Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 2, 2013

The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast is all about the Red Sox, A-Rod, Bud Selig and remembering Thurman Munson.

Daniel Nava, Justin Upton, Matt Cain and Yu Darvish all owned baseball on August 1, 2013.


To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 2, 2013
     

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 1, 2013

The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast looks at the aftermath of the Trade Deadline. For the second straight year, the Astros (the worst team in baseball) was the smartest team in terms of dealing their players.

Torii Hunter, Paul Goldschmidt, Brett Oberholtzer and Clayton Kershaw all owned baseball on July 31, 2013.


To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 1, 2013


     

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 17, 2013

On The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast, I realize that former World Series hero and current financial advisor Gene Larkin is a much more humble a man than me.

Also Bud Selig's views on instant replay are evolving. He is almost off his knuckles.
 
Stephen Strasburg, Mitch Moreland, Yu Darvish and Travis Snider owned baseball on May 16, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 17, 2013

 

MLB needs to take the Mets away from the Wilpons

The Mets have become the walking argument AGAINST the notion that you need to be in a big market to succeed.

How about New York?
Is that a big enough market for you?

Want more revenue streams than New York City?
How about a new stadium?
How about a new TV network?

Nope?
I'm not just talking about putting an uninspired team on the field (three straight losing seasons) and I'm not just talking about them losing stars. (I actually think after three straight losing seasons with no end in sight it is smart to shed payroll and go young.)

I'm talking about how the team is run.

Only the Yankees have the advantage that the Mets have. New York! The New York media. The New York spotlight. THE Metropolis that is baseball first. And a passionate fanbase that as recently as 2008 made the Mets the best draw in the National League.

The Wilpons took all those advantages and needed a $25 million loan from baseball to stay afloat.

And guess what? They need ANOTHER $40 million loan now!

I can understand if this were Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Oakland or San Diego.
They are small cities with low revenue streams.

Not the Mets.

Mix this in with the whole Madoff mess and MLB needs to intervene.
Seriously, they did with McCourt and the Dodgers. The McCourts took a crown jewel franchise, drove them into bankruptcy court and Selig and company intervened.

They clearly couldn't run the team.

Well if the Mets have to keep loans to stay afloat and can't make a BASEBALL TEAM IN NEW YORK PROFITABLE... then why should they be allowed to run the team?

Baseball is healthiest when each team can put a good product on the field (and the number of different division winners over the last decade shows that we are getting closer to that.)

But it also helps to have a team in New York and Los Angeles be at least competitive. They make for good villains and bring a lot of casual fans to the gates.

(At least the Dodgers with all the bankruptcy mess put a winning product on the field in 2011!)

The Phillies, Braves and Marlins should be competitive next year. If the Mets were halfway decent, it would be the most exciting Division in baseball.

For now they need to rebuild. And who knows? Maybe in a few years they will be a pennant contender.

But it won't happen with the Wilpons in control.
They have proven that they can't run the team.

Now Met fans have a tendency to write nasty things to me. They think I am trashing their team constantly and have some sort of vendetta.

Nothing could be further from the truth.
I'd like to see the Mets become successful.
I like David Wright and Johan Santana.
Many friends of mine are Met fans and I'd like to see them be happy.

This isn't me picking on your team.
This is me being outraged and you Met fans should be the angriest of all!

Somewhere out there is a business man or woman who is smart enough to run a baseball team in New York and make a profit while putting a winning team on the field.

Go find the next Mets owner.
And if you want to write something mean to me, use your time and energy towards the Mets and MLB.

They are keeping the team afloat.
They should go bankrupt and have someone turn the Mets around.

Remove the Wilpons.
We can ALL agree on THAT.

Yeah you heard me right. I'm giving thanks to Bud Selig

I've never been a Bud Selig fan.
I didn't like him when he was a colluding owner.
I didn't like how he led the cabal to push Fay Vincent out of office.
I didn't like his role in the 1994 strike and 1995 lockout.
I didn't like his role in the contraction talk.
I thought he looked like a buffoon in the 2002 All Star Game.
I thought he looked like a liar during the steroid controversy.
I thought he looked like a jackass during the 2008 World Series rain delays.

I know nit picking.

So when I actually praise him, that's time to perk up and listen.

As the NBA is taking the scorched earth approach in its strike, something the NFL narrowly avoided and 7 years after the NHL cancelled an entire season and is desperately trying to crawl back to relevancy, baseball signed a new CBA.

That's it.
Boom.

It had such little controversy that it took the back seat to discussing whether or not a starting pitcher should win the MVP.

And that EXACTLY what people should be discussing.

So we know that the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons will be played without hearing talks about strikes, lockouts or interrupted play.

Baseball had work stoppages in 1972 (the year I was born), 1981, 1985 (for one day) and the disaster of 1994 and the madhouse of replacement players in 1995.

