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THE GLASS SELIG: REPORT OF TOP JOB HAS MEDIA WONDERING WHY

          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).

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