August 19, 2004
Washington and Angelos
Soccer Dad states his dislike for Angelos and cites evidence that Washington baseball fans want their own team.
Of course, they'd have a team if they'd just come up with the extortion money.
Any time somebody comes along and tries to defend Selig just because it's possible to point to a few good things he's done, I can think of a number of things he's done that are just so glaringly bad for the game that it makes me want to puke. One of those things is the sorry treatment of the Expos. Can you imagine if the players decided they'd go on strike until the owners finally found the Expos a permanent home and a real owner? Selig is so afraid of offending one owner that he doesn't realize what a crime he's committing against the Expos players, the Montreal fans, the Washington fans, fans in general, and players in general. It traces back to the very core of the problem with Selig--- the role of baseball commissioner is supposed to be someone who looks out for the interests of baseball. But Selig looks out for the interests of the owners, and the owners only, because he was one for many years and his family still is.
Maybe what baseball needs is something akin to the prime minister/monarch split constitutional monarchies have. Have a business guy out there making business decisions for baseball. And then have somebody who embodies the spirit of the game out there with veto power and the power and willingness to end disputes by fiat.
Adam
Adam,
Would you not hand pick the commissioner if you were an owner, or would you want someone looking out for the interests of everyone else? Of course, one can argue that Bud's decisions have harmed the game in such a way that it hurts the owners, but it's really not up to you (or other fans) to make that call.
Personally, I don't think Bud is that great, but it's hardly armageddon out there. The Expos situation is a disaster, but it is a disaster because the team cant' generate any revenue, and there aren't any easy solutions to the problem. Washington? Angelos, ballpark, failure of 2 franchises. Portland? Very small market. Charlotte/Tidewater? You're kidding, right? It's really an easy problem, isn't it?
the reason it's not an easy problem is that ol bud hasn't gotten the extortion (good word, dave) money yet. or figured out how to shut up angelos yet. or how to deal with the RICO problem, which, if not settled out of court, wil force mlb to open books. worse than having to pay players!!!!
and selig realizes what a crime he's comitting against expo fans. he doesn't give a rat's hindend. bud has zippo interest in what's best for baseball. bud cares only about owners' pockets and screwing taxpayers. i don't want to wish he drops dead, but i sure do wish he resigns for whatever reason. before he does MORE harm.
"and selig realizes what a crime he's comitting against expo fans."
Is that a joke? If you took the $50 to $75 million in extortion money to be paid to Angelos and instead paid it to every 1999 vintage Expo fan, they'd each have about $50 grand. The team has not even had ANY local tv money since something like 98 or 99.