I was 23 years old when the players went back to work.
I am 39 now. And baseball hasn't stopped playing.

16 straight seasons.

Now keep in mind my formula that you don't follow a team day in and day out until you are 8 years old, that means any baseball fan 24 years or younger have no memory of haggling players, lawyers, Don Fehr or Selig talking about revenue or anything like that.

The NBA will soon learn that fans aren't really sympathetic to any side during a recession haggling over distribution of millions of dollars.

So there will be at least 21 seasons of labor peace.

And the new CBA will include an expanded playoff (which I think could be a good idea.)
Possibility of expanded instant replay is included (which I've been SCREAMING about.)

And there will be HGH testing. (I am randomly putting a picture of Albert Pujols here. Not sure why.)

So if Selig could preside over nearly a quarter of a century of Labor Peace after such a disastrous first few seasons of acrimony and deception as commissioner, then I have to give him credit.

If those seasons would mean lots of different champions (2/3 of all teams have won at least one playoff series since 2001 and there have been 9 different champions in the past 11 seasons) then I have to give him credit.

If the A's and Giants can work out the San Jose deal (which looks like it will happen) and the Dodgers and Mets ownerships can be sorted out, that would leave only the Rays in a bad place in terms of their stadium and survival.

So it doesn't happen often, Mr. Selig.
I'm giving thanks for what you've done.

I've not been thrilled with the method... but maybe in the end the result will outweigh the other stuff.

And whoever is in charge of baseball in 2016... please keep the peace.
The only strikes being called should be by the umpires.

Happy Thanksgiving, readers.

Selig's main requirement for a new Dodger owner: SIGN PUJOLS!

I don't believe in random events.
I don't believe in first causes.
I don't believe that actions take place in vacuums.

Even me typing this blog post is the result of a long chain reaction of events.

And a chain reaction of events could be conspiring to bring Albert Pujols to Dodger Stadium.
I have no evidence to back up these theories. But I still think it makes sense.

- Albert Pujols launches 3 home runs in one World Series game, putting him in World Series history with Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. And he helps spark one of the World Series saving rallies in Game 6. (The fact that he was basically a non factor in the other World Series games is forgotten by everyone.)

- Albert Pujols is a free agent... a perennial MVP candidate and one of the few marquee stars in the game. Plus he is a class act, free of scandal and has multiple rings in St. Louis. He's probably staying in St. Louis with his father figure, Tony LaRussa.

- LaRussa retires, ending his career with his crowning achievement. He can spend his days saving animals and writing his Cooperstown speech.

- SO Pujols has nothing left to prove in St. Louis. He can leave St. Louis on top and take on a new challenge and more money than any of us can ever dream of. ($30 million a year?)


Meanwhile in Los Angeles...

- The Dodgers fiasco might be finally grinding to a halt. Frank McCourt, in denial like William H. Macy's character in Fargo, might finally realize that he ISN'T just one deal away from keeping control of the team. MLB might take over the Dodgers. They did that once before with the Expos.

- This is a different scenario. That was saving a team from contraction and getting them to Washington DC. The Dodgers need to be lifted from the humiliation of bankruptcy and mismanagement. The Dodgers SHOULD be one of the glamorous franchises. And it would behoove baseball to have a big west coast superpower (sorry Giants fans. Your team isn't a superpower.)

- So if MLB takes over the Dodgers, they can hand pick whomever takes over the team. They will have to be committed to turn the Dodgers back into a powerhouse, make L.A. as baseball crazy as New York and Boston and bring some star power to Dodger Stadium.

- The Dodgers just HAPPENED to have a hole at first base (sorry James Loney). They just HAPPENED to have an MVP candidate to protect Pujols in the lineup with Matt Kemp. They just HAPPEN to play in a winnable division. (Sorry Diamondbacks.) And unless Juan Uribe has more pull than I thought, #5 just HAPPENS to be available in Los Angeles.

- The Dodgers also just HAPPEN to be a team in a desperate situation to have some positive press after all the off the field embarrassment. And they need something, besides a face who ISN'T Frank McCourt, to jumstart season ticket sales.

- If MLB can control who buys the Dodgers, they COULD make "Will you make a big push for Albert Pujols?" a requirement. It would be good for the franchise and could make the Dodgers a marquee franchise again.

Fans are going to show up in St. Louis. It's a new era there anyway.

Pujols (paired with NL MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw) could have his new challenge.

Bud Selig, someone NOT above colluding, could be in a unique position to handpick someone to bid on Pujols.

Where else is Albert going? Sure Theo Epstein wants to make a big splash with the Cubs, but he has to weed OUT big contracts before bringing in a new one. The Mets are a mess. And maybe the Marlins would make a run at him, but they are a dark horse at best.

