Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
September 01, 2002
Gammons on the Aftermath:

Peter Gammons has an excellent article on how the fans have to be brought back into the game. Some salient paragraphs:


What was striking about the press conference is that not once did Selig mention the word "fans." To many fans, this could be taken as Selig essentially saying, "We've been telling you the players are greedy, mercenary and overrated for two years, and now we're putting millions more into the pockets of certain billionaires without asking them to invest in the game, but owners and players alike expect you to come back, bring your family of four to our games and spend the expected $150. I am the owners' commissioner and you're lucky."


There has been a lot that the Selig administration has accomplished, from the wild card to the forms of revenue sharing. But Cal Ripken, Joe Torre, Mark McGwire and Sosa had a lot to do with making all that successful, and as the sport has eroded in the last four years, the fundamental failure of post-Fay Vincent leadership has been that it was always about beating Donald Fehr. They couldn't do it with collusion, they couldn't do it in 1994, and that is what became the principle goal of the people who run baseball, egged on by a chorus of Jesse Helms wannabes who hate baseball and were willing to strip mine it just to be able to sell for a higher price.

And:


To those of us who love the game and hold deep respect for the skill and character of those who play it, the restoration is the single most important urgent task facing the people who claim the sport's power and authority, and it is far more complex and deep-rooted than a couple of quickie promos. Selig won his campaign against the players, at a cost, and what he needs to remember is that leaders who worry about their own perception rather than their actions are not leaders at all, just followers.


On Wednesday night, Pedro Martinez was facing the Yankees at Fenway, a pleasant, 70ish night. As the game began, out on Yawkey Way tickets were being given away, because the scalpers got no action and were giving them away to the best-looking women they could find.


Pedro vs. Mussina, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Fenway, 300,000 college students back in town ... and they were giving away tickets. That is a cloud that signifies a storm that a cash agreement between billionaires and millionaires won't divert.


It will only be diverted when Selig and the owners realize that what is important is (1) the public -- the fans -- and their relationship with the players and 2) the owners' and players' responsibility to their fans and their communities. If our lives were on videotape, Selig could go back and re-open that press conference. In the absence of videotape, he can begin tomorrow refocusing baseball away from the lunatic fringe owners and to its audience.


Selig has now done what he's wanted to do for 30 years. It's time for him to resign and go back to running the Brewers. Let's get a commissioner that is elected by the owners, players and fans, and is paid by the owners and players. Here's how I'd like to see the commissioner elected:

  • The owners submit 2 names as candidates.

  • The players sumbit 2 names as candidates.

  • Each owner ranks the candidates 1-4.

  • Each team has a vote, where each player ranks the candidates 1-4. The results are tallied similar to an MVP ballot. First place gets 4 points, 2nd place gets 3 points, 3rd place 2 points, fourth place 1 point. Based on these results, the players submit 1 ballot for the team, with the candidates ranked 1-4.

  • The fans, as a whole, get to vote like the players. Fans rank candidates 1-4, the fan vote is tallied like the players, and one ballot is cast for the fans.

  • That gives you 61 ballots, with 4 candidates ranked 1-4. Add the scores up as above, and the person with the most points is commissioner.

I suppose you could give the fans more say, buy making a fan identify him or herself with a team, and have 30 different fan ballots, one for each team. One of the nice things about this type of voting is that you tend to get a consensus 2nd choice, especially when two distinct groups have different preferences. That's why I like the idea of one final fan ballot. It acts as the tie breaker.

Update, 12/18/2003: I just noticed I had All-Star ballot. I meant MVP ballot. I'm made the correction above.


Posted by David Pinto at 12:53 PM | Baseball