MLB Acting Commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement
yesterday afternoon in response to Murray Chass's report in
the N.Y. Times that Selig was about to be named permanent
MLB Commissioner. Selig: "There has been and continues to
be much speculation that I will accept the position of
Commissioner, and many club owners have approached me about
taking it. There is a greater degree of urgency now and the
matter will have to be addressed soon. However, all such
speculation is premature and the report that I have accepted
the job is untrue" (MLB). Chass reports today that Selig
"has not decided when to call" MLB owners together "to elect
him commissioner," but the meeting "will very likely take
place after the All-Star Game" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/19). USA
TODAY's Hal Bodley reports that before Selig becomes
commissioner, "a lot must be negotiated: compensation,
length of term, how often he's in New York and the
credibility problems of placing" the Brewers in a trust (USA
TODAY, 6/19). In Milwaukee, Tom Haudricourt reports that
Selig "no longer would be required" to relocate to New York:
"He could stay in Milwaukee, or at the very worst establish
an office in Chicago, while jointly running the game with
[MLB COO Paul] Beeston" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/19).
CONFLICTS? Haudricourt adds that before a vote could be
taken on Selig, he would "have to divest himself of his
title as Brewers president as well as his share of the club"
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/19). In DC, Thomas Heath
examines the potential conflicts of interest facing Selig,
even after divesting his Brewers interest. Cubs President &
CEO Andy MacPhail: "I don't know where a case of a material
conflict has arisen, but the perception that the game is
governed by an owner rather than an independent commissioner
is troublesome." Giants Managing General Partner &
President Peter Magowan: "I believe that there have been
instances where at least an appearance of conflict, if not a
conflict itself, has been raised by his being both and owner
and the commissioner" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/19). One "high-
ranking" MLB official told the K.C. STAR that he was
"concerned, because we have to get and keep harmony between
the owners and players" (Zack Burgess, K.C. STAR, 6/19).
BUDS OF SELIG: In L.A., Ross Newhan reports that,
according to sources, Beeston and Twins Owner Carl Pohlad
have been "influential in orchestrating a draft" of Selig
"widely endorsed by small-market clubs." Selig has "also
won the Dodgers' allegiances by supporting" Fox in its
"sometimes contentious" acquisition of the team (L.A. TIMES,
6/19). Pohlad said, "He's got no choice. We'll make him do
it" (Tom Haudricourt, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/19).
REAX: In Philadelphia, Rich Hofman calls MLB "brain-
dead" for naming Selig: "How can you vote to hire a guy as
your most visible public spokesman and have him be the same
guy who will forever be linked to the announcement that
canceled the 1994 World Series?" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS,
6/19). In St. Paul, under the header, "Selig's Ascension Is
Cronyism At Its Worst," Tom Powers writes Selig is "happy to
be [ownerships'] stooge" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/19). In
Hartford, Jack O'Connell writes under the header, "Owners To
Get Their Figurehead" (HARTFORD COURANT, 6/19). In Toronto,
Richard Griffin writes that fans will be "numbed" by the
announcement. Griffin: "But for jaded owners ... apathy is
tantamount to approval" (TORONTO STAR, 6/19). In K.C., Mike
Vaccaro says Selig is "not the man" for the job: "He has
served his time, fought his fight. It's somebody else's war
now. It has to be" (K.C. STAR, 6/19). In Milwaukee, Dale
Hoffman, who wants Selig to stay with the Brewers, calls him
"absolutely the wrong man for the job," and writes that MLB
should look for someone else and "leave [Selig] alone"
(JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/19). But in N.Y., Claire Smith writes
that if Selig "is finally willing to accept the job, he must
accept the challenges to try to make a difference even when
intransigence is the safer bet" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/19). ESPN's
Harold Reynolds said MLB needs someone who isn't afraid to
act in the "best interest of baseball." Reynolds: "If Bud
Selig can play that role, and not be partial in any way,
then fine." ESPN's Gary Miller: "It's all about dollars
right now, not about sense" ("Baseball Tonight," 6/18).