Of course the Rangers, White Sox, Nationals and Orioles are never shy about throwing money around. But I can't see Albert going to any of those places.

The Dodgers are the most logical landing place in many ways.
It's a boost to the franchise.
It's a bump in West Coast baseball's interest.
And it could make Albert even more marketable than he is now.

Don't think this ISN'T going through Bud Selig's mind.
It's a chain reaction of events... and it could lead to the image of Albert Pujols playing first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

(For the record, I think Pujols is staying put... but you never know!)

Hats

Here's how long Mets owner Fred Wilpon conversation should have been with Bud Selig regarding September 11th first responder hats on the 10th anniversary.

WILPON: Mr. Commissioner. We want to wear hats honoring the NYPD, fire department and Port Authority on September 11th.

SELIG: During the game?

WILPON: Yes.

SELIG: Well all the teams are wearing special September 11th hats that day already. We don't like having teams wearing unofficial uniforms during a game.

WILPON: I understand, but we are a New York team and there will no doubt be fire fighters, police officers, rescue workers who were at the Towers that day at CitiField. And also relatives and friends of those who didn't make it. And we'd like to show a sign of solidarity on this 10th anniversary.

SELIG: What if we had every team change their hats on a whim?

WILPON: What other city had a September 11th? If the Nationals wanted to do something, they should. That's up to them. But September 11th was unique and this is the 10th anniversary and we are the only team playing in New York. I think an exception can be made.

SELIG: You aren't going to sell the hats or try any September 11th merchandise, are you?

WILPON: No. Certainly not.

SELIG: And it is JUST for September 11th, not the whole weekend?

WILPON: Just the Sunday night game.

SELIG: Well, I can't see how that's a problem. It's a nice gesture. Go ahead.

WILPON: Thank you Mr. Commissioner.


Boom!

All the bases covered.
That conversation would last, what? A minute? 90 seconds?

The fact that it WASN'T that simple and it has turned into a "He Said... She Said" spat involving rules that may or may not have been enforced, fines the Mets were worried they had to pay and Bud Selig was mad that it became public shows how incompetent the two parties.

Those parties of course being the Mets organization, who took every baseball advantage in the world and ran the team into the ground... and Bud Selig who every day finds new reasons to want to throw him out of office. How could Selig not see this was the right thing to do?

And of course Joe Torre was thrown into the middle of this, trying to destroy whatever good will is left for him in New York.

A simple thoughtful act of wearing a hat to honor the memories of brave men and women instead became a nice barometer of people who have lost perspective.

And frankly it is kind of fascinating.

10 Reasons why the Milwaukee Brewers winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

It's time to continue the Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series. The next entry? The Milwaukee Brewers.

On July 26th, the Brewers were in second place behind the Cardinals and just 1/2 a game ahead of the Pirates. 1 game separated 3 teams. And the Defending Division Champion Reds were a mere 5 games back.

The NL Central promised to be a dog fight to the end... that is until the Brewers starting winning.

Since that day, the Brew Crew is 27-8. No team in baseball has played better than Milwaukee since July 26th and their magic number is 16.

Playoff baseball is returning to Wisconsin. But why would an average baseball fan want to see the Brewers win?

Read on...

10 Reasons why the
Milwaukee Brewers
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. Wisconsin fans would appreciate a "Multiple Championship" Decade

There's no doubt who the biggest team in Wisconsin is. The Defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers reign supreme. But it would be great for their fans to experience an embarrassment of riches. Places like New York, Boston, Detroit, Miami and Tampa Bay have experienced multiple titles in different sports last decade. Hell even Anaheim had a World Series and Stanley Cup champ close to each other. Why not in Wisconsin? You know it will be a great party.


2. Prince Fielder's defection would not be as harsh if he delivered a title to Milwaukee.

Prince Fielder is as good as gone. It wouldn't make sense for the Brewers to devote such a gigantic chunk of their payroll to a first baseman. And no doubt a team in need of a PR boost this off season will overpay for Mr. Fielder. But stars who depart without a ring leave their old city with unfinished business. Fielder can erase all that in October (and match his father with rings, making the most public Father and Son rivalry even more intriguing.

3. A World Championship would help make Ryan Braun a legit star.

Ryan Braun could very well win the NL MVP this year. And I have a feeling that if you said his name to most sports fans, they would say "Who?"

The former NL Rookie of the Year has put up 5 years of wonderful numbers and not a lot of fame to go along with it. Maybe shining on the national stage would change that.

How could America NOT embrace a power hitter named Braun?

4. It would simplify the question "How long have Brewers fans waited for a World Champion".

How long have Brewers fans waited for a World Champion? Well the Brewers have NEVER won a World Series... but the Braves have. Not the Atlanta Braves, even though THEY did as well. The Milwaukee Braves won in 1957. But have Brewers fans been waiting 54 years? What about the few years there was no team in Milwaukee? Do those count? It is very complicated. But if the Brewers win, it is cut and dry.


