New boss in town
Commissioner Selig will have his work cut out for him
Posted: Monday July 13, 1998 04:29 PM
MONTREAL (CNN/SI) -- Finally, baseball has a commissioner again. Not an
interim commissioner. Not a lame duck. But a commissioner with all the
power to get baseball back where it belongs.
New commissioner Bud Selig, who's been the interim commissioner for nearly
six years, will be scrutinized like maybe no commissioner before him. He's
a former owner, so already there are those who distrust him. And when fans
think about the strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series, Bud Selig is
the man who comes to mind for many of them.
Still, Selig is taking the steps that need to be taken. He has relinquished
his powers as owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, so
we won't have a conflict of interest -- which we had the whole time Selig
was interim commissioner. And, hopefully, he will do what he says he will
do, which is to act in the best interests of the game.
Major League Baseball is enjoying a renaissance right now, thanks to Mark McGwire,
Ken Griffey
Jr., Sammy
Sosa, Juan
Gonzalez and others. But things won't always be so good. There are
always problems to be solved and issues that need addressing.
If I could bend the new commissioner's ear for a while, one of the first
things I'd tell him is that we have to bring more uniformity to the game.
For so long, it's been like two totally different games between the
National League and the American League. Interleague play has helped that
some, but we need to take further steps. It has to be one way or the other.
I'm a National Leaguer, so you know what that means: Get rid of the
designated hitter, commissioner.
And this almost goes without saying (though that's what we always think):
Commissioner Selig, stay away from any more labor strife. Fans are finally
coming back to the ballpark. Keep them there.
Baseball is one of the most resilient sports around. It's America's
Pastime. It's apple pie and Chevrolet. It is part of the American way of
life.
But people get so frustrated with collective bargaining agreements, rich
players and rich owners arguing over billions of dollars. I'm sure even the
players and owners are tired of it. So cut it out.
You can't keep testing the faithful or they'll lose faith. Don't let anyone
-- owners, players or anyone else -- mess it up again, Mr. Commissioner.
Remember, the commissioner is someone who shouldn't just represent the
owners or the players. He has to represent the game.
Fans everywhere are counting on you.
The 6-4-3 with Ozzie: It's great to see Philadelphia Phillies
center fielder Doug
Glanville having a terrific year.
"The Smartest Man in the World" -- that's what they called him in the
minors -- is third in the majors with 120 hits, he's hitting .318 and he's
playing a near-flawless field for the Phillies. He's on track to become the
first Philadelphia player with 200 hits in a season since Pete Rose did it
in 1979.
Acquired in a trade for fan favorite Mickey
Morandini before the season, Glanville has helped Phillies fans forget
about Morandini and Lenny Dykstra,
the man he beat out for a spot on the roster.
Glanville, who watched the Phillies as a kid growing up in Hackensack,
N.J., is not your typical ballplayer. He majored in System Science and
Engineering at Penn and once missed a game in college because he had to
study.
Who would have figured he'd turn out to be a pretty darn good major leaguer
after that?
So, here's a hooray for Glanville, showing everybody that all jocks aren't
dummies.
Ozzie Smith, a 15-time All-Star, is baseball analyst for CNN/SI, the
24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. His column
appears every Monday exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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