Astros Owner Drayton McLane Jr., "one of the chief
supporters of the movement" to get MLB Acting Commissioner
Bud Selig to accept the job on a permanent basis, said he'd
like to see an official announcement on Selig "within two or
three weeks," according to Tom Haudricourt of the MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL. McLane said that Selig resisted "as long
as he could the efforts of fellow owners ... but finally
came to the understanding they would not take no for an
answer." McLane: "We had to stay after him. I think he's
at peace with it now. He understands it's what's best for
baseball" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/20). Over the
weekend, national reaction continued to reports that Selig
would become permanent commissioner. A sampling follows:
WHY IT COULD WORK: In L.A., Ross Newhan: "Selig might
lack a degree of charisma, might not fit the public
perception, but baseball could do worse" (L.A. TIMES, 6/21).
In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck credited the owners' timing in
naming Selig, and added, "Selig probably is the perfect man
for the job, now that the job has been redefined as a
management position instead of a public trust" (Baltimore
SUN, 6/21). In Denver, Tony DeMarco added, "[G]iven the
current parameters of the office -- a CEO type who is first
and foremost a tool of the owners -- there probably isn't a
better choice than Selig" (DENVER POST, 6/21). In Boston,
Peter Gammons' Sunday MLB column was titled, "It Can Work If
They Let Selig Do The Job." Gammons wrote that Selig and
MLB COO Paul Beeston "have discussed a number of ideas" to
improve the game and its communication and relations with
the MLBPA, but, "The longer owners wait to make official
what has been an unofficial reality for more than a year,
the longer they postpone their own renaissance" (BOSTON
GLOBE, 6/21). In Houston, Mickey Herskowitz: "Selig makes
sense. A benign and decent man, he knows the hardships of a
small market" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/21). On "ESPN
Magazine's The Sports Reporters," Bill Conlin said Selig is
MLB's "fourth commissioner ... joining Don Fehr of the
Players Association, Richie Phillips of the Umpires
Association, and Peter Gammons of ESPN" (ESPN, 6/21).
NOT THE RIGHT MOVE: In Tampa, Bill Chastain: "Whether
Selig's coronation will be perceived as a positive remains
to be seen. But you've got to wonder why baseball doesn't
trumpet Selig taking the post rather than taking the weenie
approach by cowering in the dark" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 6/21). In
Cincinnati, Tim Sullivan wrote Selig's appointment means
MLB's leaders "prefer inbreeding to inspiration; the dull to
the daring. It says they want a man who won't meddle more
than they want the dynamic visionary the times demand"
(CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 6/21). In Philadelphia, Jayson Stark
called it the "biggest four-base error ever," and added if
MLB owners name Selig, "they're not using their minds.
They're losing them" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/21).
LEONARD, PART SEVEN? In N.Y., Murray Chass reported
that Selig's successor "could be ... capable" NL President
Leonard Coleman (Murray Chass, N.Y. TIMES, 6/21).