5. A Brewers title would mean a lot of Hall of Famers would be celebrated

For a team that has exactly one pennant to its credit, there would be no shortage of Cooperstown enshrined heroes to throw out the first pitch.

It helps matters that the 1982 pennant winners had four, count em, FOUR Future Hall of Famers. Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton.

And some fellow named Hank Aaron finished his career as a Brewer and supposedly had some decent years in Milwaukee as a Brave. I'll have to look him up.


6. A Ron Roenicke led title could be traced back to Walter Alston

Bear with me.

Walter Alston, whose big league playing career consisted of one strikeout, worked his way up to the bigs as a manager. He became a World Champion and a Hall of Famer.

One of Alston's coaches was Tom Lasorda, who became a World Champion manager and a Hall of Famer.

One of Lasorda's players and coaches was Mike Scioscia. He became a World Championship manager and I believe is putting together a Hall of Fame caliber career.

One of Scioscia's coaches was Ron Roenicke. If he wins a World Series title, it bodes very well for for one of the coaches on his staff to pass on the Alston wisdom.


7. A THIRD unlikely championship for Craig Counsell would be amazing.

Counsell has bounced around between the Rockies, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Brewers. Hardly marquee big budgeted franchises. (He played 1/2 an unmemorable season with the Dodgers as well.) Yet he was a World Champion in 1997 with the Marlins and 2001 with the Diamondbacks (winning NLCS MVP honors.) 3 rings in three decades without being a Yankee or a Red Sox would be impressive.

If the Brewers are trailing in Game 7 of the World Series, look out for Counsell. Incredibly, he was a part of two Game 7 comebacks.

He hit the game tying sacrifice fly in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. In the 11th he would score the World Series winning run.

In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, he was hit by a Mariano Rivera pitch in the 9th inning and was on base when Luis Gonzalez blooped his World Series winning single. If the Brewers are trailing in the 9th, they might send Counsell up just to see what happens.


8. National exposure to Miller Park rituals would be wonderful for the game.

Just imagine casual baseball fans seeing a Brewers game for the first time.

"Wait, they have a race with men dressed as sausages?"

"Explain to me why Bernie the Brewer goes down the slide from his chalet after each homer?"

There's no logical explanation for these rituals, which makes them being seen on National TV even better.


9. A Brewers championship would be a subtle middle finger to Bud Selig

Of course Bud Selig would be thrilled to see the Brewers win and I bet he would gleefully hand the World Series trophy to owner Mark Attanasio. But lest we forget all of those years Selig was owner of the Brewers and never won that trophy himself.

And remember he took part in the cabal that ousted Fay Vincent and put himself, the owner of a team, as "temporary commissioner" in 1992. Here we are 19 years later and he's still here.

In 1992 the Brewers had a terrific season. Then year in and year out for the rest of the time that the Seligs ran the Brewers, they had a losing season. And all the while, the refrain that came from Selig was that smaller market teams couldn't compete. Attanasio took over the team and in 2 years they were a .500 team. In 5 years they were a playoff team. Now they are a World Series contender.

Maybe Selig could have done that as owner, if he wasn't too guilty colluding.

10. How great would a Bob Uecker World Championship call be?

Seriously. Bob Uecker calling the final out of a Brewers title. Have a few beers in him and build up the excitement and I have a feeling it would be the phone ring of everyone in Wisconsin.

And you thought his "Jusssssst a bit outside" call in Major League was memorable. Imagine him happy with the World Series result!



So it looks like post season ball in the Dairy Land is going to happen again. I for one wish they went back to the "ball in glove" hat from the 1970s and 1980s. But guess what? I am thinking that Brewers fans won't be too picky about what hat their team wins in they win it all.

And that is a distinct possibility.








If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
NEW YORK YANKEES
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

It's the entire American League versus the entire National League

Seriously, HOW many All Stars are there?
83?
There are really more than 2 entire 25 man rosters of elite players?

When they all line up on the foul lines will they reach the foul poles and wrap back around?

Forget each team having one rep. Each team can have TWO reps and still have 22 more roster spots!

I have to double check to make sure I'M not supposed to go to Phoenix.

So Bud... I don't think you are going to run out of players this year.
But next year, see if you can have the All Star roster reach 100.

This "Being Controled By MLB" thing works for the Dodgers

The Dodgers were absolutely reeling. They went on a 5 game losing streak. (Only Tony LaRussa's inexplicable decision to pitch to Matt Kemp on Sunday afternoon kept it from being a 6 game losing streak.)

They were beaten soundly on Tuesday 10-1 by Atlanta.
Then on Wednesday, Bud Selig and company took over the team, shocked that Frank McCourt couldn't keep the team afloat financially. (Never mind the fact that Selig KNEW he didn't have the cash to keep the team afloat. Let's not let facts sneak into this.)

