The convergence of baseball and politics
Bud Selig ate the first draft of this post...or Blogger...or the damned Wintel machine I was writing it on at the time...
When I foolishly decided to "start a blog" a few years ago, and was performing the set-up, Blogger asked how the blog should be described. I was stumped for about a week and a half, then smiled, and typed, "Musings on the convergence of baseball and politics." I thought to myself, "That sounds mildly amusing and unique." After all, no one seemed to be writing on such an association. Why would they? Yeah, sure, every now and then there's a congressional hearing regarding MLB's anti-trust exemption, and yeah, lots of baseball bloggers were making mentions now and then of the zany antics of a certain former Texas Rangers owner/executive. But a convergence? C'mon.
Little did I know just such a thing -- a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup moment -- was just over the horizon...
Oh, really. Those questions apparently caused "fans and observers (and who are these observers who aren't fans? Baseball anthropologists?)" to go through the turnstiles in record numbers last year. Those questions will no doubt cause fans to sell out virtually every "businessman's special" at PacBell -- or whatever corporation owns the naming rights to the Giants' home field this year -- Park. And those questions are surely the reason the NY Mets, with variable ticket pricing, rate the games with only two teams worthy of the highest regular season prices: their crosstown rivals and the Giants. And in the latter's case, I don't think that's because that team used to play in The Polo Grounds and the orange in the Metropolitans' unis come from that heritage. Nor do I think the Mets' faithful are coming out for the pleasure of seeing an old favorite, Armando Benitez, who, shall we say, lit up many a late night in Queens a few years back while "closing" for the Mets.
No, chicks dig the long ball, and fans will flock all year to see Bonds, unless the baseball faeries grant Bud his wish and turn Barry's knees to sawdust or his elbow to an animal-shaped balloon.
If Selig had chosen a John Dowd to investigate the allegations, the Vega might look at this with a somewhat less jaundiced eye. But Mitchell? Loved his role in bringing a fragile peace to Ireland as Clinton's envoy to the negotiations. Loved even more his role in exasperating the 41st president of the U.S. at every turn when he was Senate majority leader.
But in this role he's not there to investigate Bonds. What, really is there to investigate? Bonds used steroids. Baseball had no policy on steroids. There was no sign hanging in every locker room. He's there for two reasons. To serve as a bridge between baseball and those cranky, crazy ol' bastards on Capitol Hill. And to deliver the report Selig's looking for that will give the commiss some fig leaf to hide behind to publicly "impose sanctions" on Bonds.
Sanctions that will be roundly rejected by the Players' Union.
Though probably not before Congress asserts itself once again. Convergence.
Man, I soooo cannot wait for Opening Day.
When I foolishly decided to "start a blog" a few years ago, and was performing the set-up, Blogger asked how the blog should be described. I was stumped for about a week and a half, then smiled, and typed, "Musings on the convergence of baseball and politics." I thought to myself, "That sounds mildly amusing and unique." After all, no one seemed to be writing on such an association. Why would they? Yeah, sure, every now and then there's a congressional hearing regarding MLB's anti-trust exemption, and yeah, lots of baseball bloggers were making mentions now and then of the zany antics of a certain former Texas Rangers owner/executive. But a convergence? C'mon.
Little did I know just such a thing -- a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup moment -- was just over the horizon...
"Nothing is more important to me than the integrity of the game of baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said at a news conference in New York, in which he announced that George Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader from Maine, would lead the investigation.
Selig, sitting next to Mitchell in baseball's headquarters in Manhattan, said that he had asked Mitchell to conduct the investigation assisted by members of his firm and that the conclusions would be made public.
Mitchell said that the allegations of steroid use "have caused fans and observers to question the integrity of play at the highest level of our national game" and that "those allegations require close scrutiny."
Oh, really. Those questions apparently caused "fans and observers (and who are these observers who aren't fans? Baseball anthropologists?)" to go through the turnstiles in record numbers last year. Those questions will no doubt cause fans to sell out virtually every "businessman's special" at PacBell -- or whatever corporation owns the naming rights to the Giants' home field this year -- Park. And those questions are surely the reason the NY Mets, with variable ticket pricing, rate the games with only two teams worthy of the highest regular season prices: their crosstown rivals and the Giants. And in the latter's case, I don't think that's because that team used to play in The Polo Grounds and the orange in the Metropolitans' unis come from that heritage. Nor do I think the Mets' faithful are coming out for the pleasure of seeing an old favorite, Armando Benitez, who, shall we say, lit up many a late night in Queens a few years back while "closing" for the Mets.
No, chicks dig the long ball, and fans will flock all year to see Bonds, unless the baseball faeries grant Bud his wish and turn Barry's knees to sawdust or his elbow to an animal-shaped balloon.
If Selig had chosen a John Dowd to investigate the allegations, the Vega might look at this with a somewhat less jaundiced eye. But Mitchell? Loved his role in bringing a fragile peace to Ireland as Clinton's envoy to the negotiations. Loved even more his role in exasperating the 41st president of the U.S. at every turn when he was Senate majority leader.
But in this role he's not there to investigate Bonds. What, really is there to investigate? Bonds used steroids. Baseball had no policy on steroids. There was no sign hanging in every locker room. He's there for two reasons. To serve as a bridge between baseball and those cranky, crazy ol' bastards on Capitol Hill. And to deliver the report Selig's looking for that will give the commiss some fig leaf to hide behind to publicly "impose sanctions" on Bonds.
Sanctions that will be roundly rejected by the Players' Union.
Though probably not before Congress asserts itself once again. Convergence.
Man, I soooo cannot wait for Opening Day.
posted by John at 8:11 PM
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