By Phil Hecken
So, I was all set today to write about the World Baseball Classic, and I will, believe me, I will, but not just yet. You see, six of the sixteen teams will not have yet played by the time this goes to post Sunday morning — and I want to have a look-see at all the uniforms before they are discussed. I’ve been watching the WBC on and off the past two days, and prior to that, the exhibition games played between WBC teams and the MLB squads. There appear to be some differences in the unis worn in the exhibitions and those actually worn in Classic play, so I’ll hold off till later on that big post.
That’s not to say that nothing of interest hasn’t already happened in the WBC, and last evening, we got a small taste of Italia in the personage of Mario Chiarini, an outfielder for the Italian team. Chiarini not only made one of the most spectacular catches in WBC history (such as that history is), but in so doing, he completely ripped his belt in half! Not broke the buckle, not snapped the buckle off, but actually snapped the leather strap in half.
Let’s have a screen-grab by screen-grab look at the catch, shall we? It started when Venezuela’s Bobby Abreu lined a scorching drive to right-center (Chiarini is the right fielder), and off he went, Ã la Ron Swoboda in ’69. He sprinted to his right, and made a lunging dive at the ball, catching it, and in one very smooth motion, he got to his feet and then, he fired the ball back to the infield, nearly doubling a runner off first in the process.
But when the dust had settled, and he looked down, he saw that he had snapped his belt in half! So, he called time, got the umpire’s attention, and began to remove the belt and jogged back to the dugout, all the while removing the broken strap.
After a quick trip to the bench, he returned to the field of play, relooping a new belt he picked up from a teammate. Nice job, Signor Chiarini. Oh, and what did he do in the top half of the next inning? Well, like every player who makes a great play in the field, he smacked a double off the base of the wall!
I’ll have much more on the WBC, but that’s all for now … after all, it is Daylight Saving Time, and well, in the spirit of the ‘shortest’ day of the year, my shortest weekend story in a while. So … what else happened in
Yesterday’s News:
The Round Mound of DUI has begun serving a three-day sentence for his latest transgression, a New Year’s Eve arrest for Driving Under the Influence — and he gets to wear a sweat suit, not jail clothes. Although he is doing penance under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed “Toughest Sheriff in America,” who is known for giving inmates pink underwear, old-fashioned, black-and-white-striped uniforms, making some of them live in tents and reinstituting chain gangs, even for women, the “equal incarcerator” is not making Barkley don the prison garb. Barkley wrote an endorsement for Arpaio’s book in 1996 in which he called Arpaio “a role model” for all Americans, which, we all know, Sir Charles is not. Not that Barkley deserves special treatment or anything, but it would have been great to see him in a pink top and black and white pants. Now, that would be a great uni.
Well, speaking of unis, or rather, those changing uniforms, Terrell Owens is headed to the Buffalo Bills. For a mere $6.5 million, one of the AFC’s original franchises can put up with his antics for a season (or, until they tire of his antics). Well, at least the most flamboyant receiver in the game (excepting, possibly, this guy) can now wear football’s worst uniform. He’ll make it look good, tho, right? Well, maybe he’ll rock the throwbacks (assuming they wear that version for the AFL’s 50th Anniversary season). Watch the “press conference” here. God is good.
There is a great article coming out in my hometown rag decrying Bud Selig, or more specifically his failures. In fact, one of the Interweb’s more favorite terms, “Epic Failure,” is actually entering the print lexicon, via this article. The article points out that while Allan H. had a very good year (he ‘earned’ a staggering $18.5 million — more than all but seven major leaguers), his tenure as commish has been marred by the rampant steroid scandals and the author opines that anyone else who has failed so miserably to grasp and deal with the steroid problem would have likely already been canned. Well said. I daresay Bud’s legacy, or whatever he’d like to call it, will forever be as tarnished as those broken records over which he presided.
And some quick bits: Out of respect to the dearly departed Norm Van Lier, Tim Thomas should change his number … One of the three football players recently lost at sea was mourned yesterday … More signs spring is just around the corner: The New Britain Rock Cats, an apparently recession-proof franchise, opened their doors yesterday … Still looking for a piece of Shea? Here’s where they keep the pieces … The guy who’s gonna replace A-roid at third? He’s got a decent vertical leap … And finally, is this the year of the Burgher? First a Super Bowl and now two wins over a #1 — the same #1.
Enjoy your Sunday, the “shortest” day of the year.