Since MLB took over the team?
They beat the Braves 6-1 on Wednesday.
They won with another Matt Kemp walk off shot yesterday.

And today they went to Wrigley and clobbered the Cubs 12-2.

The Dodgers are now above .500.
They are 3-0 after the take over.

Maybe Dodger fans shouldn't be so quick to see a new owner!

Albert Pujols will be a Dodger or a Met… and I predict a conspiracy theory

A bizarre and round about series of events and coincidences have made it clear to me that Albert Pujols will almost certainly not be a member of the St. Louis Cardinals next year.

Before Pujols files for free agency, two large market franchises will change ownership and be in position to bid for him, and I believe Bud Selig will be manipulating the whole thing to help preserve his legacy.

That’s right, I am predicting a conspiracy before there are any facts or events to back up my theory. I admit that is no easy trick. But I think I am on to something.

Follow me…

Bud Selig is retiring in 2012. With the steroid era evidently behind him and if baseball avoids a work stoppage (and the NFL and NBA have one) then he will be able to claim that he left the game clean and thriving with labor peace.

But there are four gigantic messes he needs to clean up before riding off into the sunset.

Two won’t be covered here, but I will mention them: The Rays and the A’s stadium disasters. Neither team can last in their current dumps and nor have a viable solution for survival, especially if the Giants can block the A’s move to San Jose. But that is another post.

The big BIG mess is the state of the Mets and Dodgers, two of the flagship franchises of the National League. According to USA Today, only the Yankees and Red Sox are worth more than the Dodgers and those teams plus the Cubs are the only ones worth more than the Mets.

I don’t think it is stretch to call New York and Los Angeles big markets. And guess what? They are both in financial chaos.

The Dodgers have been mismanaged to the point where MLB had to take the unprecedented steps of essentially removing the owner from power. (We’ll see if Frank McCourt surrenders the power of the team.)

And the Mets should be on notice. If the twisted finances of the McCourt divorce can make Selig and company take over the Dodgers, then being swindled by Bernie Madoff (and not being sure what they knew in advance) should be even a greater cause for MLB to step in and take the car keys away from the Wilpons.

In the very least, the Mets should be forced to sell.

So that would mean the Mets and Dodgers would have new ownership going into the 2012 season. And also have a disillusioned fan base, declining attendance and a natural division rival playing well (the Phillies for the Mets and the Giants for the Dodgers.)

Whomever is going to run the Mets and the Dodgers will need to assure their paying customers (and TV viewers and sponsors) that not only are the bad days behind them but glamorous superstar days are ahead.

The Giants were in a similar boat when Peter Magowan took over the team in the wake of the proposed move to Tampa Bay. He found the quickest way to get the fan base energized: He signed the best player in baseball, Barry Bonds.

Which brings us to Albert Pujols. He’s a free agent to be. He has nothing left to prove in St. Louis when he finishes this, his 11th season. He has given the Cardinals a championship, post season heroics, MVPs and done so with class and a flair for the dramatic. And, as I said in a previous video, Cardinal fans can NEVER boo him.

Pujols could need a new challenge in his life, the biggest contract in baseball history and a chance to be a hero in a brand new market.

(See Rose, Pete. See Jackson, Reggie. And Albert is better than both of them!)

And if just so happens that the Dodgers have an opening at first base. I may not be 100% sure how VORP works, but I can guess that Albert Pujols replacing James Loney is an improvement.

And the Mets have Ike Davis, who is a nice player. When you have the chance to get one of the great offensive players of all time, you might think about sacrificing a nice player or two!

Both the Dodgers and the Mets will have new owners, money to spend and a city to impress. And they will BOTH bid on Albert Pujols.

Why do I say that with such certainty? Because Selig will make sure of it. Captain Bud will not let an owner take over the Dodgers nor the Mets unless they were intending on trying to sign Pujols.

It makes sense for the Dodgers to win back their fans and show there is a new era in Chavez Ravine.

It makes sense for the Mets to turn the page on the Wilpon fiasco (and no doubt Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins would welcome Albert’s arrival.)

It makes sense for labor peace as players making big contracts is always looked on fondly by the Players Association.

And it makes sense for Selig as he leave the game with franchises other than the Yankees and Red Sox bidding over the biggest free agents.

And which ever team can’t land Pujols will have a nice consolation prize in Prince Fielder.

Think Selig is above this sort of backroom dealings? Or perhaps not clever enough?

PUH-lease. I am not going to even go into the whole “Used Car Salesman” past of Mr. Selig.

This was the guy who maneuvered the ownership of the Expos, Marlins and Red Sox around so his hand picked successor would take over in Boston instead of the McCourts.

