Commissioner for Life

[Jigga]

As long as Selig is commish, it will still be the "Steroid Era."

[Mac the Knife]

I blame Don Fehr a helluva lot more than Bud for the steroid mess, frankly.

[quantum]

I blame Don Fehr a helluva lot more than Bud for the steroid mess, frankly.

Selig has the responsibility of looking out for what is best for MLB and professional baseball as an institution. Fehr's responsibility lies with representing and protecting the players. If the league had the courage, they could take a stand and force the union to concede to any drug policy necessary. It certainly isn't Fehr's job to concede anything just because Selig & co. are poor negotiators.

This is another example of why the NFL, as an organization, is better than MLB. The NFL commish has real authority to champion what is good for football. The MLB commish is too much of a puppet of the owners and their whims to be effective.

[rams80]

I blame Don Fehr a helluva lot more than Bud for the steroid mess, frankly.

Selig has the responsibility of looking out for what is best for MLB and professional baseball as an institution. Fehr's responsibility lies with representing and protecting the players. If the league had the courage, they could take a stand and force the union to concede to any drug policy necessary. It certainly isn't Fehr's job to concede anything just because Selig & co. are poor negotiators.

This is another example of why the NFL, as an organization, is better than MLB. The NFL commish has real authority to champion what is good for football. The MLB commish is too much of a puppet of the owners and their whims to be effective.

Somehow I can't see them doing it. This isn't like the NFL, which was able to break the union in a dispute. The MLB union is far stronger than the NFL one. If they can't get a salary cap and floor system in place, which most people would agree is to the benefit of the game, they aren't getting a truly strong steroid policy in place over the union's objections.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I don't really care about the steroid thing. I think players have taken any available shortcuts as long as they've been available and really, steroids are no different. There are so many differences across eras in baseball including equipment quality, field dimensions, conditioning, that I don't think steroids have been all the detrimental.

No, I'm pissed at Selig for sucking the joy out of baseball for me. I grew tired of the Yankees' winning ways in the early 2000s and switched my affection to the Montreal Expos. Watching Selig intentionally put that franchise at a competivie disadvantage was disgusting and I can't forgive him for that.

[quantum]

I blame Don Fehr a helluva lot more than Bud for the steroid mess, frankly.

Selig has the responsibility of looking out for what is best for MLB and professional baseball as an institution. Fehr's responsibility lies with representing and protecting the players. If the league had the courage, they could take a stand and force the union to concede to any drug policy necessary. It certainly isn't Fehr's job to concede anything just because Selig & co. are poor negotiators.

This is another example of why the NFL, as an organization, is better than MLB. The NFL commish has real authority to champion what is good for football. The MLB commish is too much of a puppet of the owners and their whims to be effective.

Somehow I can't see them doing it. This isn't like the NFL, which was able to break the union in a dispute. The MLB union is far stronger than the NFL one. If they can't get a salary cap and floor system in place, which most people would agree is to the benefit of the game, they aren't getting a truly strong steroid policy in place over the union's objections.

The league is weak because ultimately, if they had the backbone to do it, they could lock out the players and force them to comply. For example, the NHL took an unpopular stance by locking out the players to force changes in the pay structure. A lack of solidarity on the part of the owners is the problem. The union just takes advantage of their weakness. If the ownership got their :censored: together, they could force change. Hopefully it wouldn't take a lockout to get the two parties to a workable, meaningful solution. History shows that it is not likely they would avoid such a move. Then the real question is will fans turn on ownership for doing a necessary evil?

[mantleisthebest7]

Dang. If only Commisioners like Kenesaw Landis, Happy Chandler, and Ford Frick still around, Baseball would be in a much better place. Selig has just sorta let it go all sorts of chaotic. If Kenesaw Landis was still commisioner (ok I know he died in 1944, but lets say he was commissioner now), I truly believe he wouldve put the Steroid Era to bed before it even started. Just goes to show how bad things are now. Selig is jsut gonna watch baseball go to the dogs for another three years. Great. Just great.

[Mac the Knife]

I blame Don Fehr a helluva lot more than Bud for the steroid mess, frankly.

