%.

[kramnoj]

Money determines the winners, and the few anomalies we have doesn't make up for the year in year out frustration, the year in year out sense of inevitability.

 

How does this represent any hold Boras has? The Yankees would spend the most money in the current system because they can, it has nothing to do with Boras.

 

You can certainly blame Selig for not having a more equitable revenue sharing program, and there are recent comments from John Henry that indicate he is interested in change.

 

The most interesting thing about the new CBA could be the fighting between the owners. Reaching a deal with the players may be the easiest part.

[Invader3K]

I'd be interested in seeing those comments from Henry that you're referring to, kramnoj.

[kramnoj]

I defintely should have provided a link, here it is http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/12/red_sox_owner_j.html

 

Selected quotes

 

"Change is needed and that is reflected by the fact that over a billion dollars have been paid to seven chronically uncompetitive teams, five of whom have had baseball's highest operating profits," Henry responded in an e-mail. "Who, except these teams, can think this is a good idea?"

 

Henry wrote that baseball "needs slotting for amateurs, a worldwide amateur draft and most importantly, an effective competitive balance tax that directly addresses disparity once and for all for baseball."

 

Here's how Henry's system would work:

 

"It's a very simple approach in which payroll tax dollars replace revenue sharing dollars and go directly to the clubs that need revenues in order to meet minimum payrolls that should be imposed on each club receiving revenue. Further, players would have to be protected with a guaranteed minimum percentage of overall revenues. This would be a very simple and effective method in reducing top payrolls and increasing bottom payrolls with no tax on revenues," Henry wrote.

[TooLiveBrew]

Hey, all I'm saying is that it appears that Bud's been the one trying to bring the owners along in virtually every move for the last 10 years.

Oh, I wasn't doubting you... just saying that if he is (in regards to Replay/Officiating changes), it's not a good sign for someone like me that wants to see the game updated. You're obv. right on the MLB owners being resistant to change. I think if Henry's idea from kramnoj's post is seriously considered, it'll mostly be due to the closing sentence from the last paragraph.

[Invader3K]

Some tidbits available from a recent interview with new MLBPA head Michael Weiner:

 

Players would like to see the first round of playoffs expand to best-of-seven when their next labor contract starts in 2012, Michael Weiner said Wednesday in his first news conference since replacing Donald Fehr as the union head.

 

"There is a lot of sentiment for a seven-game division series," Weiner said. "I think a properly constructed postseason schedule could accommodate three seven-game series but still have it extend over a shorter period of time than what happened this year."

 

Weiner hopes the length of the postseason can be shortened next year and was happy to hear commissioner Bud Selig say he will try to cut off days. Four extra days off were added in 2007 at the request of baseball's television broadcasters. As a result, the Angels and Yankees played just eight games in the first 20 days of the playoffs.

 

I saw elsewhere that he said the union would be on board with an international draft, but would not approve a salary floor, as one would guess.

[TooLiveBrew]

Glad to hear there's momentum for expanding the first round to 7 games. There's obviously plenty of time to fit the extra games in.