This was the guy who claimed to have no clue about the steroid culture, even though allegations were made public as far back as 1988, when Peter Ueberroth was commissioner.

This was the guy who was part of the owners group that ousted Fay Vincent for not doing their bidding and installing himself as owner/commissioner. It was supposed to be temporary. That was 1992.

This was one of the many owners found guilty of collusion in the 1980s.

Shady wheeling and dealing are right in Bud Selig’s wheelhouse.

So a nudge here and there and making sure the new owners come with an aggressive eye on Albert is not as outlandish as colluding, kicking the commissioner out and not noticing that the players all were bigger than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

You heard it here first on Sully Baseball.

I am declaring it a conspiracy before it actually happens.

Colluding is and always will be part of Bud Selig’s legacy.

Red Sox fans... can you IMAGINE if this guy bought our team?

He wanted to!
Frank McCourt is a Boston guy and he wanted to buy the Sox from the John Harrington and the Yawkey family.

Instead John Henry and company took over in 2002 and won two more World Series titles in the first 7 years of his ownership than the Yawkeys did in nearly 70 years.

Meanwhile McCourt took over the Dodgers... and now they need to be taken over by baseball. Not loaned money like the spend crazy Diamondbacks. Not bailed out like the Madoff sucker Mets.

Nope. TAKEN OVER! It's Bud Selig saying "We are taking your toys away."

When has this happened before? Well, kind of once when nobody wanted to buy the Expos and Bud Selig wanted to make sure John Henry moved from the Marlins to the marquee franchise Red Sox and Jeffrey Loria could take over the Marlins.

The Expos were part of baseball and run in a disgraceful manner, yet still managed to put winning products on the field in 2002 and 2003.

That was a different scenario. The Expos were devastated financially after the strike and couldn't draw small crowds to Stade Olympique. They had no TV deal and desperately needed to move. Everyone knew they had to move to Washington DC (the only place that had a big league ready park) but they also needed to appease Peter Angelos and the Orioles. So while that was being hashed out, MLB owned the Expos and destroyed a once wonderfully quirky franchise.

This new situation is different. This isn't an expansion team gone wrong. This isn't a team that needs to be relocated.

This is the FREAKING LOS ANGELES DODGERS!
If there is any team in baseball that should be a big spending colossus like the Yankees it should be the Dodgers! The play in Los Angeles! They have a terrific stadium... a steady fan base... money... tradition... stars want to play in L.A.

It can be argued that Frank McCourt is the worst owner in the history of American sports.
In 2004 he bought the Dodgers... one of the glamor franchises in baseball. And in 8 years it was transformed into such a catastrophe that the league had to pull and Expos.

IMAGINE this with the Red Sox!
Imagine there is no 2004... no 2007... the Curse is alive... this obscene divorce hanging over the team... the experience of going to the ballpark is WORSE... and it is so bad that baseball needed to take over.

It could have happened. And Bud Selig made sure the Sox were sold to John Henry.

It's not often I say this, but MAN am I thankful for Bud Selig's decision.

So now baseball owns the Dodgers, which means there will be a new owner soon.
Why not me?

How could I be worse?

Was tonight an ALCS preview? TBS is hoping not

The Rangers are playing the Rays at the Trop and game one of the series was a Cy Young match up of David Price versus Cliff Lee. The game itself was a thriller with the Rays coming back from behind and recapturing a portion of the AL East lead (and be tied for the best record in baseball.)

Both teams are filled with young exciting All Stars playing a brand of baseball that should be emulated across the land. And both are winning big despite financial constraints (the Rays and their microscopic payroll and the Rangers with bankruptcy and changing ownership.)

It could be a playoff preview, especially if the Rays capture the AL East crown, and a best of seven series between these teams (each in search of their first ever World Series title) would be filled with tension.

And it would the match up of TBS' nightmares.

Baseball has a hard enough time getting a national audience... with this series they will stuggle to get a LOCAL audience. The Dallas/Arlington/Fort Worth area would probably be wondering why the coverage of Cowboys practice has been preempted and 13 years and a pennant later, people in Tampa Bay still seem unaware that there is a baseball team in St. Pete.

If baseball had any promotions savvy they would be able to make these teams seem exciting and the antidote to big market teams bullying smaller markets.

Then again, people CLAIM they don't want to see the Yankees play a big market team in the World Series... then the Yankees vs the Phillies gets higher ratings than when smaller budget teams like the White Sox, Astros, Tigers, Cardinals or Rays are in the series.

Baseball will never be football in popularity, but why can't they at least make their product SEEN more? Football can turn a Super Bowl between New Orleans and Indianapolis into a national event.

You'd think that a series that features Evan Longoria, David Price, Carl Crawford, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, Cliff Lee and Vladimir Guerrero would at least catch some people's attention.

Maybe when Bud Selig steps down, someone who can MARKET a sport can take over.