Buffalo doesn’t even come close to having the “worst uniform”. That belongs to the Bengals…they are beyond ugly. Other teams that have worse uniforms are Seattle and Atlanta. The Chargers also moved from a classic look to a hideously ugly design.
But no one comes close to the Bengals.
[quote comment=”317525″]Buffalo doesn’t even come close to having the “worst uniform”. That belongs to the Bengals…they are beyond ugly. Other teams that have worse uniforms are Seattle and Atlanta. The Chargers also moved from a classic look to a hideously ugly design.
But no one comes close to the Bengals.[/quote]
Except the Bills. Both just a hodge-podge, the “crazy quilt” unis of the NFL. Falcons right up there, too, but not quite as bad. And the Chargers aren’t so much hideously ugly as a really lousy update. If a team “upates” a classic uni and it ends up worse looking than the original, there’s a fundamental flaw in their thinking somewhere. LOL
—Ricko
There are a lot of things you can blame Bud Selig for, but steroids? That is one of the lamest articles I’ve ever read. Wallace Matthews is a complete idiot.
Figures, the “shortest” day of the year is the day I have to study for a big pre-calculus exam tomorrow morning.
[quote comment=”317525″]Buffalo doesn’t even come close to having the “worst uniform”. That belongs to the Bengals…they are beyond ugly. Other teams that have worse uniforms are Seattle and Atlanta. The Chargers also moved from a classic look to a hideously ugly design.
But no one comes close to the Bengals.[/quote]
Exactly. The Bills would actually be able to vastly improve their look if they’d just wear white pants with the blue jerseys.
Phil, that would be “Nice job, Signor Chiarini.”
Senor:Signor::Spanish:Italian
[quote comment=”317530″]Phil, that would be “Nice job, Signor Chiarini.”
Senor:Signor::Spanish:Italian[/quote]
è colpa mia! (ci penso io, sistemo tutto io)
Why should link change his uni number? #30 is a traditional goalie’s number… and link #2 is already retired!
Whazzat? Wrong link? link
Kidding aside, the NBA usually doesn’t allow players to change their uni numbers in-season (unless, of course, they change teams). It would be a fitting tribute to link to allow Thomas to wear a different number for the rest of the season.
Memorable first words from my son:
Jan 15, 1998: “Da-Da”
May 3, 2002: “Dad, can we have a catch?”
March 7, 2009: “Dad, can you show me how to make my baseball pants look all puffy in the cuffs like the old-time baseball players?”
Next stop: stirrups. Life is good………
The Buffalo Bills, The Cincinnati Bengals and The Seattle Seahawks -are in a class all their own for uniforms that have gone really bad, figuring out which one’s uglier – is a fruitless task – all of them make you desperately long for their earlier unis – that were far simpler and far better looking.
The Bengals have the worst unis for one small detail (amongst the shit thats already there) that annoys me everytime I watch them. The orange screen printed stripe above the sleeve. They never get the color to match, and worse yet, they put some kind of shine on it that makes it look almost pink on tv. Fucking annoying
#1?
link
I think not.
I dvr Venezuela v. Italy, get home last night, watch a bit with my wife, and her first comment is, “Venezuela’s uniforms are clean and crisp, but what’s with the ugly patch under their arms?”
I married well…
BILLS & BENGALS are the worst in the NFL.
Bengals are beyond suggestion of inprovement.
Go back to the Boomer Esiason-era, or even the beginning late 1960s look with a decent helmet decal.
The Bills, why not the 1960s throwbacks? Gimme one reason that makes sense not to.
At least the Falcons limit their uni mess to TWO basic colors, Black and Red, with NO WHITE SIDE STRIPES as do the Bengals. And at least they got rid of those 1980s grey pants and numerals – YUK !!!
Seahawks are bad, but not nearly as bad. If they’d wear white pants with the blue jerseys they’d even be acceptable.
The Chargers update is no real improvement, particularly with the all-too-busy five color numbers and the light blue mixed with the navy blue all over the place.
This could have easily been avoided with having the two blues entirely separate, (just trim the damn yellow bolts on the helmet AND the white pants in Navy blue and be done with it, even when wearing the powder blues !!!) and what is so special or attractive about navy blue pants with a white jersey and white helmet. It’s the definition of BLAH !!!