Selig has the responsibility of looking out for what is best for MLB and professional baseball as an institution. Fehr's responsibility lies with representing and protecting the players. If the league had the courage, they could take a stand and force the union to concede to any drug policy necessary. It certainly isn't Fehr's job to concede anything just because Selig & co. are poor negotiators.

This is another example of why the NFL, as an organization, is better than MLB. The NFL commish has real authority to champion what is good for football. The MLB commish is too much of a puppet of the owners and their whims to be effective.

Selig has to operate within the confines of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement however, which his office and Fehr's have negotiated. The CBA supersedes anything and everything, including the coveted "best interests of baseball" clause in the MLB Constitution. Fehr did everything within his power to stall, obfuscate, and prevent responsible testing measures from being implemented. Granted he was doing his job as he saw it, no question about that; but for that reason I find him far more culpable.

[Mac the Knife]

Dang. If only Commisioners like Kenesaw Landis, Happy Chandler, and Ford Frick still around, Baseball would be in a much better place. Selig has just sorta let it go all sorts of chaotic. If Kenesaw Landis was still commisioner (ok I know he died in 1944, but lets say he was commissioner now), I truly believe he wouldve put the Steroid Era to bed before it even started. Just goes to show how bad things are now. Selig is jsut gonna watch baseball go to the dogs for another three years. Great. Just great.

Perhaps, but if Landis were Commissioner there'd also be no minorities in the game and only 16 franchises in all likelihood. Landis was a good disciplinarian, but the position of Commissioner of any sports league has evolved way beyond that nowadays. A Commissioner is a CEO today, and baseball's commissioners prior to Bowie Kuhn really weren't geared toward that type of role.

[pcgd]

I think Selig was just guilty of being commish when all this went down. He didn't inject anyone with steroids. Its everyone's fault and you can't place blame on everyone.

I don't like everything he's done, but I think the Wild Card was great for baseball. Baseball has record attendance numbers, record tv numbers, a great web pressence. Those are all things that Bud did under his tenure.

And I'm sorry but I'm going to say this. Without steroids, baseball could potentially be well behind hockey in terms of popularity.

I agree, that no matter the time, players would do anything they could to gain a competative edge. For decades it was greenies. There's also been the spitball, scuffing and cutting the ball, corking bats, stealing signs, etc. I still say if the all time greats had steroids readily available to them they would have taken them. Its terrible what they've done, but I can't honestly say that had I been put in their shoes that I would have stayed clean my entire career.

And do people honestly think there aren't steroids or other PEDs in the NFL? Come on. The NFL gets a complete pass on HGH and steroids and baseball gets dragged before congress. Bill Romanawski, the Steelers of the 70s, the 2 linemen and punter from Carolina, Shawn Merriman, Rodney Harrison, I'm sure there are more...much more that made stories. But its just glossed over.

Steroids is not a baseball problem. Its a sports in general and culture problem.

[Fred T. Jane]

Anybody not mind Bud Selig?

I certainly don't agree with all of his moves, but in general, they've been good for baseball.

The steroids thing is a mess, but it'd be wrong to put on soley on his feet. Yes, he's the head of the league and very much responsible, but it also doesn't mean there's a lot he could have done. Everyone turned a blind eye, that's how it was.

Now he's doing a pretty admirable job to erradicate the problem. Baseball continues to grow.

And I truly believe he loves the sport and makes every move he does with his love for the game in mind (though his job is also to be profit driven).

But then again, I don't hate Gary Bettman either. Go figure.

Of course, I don't like Goddell and I didn't like Tagliabue either.

My response?

[mantleisthebest7]

Dang. If only Commisioners like Kenesaw Landis, Happy Chandler, and Ford Frick still around, Baseball would be in a much better place. Selig has just sorta let it go all sorts of chaotic. If Kenesaw Landis was still commisioner (ok I know he died in 1944, but lets say he was commissioner now), I truly believe he wouldve put the Steroid Era to bed before it even started. Just goes to show how bad things are now. Selig is jsut gonna watch baseball go to the dogs for another three years. Great. Just great.