(That's right, I had to find a way to blame Selig.)

Bud Selig is getting a statue?

Really?

A statue?

According to Yahoo Sports he is... and why would Yahoo Sports lie to me?

I can only hope they preserve him for all time shrugging while watching the All Star Game end in a tie.

Now why am I against Bud Selig getting a statue?

Well, I listed some reasons why maybe Bud might not exactly be statue worthy a year ago.
You can read those here.

I don't know what it says about me, but when I heard Bud was getting a statue, the image of ANOTHER statue came to my mind...

Fehr and Loathing

Donald Fehr is stepping down as head of the baseball union, and I think "Good!"

But I think that not for the reasons that you probably think.

I know a lot of people dislike him because he helped baseball players salaries skyrocket. But I don't begrudge players from making money. Who out there would turn down their money?

I don't blame him for the World Series cancellation. I remember getting into arguments with people during 1994 when I insisted the players were right and the owners were a bunch of liars who wouldn't open their books.

And keep in mind that was tempered by the fact that Fehr helped expose the owners illegal collusion. That collusion led directly to outsing Fay Vincent, Bud Selig being put into office, over expansion, the 1994 strike, steroids and the insane handling of the Expos/Nationals franchise.

In other words, I don't think he's a bad guy.

I think he seems a little creepy and cold. It would be nice to see him smile. It would be nice to see him at a baseball game cheering.

It would have been nice if his name wasn't the same as the word FEAR.

It also would have been nice if his default position on the whole steroid issue wasn't "You have no proof and this is a privacy issue."

But here's something to chew on... the owners seemed to hate him because he was so tough and yet Marvin Miller, his mentor, didn't think he was tough enough.

When the extremes on BOTH sides don't like you, that means you are probably doing a good job.

But it's time to move on.

The collective bargaining agreement is going to expire in a few years, and I think it is time to have fresh blood and new voices at the bargaining table. Almost all of the owners who have colluded have sold the team. And it would be nice if the main characters talking about avoiding a strike are not the same people who fiddled while the 1994 World Series was cancelled.

I was reminded of the California Democratic primary last year.

My wife and I disagreed on who to vote for. She voted for Hillary Clinton and I voted for Obama. 

And as shallow as this might sound, it was the freshness of a new voice at the helm that made me decide. It was nothing against Hillary... but something bothered me.

If you were 19 years old during last year's election cycle, there had been a Bush or a Clinton in the White House your whole life.

And seeing that you don't really pay attention to trivial things like "who is President" until you are 8 or 9, then there were 28 year olds voting with no memory of someone NOT named Bush or Clinton as President. And when you take Poppy Bush's VP terms into account, there were 36 year olds with no concrete memories of a Bush or a Clinton not in the executive branch.

Mention the name Bush to a liberal and they wince.

The reaction is the same from a conservative when you mention the name Clinton.

And I thought "there is too much venom here... let's try a new flavor."

So in this very strange analogy, Fehr is Hillary Clinton. 

It's time to try something new and something that doesn't have such built in acrimony. 

And of course that also means one of those colluding owners needs to go too.

Hey Bud! Take Donald's lead. You've been Commissioner for 17 years. Time for someone new.

(Any chance I can get to ask Bud Selig to step down, I'll take!)

I don't understand the people who are against the Jackie Robinson tribute

O.K. I understand intellectually why some people might think that removing the choice of wearing 42 and making it mandatory makes the decision less of a tribute and more of a requirement.

But so what?

Seriously, when you see the whole team wearing #42 it is memorable. I watched several games and seeing every player coming up with Jackie's number was almost startling.

It was a wonderful symbol of unity for a man who fought against division. And started the ball rolling that led to our current President being elected.

How could one or two players wearing that be as powerful?

Instead of saying "Hmmm... I thought Torii Hunter was #48" you could have people asking "Why is EVERYONE #42?"

And then discussions can start of Jackie's greatness. (And as I pointed out a few years ago, that greatness wasn't just social courage, but he improved baseball forever!) 

How is that a bad thing? And don't assume everyone knows about Jackie.

It's not that long ago that Vince Coleman stated so eloquently "I don't know nothing about no Jackie Robinson."

That's a triple negative... which means he knows nothing about Jackie Robinson.

So put the intellectual argument away for a day.

For once, I agree with Bud Selig.

And if THAT isn't a sign of how Jackie Robinson can unite us all, I don't know what is!

Bud Selig thinks A-Rod "shamed the game"... something Bud knows a little bit about!

When I heard Bud Selig call someone else out on shaming the game of baseball, i came down with what is known as Exploding Head Syndrome.

Bud Selig complaining about someone shaming the game is like Amy Winehouse criticizing someone's health habits.

This is the same Bud Selig who was...

- One of the owners found guilty of collusion in the 1980s...