If the Chargers wanted something special, they’d wear yellow/gold pants with their white jerseys, and perhaps even with the powder blue jerseys, ditch the navy pants entirely, and wear white pants with the navy jersey, and perhaps occasionally go all-white for 95+ degree games.
They’d then solve a number of problems. The yellow/gold pants would be a unique NFL look that would honor their 1970s look, they’d get rid of the too-busy numeral colors and trim, and they’d look a helluva lot better.
RBK going down the tubes?
link
When I watched the DR/Netherlands game, I thought I saw Hanley Ramirez have belt problems after an infield dive. I’m not sure if it broke, or just came undone, but I can’t find any pics to back up what I think I saw.
…the final out of the Domincan/Netherlands game was amazing (catcher throws out runner stealing second from the squat position) and ESPN didn’t even show the replay!!!
sheesh!
hard to blame selig for anything. mlb has never been more popular. which is the job description.
mtjaws, You’re right. Hanley broke his belt in the top of the first while diving to his left for a grounder. They showed him putting a new belt on right after the play.
Speaking of the “Wrong” Tim Thomas…anyone ever noticed how drastically different his mask is from any other goalie in the NHL? How the cage resembles the old “birdcage”, but ripped off the old Cooper helmet and riveted to a modern style molded mask?
Teebz, where u at?
Who makes that mask?
Nick,
I agree with all of your post, except for your take on the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, the current uniform needs to go, along with the black helmet. I would retain the newer Falcon logo and put it on the sharp 1980s era red helmet with the black/white striping. The 80’s jersey/pants combo are superior to what the Falcons have now. I too, would ditch the grey from that style and replace it with white.
Is there any early word on whether or not James Hardy will give up number 81 for TO?
[quote comment=”317545″]Speaking of the “Wrong” Tim Thomas…anyone ever noticed how drastically different his mask is from any other goalie in the NHL? How the cage resembles the old “birdcage”, but ripped off the old Cooper helmet and riveted to a modern style molded mask?
Teebz, where u at?
Who makes that mask?[/quote]
It’s made by a company called link. The style of helmet is called the “Mage”, and has extended chin protection that the original Mage design.
The Mage essentially is a combination of the traditional hybrid mask cage with a more helmet-like construction. There is a chin cup to hold the face back from the cage to reduce impact on the head, thereby reducing concussions somewhat when the helmet receives an impact. The reduced chin protector inside the cage combined with the extended cage allows for better vision downwards as well, increasing the field of vision by the goalie in all situations.
Players wearing the Mage that I know of are Tim Thomas (BOS) and Tobias Stephen (DAL).
[quote comment=”317548″]
It’s made by a company called link. The style of helmet is called the “Mage”, and has extended chin protection that the original Mage design.
[/quote]
I guess I should finish my thoughts rather than stopping for lunch.
The first paragraph should read:
The style of helmet is called the “Mage”, and has extended chin protection for greater vision that the original hybrid design does not provide.
I’m no fan of Ohio St but this is a sweet shirt even with the helmet inaccuracies.
link|66%3A4|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A2|294%3A200
Im glad to see my home town team the Rock Cats on here. I cant wait for them to break out the pink unis, and any other stupid thing they can think of, such as tie dye.
Do the Rock Cats have enough mascots? By my count they only need one more to field their own team.
The Bills color jersey isn’t too bad, but for the life of me, I just don’t understand the white jersey!!! I have a friend from Buffalo, and i mess with her all the time about the two different blues. If the number were navy and outlined in rroyal, i think it would work a little better…
You think the Bills were inspired by Les Alouettes de Montreal?
RE: Shea for sale
“A collection like this comes up once every 45 years and I don’t know if 45 years from now it will ever happen again,” Meisel said. “That’s why we’ve done this……”
Yeah, that’s why you’re doing this. Meisel obviously has a full supply of the stuff they use to grow the grass at Shea.
Watching the WBC on MLB Net, South Africa’s sleeve trim is made up of little South African flags, and – shocker! – Cuba (or the Cubs?) is wearing Majestic!
[quote comment=”317555″]RE: Shea for sale
“A collection like this comes up once every 45 years and I don’t know if 45 years from now it will ever happen again,” Meisel said. “That’s why we’ve done this……”
Yeah, that’s why you’re doing this. Meisel obviously has a full supply of the stuff they use to grow the grass at Shea.[/quote]
don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?
paved
paradiseit and put up a parking lotTeebz, thanks for the info, pretty cool stuff. I always found it odd that I could see Tim’s mouth in the cage. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more of this type of mask in baseball form…seems as though it’d be easier to rip off than the current wave of “hockey masks” on the “2”.