Perhaps, but if Landis were Commissioner there'd also be no minorities in the game and only 16 franchises in all likelihood. Landis was a good disciplinarian, but the position of Commissioner of any sports league has evolved way beyond that nowadays. A Commissioner is a CEO today, and baseball's commissioners prior to Bowie Kuhn really weren't geared toward that type of role.

Im sure as time progressed, Landis would adjust to changes and there would be minorities and more franchises. Keep in mind, Landis was commish from 1921-1944, and those franchises were based in locations that were the ideal locations of the time. Also, Landis died before Branch Rickey even made an effort to sign Jackie Robinson. I can't see Landis putting his foot down to changes like that. By the late 50's and 60's if he were still around, I believe he still wouldve approved relocation and expansion, because Landis always wanted to do what was right for baseball, no matter what he thought of it. He wa a selfless man who never let his opinions get in the way of the people involved with baseball. Baseball would be the same as it is geographically and minority wise today if he were still the commisioner I believe, but in the aspect of steroids and other "dirty" areas of the game, Baseball would be the cleanest game, and would again be America's game. Baseball would be even better today, I believe. Landis was the greatest commissioner in baseball history in my opinion, and baseball's atmosphere today would be different, but for the much better if he was still in office.

[winghaz]

I want Bud Selig to run for president.

If he becomes president, at least he wouldn't be baseball commissioner anymore.

[Mac the Knife]

I want Bud Selig to run for president.

If he becomes president, at least he wouldn't be baseball commissioner anymore.

I'd only vote for him if he arranges to have George W. Bush named Baseball Commissioner, and Cheney his deputy. Now, so they both resign.

[rams80]

I want Bud Selig to run for president.

If he becomes president, at least he wouldn't be baseball commissioner anymore.

I'd only vote for him if he arranges to have George W. Bush named Baseball Commissioner, and Cheney his deputy. Now, so they both resign.

If both Bush and Cheney resign now...we get a Pelosi Presidency. I'm not sure you desire that.

[Mac the Knife]

I want Bud Selig to run for president.

If he becomes president, at least he wouldn't be baseball commissioner anymore.

I'd only vote for him if he arranges to have George W. Bush named Baseball Commissioner, and Cheney his deputy. Now, so they both resign.

If both Bush and Cheney resign now...we get a Pelosi Presidency. I'm not sure you desire that.

For only one year...? I could live with it.

[winghaz]

I want Bud Selig to run for president.

If he becomes president, at least he wouldn't be baseball commissioner anymore.

I'd only vote for him if he arranges to have George W. Bush named Baseball Commissioner, and Cheney his deputy. Now, so they both resign.

If both Bush and Cheney resign now...we get a Pelosi Presidency. I'm not sure you desire that.

For only one year...? I could live with it.

The rest of the country can't.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I would think that, at this point, any right-thinking, rational adult would be seen as an improvement to Bush and Cheney. Of the members of Congress, I can't think of anyone that has as much contempt for the Constitution, or is as ballsy as Bush and Cheney. Simply, anyone -- the Postmaster General and Nancy Pelosi included -- would be seen as an improvement. And considering that Pelosi has been the Democratic House leader for a year and a half now and gays aren't married, San Francisco isn't the new Muslim capital of the United States, and all of the other untold horrors that were supposed to have occurred under her watch didn't, perhaps people can cut her a break.

[rams80]

I would think that, at this point, any right-thinking, rational adult would be seen as an improvement to Bush and Cheney. Of the members of Congress, I can't think of anyone that has as much contempt for the Constitution, or is as ballsy as Bush and Cheney. Simply, anyone -- the Postmaster General and Nancy Pelosi included -- would be seen as an improvement. And considering that Pelosi has been the Democratic House leader for a year and a half now and gays aren't married, San Francisco isn't the new Muslim capital of the United States, and all of the other untold horrors that were supposed to have occurred under her watch didn't, perhaps people can cut her a break.

Her attempts to run foreign policy for this country indicate she may not have the greatest respect for the Constitution either, nor do they indicate that she is any different than Bush in actually reading briefings, memos, and reports.

[DEAD!]

Wow... anything can be turned into a political debate.