Acting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig denied a story that MLB is
investigating whether exiled Reds Owner Marge Schott is
"meddling" in the day-to-day affairs of the franchise. Selig did
say NL President Len Coleman will be "monitoring the situation
very closely." Coleman is in Cincinnati today to review
compliance with MLB's edict (USA TODAY, 6/28). On Thursday, the
DAYTON DAILY NEWS reported that Schott has been upset with new
policies enacted under interim CEO John Allen. One Reds
employee: "She was on a rampage, just sticking her nose into
what everybody was doing and wondering why she didn't have any
checks to sign." Another employee: "I've seen her ranting and
raving and waving her arms in protest" (Hal McCoy, DAYTON DAILY
NEWS, 6/28). An NL spokesperson told ESPN "they will not begin
an investigation unless someone in the Reds organization issues a
complaint" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/27).
NEWS & NOTES: Former minor league ump Craig Compton, fired
in October '94 after being named the top umpire prospect a year
earlier by Baseball America, has filed suit against the NL, AL,
their counterparts in the minor leagues and the MLB Office for
Umpire Development, alleging he was denied promotion because he
is white. Compton, who has filed similar complaints with the
EEOC and a PA state agency, seeks $100,000 in damages (PHILA.
DAILY NEWS, 6/28). ....BASEBALL AMERICA notes the White Sox's
upcoming contract talks with No. 1 pick Bobby Seay have put Owner
Jerry Reinsdorf in an "interesting position: either pay more for
Seay's services than he might think they're worth, or let him go
for the fiscal sake of the industry." Reinsdorf has called for
limits on scouting budgets, including signing bonuses (BASEBALL
AMERICA, 7/8-21 issue).