I missed the blog yesterday, so excuse me, yet, is there a name for that ‘Women’s Proffesional Soccer’ wordmark/font. Maybe a True Type?
[quote comment=”317552″]Do the Rock Cats have enough mascots? By my count they only need one more to field their own team.[/quote]
Rocky, Sandy, Toner and Blooper are usually the only ones in the house. So the official team page says the Rock Cats have eight mascots, and that doesn’t even include their on-field DJ, who goes by the name Lucky.
West Virginia Power have five mascots: Charlie, Pyro, Hydro, Gusty and Axe.
[quote comment=”317560″]
West Virginia Power have five mascots: Charlie, Pyro, Hydro, Gusty and Axe.[/quote]
You know, Charlie might be up there in the running for my all time favorite mascot. Does he ever yell, “Get offa my lawn?” link
Do mascot costumes fall into the scope of Uniwatch?
[quote comment=”317537″]#1?
link
I think not.[/quote]
Personally, I prefer to think of Bob Chandler when I think of #81 for the Bills.
But, hey, that’s just me.
Seeing as James Hardy has #81 currently, figure “Popcorn Face” will opt for #18, maybe? Anyone on the Bills wearing it?
Too bad they can’t give him #0. Would be sorta appropriate.
Tough life. Get fired for being an underproducing, disruptive, self-centered whiner…and two days later find another job at $6.5 mil a year.
Hang in there, Bryan R. (and anyone else who’s suddenly unemployed). Don’t let the bastards get you down.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”317561″]“Does he ever yell, ‘Get off of my lawn?'”[/quote]
Not since Eastwood stole it from Lawn Guyland Phillip… :P
A little uni note from the WBC. I was watching the US vs. Canada game yesterday and the announcers talked about Shane Victorino’s choice of number.
He’s wearing number 50 because his home state, Hawaii, was the 50th state let into the union. Thought that was a pretty cool way to honor his heritage.
They also talked about Russell Martin’s new NOB, “J.Martin”, which I’m pretty sure was already brought up a wekk or two ago.
I’m watching the USA-Venezuela game right now. Does anyone else HATE the red hats with the grey uniforms that team USA is wearing? If anything I think that the red would work better with the home uni’s and then wear the blue caps with the grey jerseys.
[quote comment=”317565″]I’m watching the USA-Venezuela game right now. Does anyone else HATE the red hats with the grey uniforms that team USA is wearing? If anything I think that the red would work better with the home uni’s and then wear the blue caps with the grey jerseys.[/quote]
Was thinking something similar: Why not wear ONLY the blue hats, home and road? Some kinda RULE these days that have to have two hats, even if second one looks ugly with the uni?
Second thought:Never figured why someone in MLB hasn’t worn burgundy/light gold like Venezuela’s wearing. Really a nice look. Closest thing was Tampa Bay’s St. Petersburg Pelicans throwbacks last season, I guess. Hmmm…sitting here imagining the Rockies in that instead of their sorta “meh” purple and and black look.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”317564″]A little uni note from the WBC. I was watching the US vs. Canada game yesterday and the announcers talked about Shane Victorino’s choice of number.
He’s wearing number 50 because his home state, Hawaii, was the 50th state let into the union. Thought that was a pretty cool way to honor his heritage.[/quote]
Why is it that Hawaiian players often do this (Sid Fernandez, Benny Agbayani, now Victorino), but you never hear about, say, someone from Oklahoma wearing #46?
[quote comment=”317566″][quote comment=”317565″]I’m watching the USA-Venezuela game right now. Does anyone else HATE the red hats with the grey uniforms that team USA is wearing? If anything I think that the red would work better with the home uni’s and then wear the blue caps with the grey jerseys.[/quote]
Was thinking something similar: Why not wear ONLY the blue hats, home and road? Some kinda RULE these days that have to have two hats, even if second one looks ugly with the uni?
Second thought:Never figured why someone in MLB hasn’t worn burgundy/light gold like Venezuela’s wearing. Really a nice look. Closest thing was Tampa Bay’s St. Petersburg Pelicans throwbacks last season, I guess. Hmmm…sitting here imagining the Rockies in that instead of their sorta “meh” purple and and black look.
