MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, "once a staunch opponent"
of MLB teams relocating, said that he "is now much more
willing to accept a move, provided the club has exhausted
all other options," according to Fisher & Tunstall of the
WASHINGTON TIMES. Selig added that franchise moves "soon
may become necessary to help stop the massive revenue
disparity between teams," which he "calls easily the game's
biggest problem." Selig: "If a club can't make it, I can't
force a club to go bankrupt -- that's the key. There's no
question that if a club can't make it and demonstrates that
it's tried to do everything it can, no question it has to
move." But Fisher & Tunstall write that Selig "declined to
address the specific likelihood" of a team moving to DC or
northern VA. Selig said, "I don't want to get into any of
that out of respect for the existing clubs who are trying to
solve their problems" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/26).
WRONG MESSAGE? After MLB VP/On-Field Operations Frank
Robinson suspended 16 Dodgers players and three coaches for
their role in an altercation with Cubs fans on May 16, the
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS' Bill Conlin writes that MLB's
"sudden crackdown" on player behavior "is all about sending
not-too-subtle messages and the coming labor battle" with
the MLBPA, as the owners are "determined to take back
control of their game" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/26). In
Seattle, Jim Caple writes that Robinson "has been on a
crusade to eliminate fighting from baseball, doling out
sentences rarely seen outside the Turkish court system"
(SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 5/26). In Baltimore, John
Eisenberg calls Robinson's ruling "tough, but appropriate"
(Baltimore SUN, 5/26). In San Antonio, Jim Dent says to
"applaud" MLB for "finally taking a stand on something. ...
For the first time, Selig ... has drawn a line in the sand"
(SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/26). But in Orlando, Brian
Schmitz writes that neither Selig nor Robinson "uttered a
discouraging word about the unruly paying customers" at
Wrigley Field. Schmitz: "The kowtowing is not only a
disservice to well-behaved fans, but to the players, who
aren't crazy about brawling, much less, socializing, with
Joe Public as it is" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/26). See (#20).