- One of the cabal of owners who ousted Fay Vincent and put a small market owner in the role of commissioner (no conflict of interest there.)

- The only commissioner to have the World Series, which was played through 2 World Wars, a Depression, Vietnam and the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake, cancelled.

- The commissioner who oversaw reckless expansion in the 1990s to pay off the collusion fines.

- The commissioner who looked the other way when players suddenly started looking like Lou Ferrigno, even though reports of steroid use by Canseco and McGwire were rumored in the 1980s (and a topic during the broadcast of the 1988 World Series.)

- The commissioner who saw the brightest hour that baseball had in a generation, the wonderful post September 11th World Series in 2001, and threw cold water on the celebration by announcing his plan to contract franchises. (Maybe if you hadn't colluded in the 1980s, you wouldn't have to expand in the 1990s and threaten to contract in the 2000s!)

- The commissioner who couldn't come up with a solution to finish the 2002 All Star Game. How about a Home Run Derby or something? If I wanted to see something great have a unsatisfying sudden ending, I'd pop in Saving Private Ryan.

- The commissioner who looked clueless in front of congress during the steroid hearings. (Although truth be told, Selig looks clueless when he says "Hi, my name is Bud Selig."

- The commissioner who didn't think to check the weather report before Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. He may have seen the Dopler was calling for a tsunami. And maybe the first 6 innings of a potential clinching World Series game wouldn't have been played in what looked like quicksand.

- The commissioner who on that same game pulled the tarp out almost as soon as the Rays tied the game and somehow tried to make us think that was a coincidence and not a way to save his own ass from seeing a World Series clinched with a rain shortened game. (It would have been better than what we had in 1994!!!!) Instead we had a suspended game, killing any momentum the World Series may have had.


He is approaching what will be his fourth decade of heaping potential irreparable shame on baseball (and pulling down $17 million a year to do it!)

I guess he might be like Jose Canseco... when he talked about who was doing 'roids he turned out to be a good source.

Maybe when he says A-Rod shamed the game, we should consider it a comment from an authority.

Sully Baseball Honors... THE BAD ASS GLOVE AND BALL BREWERS HATS

Remember how boring the Milwaukee Brewers hats were?

A blue hat with a yellow M?

That was the last hat that Hank Aaron wore professionally...
And the first that Robin Yount wore.

Here's young Yount in his 1978 Topps Card.
Bland uni.

Bland hat.

The Brewers needed to do something to shake things up!

And it took Tom Meindel, an Art History student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to come up with my favorite hat logo of all time.




Ahhhh!
Now we are talking!

One year later, check out his 1979 Topps card!
New logo.

And clearly a happier Robin Yount!

Yellow front and the glove and ball logo.

And of course take a closer look at the ball and glove.





That's right...
It's an M and a B combined to form a ball and glove.

M for Milwaukee. A B for Brewer.

When a 7 year old Paul Sullivan figured that out, I had an expression that resembled Robert Langdon's when he figured out The Da Vinci Code.



And there was the variation on the hat.
They wore the yellow front caps on the road and the all blue caps during home games.

Suddenly the most bland uni imaginable got some character and they did it without wearing a garish new color scheme a la the San Diego Padres.

Now remember the Brewers were run by Bud Selig, so naturally they made some terrible decisions.



















In the Mid 1990s, the Brewers scrapped the coolest hat logo in baseball for this travesty.

Yes it has the M and the B, but it was so crudely interlocked that the B looked like a D.

This had was nicknamed by some "Motre Bame."

It was ugly, awful and obviously it needed to go.

So what did they do?
















THEY WENT BACK TO THE M!!!!

Ooooh, the M has a few bumps on the side.

COME ON!
You had the coolest hat logo of all time and you went back to an M????





There new hats are a little better... a little.

The M is at an angle and there is a little bit of barley on the bottom to signify brewing.

BUT PLEASE!

You think a little Barley can trump the old logo?


Jerry Seinfeld famously said that sports fans root for laundry. And as bizarre and illogical as that seems to non sports fans, it makes all the sense in the world for those of us who invest emotion in our team.

It would be great to see your team win wearing any uniform, but wouldn't it be greater to see the team wearing the threads that you remember from your youth jumping up and down as champs?

Look at these two photos.

Both are of Prince Fielder smacking the tar out of a pitch.
Both are of Prince Fielder smacking the tar out of a pitch in a game played in Milwaukee.

One he's wearing a throw back jersey with the bad ass glove and ball logo.
One he's wearing the new Barley unis.

Which one looks more like a Milwaukee Brewer?




One brings back memories of Cooper, Hisle and Ben Oglivie.

The other one? He could be a Bridgeport Bluefish player at first glance.

It's very simple Brewers...
Bring back the Bad Ass Glove and Ball cap.

Not just for "Turn Back The Clock" night.
Bring it back for good.