BUD SELIG'S PLAN IS NOW COMPLETE... I GUESS

I was never a fan of Bud Selig as Baseball Commissioner.  Not that I could do a better job, I am not sure I could, but for the time he's been here, he created most of the problems only to then blame others and correct.  Don’t feel me? Feel this…

I am pretty hell bent on accusing Bud Selig as turning a blind eye to steroid use in the 1990’s in Major League Baseball. Not that he was sticking a needle in Mark McGwire's ass or anything, but I have my suspicions on NOT doing certain things he should have been doing to prevent it.

No, I wasn’t a fly on the wall, I wasn’t in their meetings, but I was a fan who wanted to walk away from a dying game after the 1994 strike.  Then, when I saw big home runs and a lot of excitement in the MLB, I came back. We all did.  Little did I know that baseball was infested with steroids at the time. One person, or shall I say, large groups of MLB employees got whiff of it, I'm convinced, but at the time baseball was dying. Fans were all leaving. 

The thinking in the MLB offices was “If homers bring fans back again, let’s let it happen.”  We all fell for it, because it was a boom in baseball again.  Bud Selig was the Commissioner.  Bud Selig did nothing about it then… it was a money grab and he was on top. In other words, why clean up baseball if it's bringing the fans back?

But as fast as we came back, suddenly... there were question marks… “Well, why are these players so big?” and “How did no one come close to Roger Maris and his 61 home run record all these years, but then 3 players passed him in a 6 year period?” Plus, there was BALCO which didn’t help anyone in Major League Baseball. The pressure was on.  The players got greedy and Major League Baseball was under a microscope.  They acted stupid.  They made it seem like they had no idea what was going on. At that time, I was sure they were bullshitting me.  But they did their dog and pony show. 

Players went in front of congress… players denied steroid use or refused to speak about it's current state.  By the way, those same players have all either admitted use or gotten caught since then. Congress was clueless, but got their autographs and Bud Selig acted like his world was falling apart, and they put in place a comprehensive drug policy.  OK… case closed… right? Wrong.

No one ever fingered Selig and his “What did he know and when did he know it?" drama. No, instead it was deflected onto the players.  Baseball went on.

Players got caught, and in the beginning, it was a big deal to be suspended… but then the trend happened. Players got suspended and disappeared more and more.  Then they came back “clean” like they went to a country club or something. Cheaters resumed play… some got caught for a second time.  It was clear… the policy didn’t work.

With Bud Selig under pressure to do something again, as well as coming to the end of his time as commissioner, a new plan was hatched. This plan however was not to curb steroid use as much as it was to make Bud Selig’s legacy look real good as he walked into the sunset.

(In Photo: Biogenesis clinic)
When the Biogenesis Miami clinic made headlines, the pressure was on, and so… Selig, who wanted to walk out of MLB like a champ, got wind that players were not following, or not caring about his lenient drug policy, so he did something “big.” BIG is in quotes, because as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

 And here we are... Selig got some big names, one of them being Alex Rodriguez.  Sure, Ryan Braun was caught, this time for a second time, but Braun did the disappearing act the caught players are allowed to do in MLB. No... Selig wanted ARod. But here's the problem... ARod won't go quietly.  ARod will not let Selig have his "MLB is clean" legacy.  He's appealed... and now it's on like Donkey Kong.

So... what will happen? We'll wait and see.  Erica Morales will have some coverage on ARod tomorrow... look for it... and ask yourself a question... sure, we all want baseball cleaned up... but did Bud Selig really accomplish anything?

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