—Ricko[/quote]
team USA actually have three different caps (blue=home, red=road & two-tone=alt)
the red caps look shitty with the road uni, IMHO, because of the stupid blue pit stains; im just glad they have a gray road jersey, seeing as how they also have a red AND a blue alt
/i’ll have more on this when i do my WBC review
[quote comment=”317525″]Buffalo doesn’t even come close to having the “worst uniform”. That belongs to the Bengals…they are beyond ugly. Other teams that have worse uniforms are Seattle and Atlanta. The Chargers also moved from a classic look to a hideously ugly design.
But no one comes close to the Bengals.[/quote]
Vikes, Cards, Bengals and Falcons all suffer from the ‘too much piping’ syndrome. Bengals need to tone it down- they just look like clowns.
The ones I cannot stand are the Lions. Talk about adding black ‘just because.’ Awful.
Will the Cowboys update the look moving into the new stadium?
The Mexicans also have a sponsorship (Vivir Mejor) patch on their jerseys. Did anyone notice also helmet sponsors on Venezuela as well?
Woops, forgot about the all-blue Seahawks. TERRible. If they could co white/blue and blue/white, OK. Otherwise- monochrome needs to go away. Far, far away.
[quote comment=”317567″][quote comment=”317564″]A little uni note from the WBC. I was watching the US vs. Canada game yesterday and the announcers talked about Shane Victorino’s choice of number.
He’s wearing number 50 because his home state, Hawaii, was the 50th state let into the union. Thought that was a pretty cool way to honor his heritage.[/quote]
Why is it that Hawaiian players often do this (Sid Fernandez, Benny Agbayani, now Victorino), but you never hear about, say, someone from Oklahoma wearing #46?[/quote]
Because Hawai’i (supposedly the PC way to spell it these days) has ALWAYS bragged about being #50. Delaware calls it self “The First State”, but you’ve never seen “Delaware One” on TV, either…
Vivir Mejor (A Scientology branch believe it or not) sponsors the Mexican WBC uniforms, and the Aussies have a sponsorship on their batting helmets.
My bad on Vivir Mejor. Ir’s part of Mexico’s national sports government federation fitness program.
Victor Zambrano just came in for Venezuela wearing number 31 and he looks like he should be wearing a three digit number based on how his number is centered under his nameplate. No screen caps. Sorry.
As stated earlier, Bob Chandler will always be 81. And if I were Jim Kelly, I’d sent Trent Edwards a condolences bouquet. Or a large bottle of alcohol.
watching the world baseball classic and every player on the u.s. ive seen has the u.s. flag patch on there arm on like they were sewn on facing down with the blue part on the right..thought it was just one player but everyone appears to have it that way..and then coming back from commercial i saw a fan wearing a white u.s. jersey that also had it the wrong way?!?!
Anyone else detest the “stripey” S in the USA logo?
[quote comment=”317565″]I’m watching the USA-Venezuela game right now. Does anyone else HATE the red hats with the grey uniforms that team USA is wearing? If anything I think that the red would work better with the home uni’s and then wear the blue caps with the grey jerseys.[/quote]
I like the red caps with the road gray jerseys. I also like how the Cardinals wear red caps at home and navy blue caps on the road.
[quote comment=”317577″]watching the world baseball classic and every player on the u.s. ive seen has the u.s. flag patch on there arm on like they were sewn on facing down with the blue part on the right..thought it was just one player but everyone appears to have it that way..and then coming back from commercial i saw a fan wearing a white u.s. jersey that also had it the wrong way?!?![/quote]
As I understand it, when the flag is used in that fashion, the blue part is to be on the side facing forward. So, on a right sleeve, the “rule” can be adjusted.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”317580″][quote comment=”317577″]watching the world baseball classic and every player on the u.s. ive seen has the u.s. flag patch on there arm on like they were sewn on facing down with the blue part on the right..thought it was just one player but everyone appears to have it that way..and then coming back from commercial i saw a fan wearing a white u.s. jersey that also had it the wrong way?!?![/quote]
As I understand it, when the flag is used in that fashion, the blue part is to be on the side facing forward. So, on a right sleeve, the “rule” can be adjusted.
—Ricko[/quote]
And as I walked back into the room, the play-by-play guys addresssed that subject.
[quote comment=”317577″]watching the world baseball classic and every player on the u.s. ive seen has the u.s. flag patch on there arm on like they were sewn on facing down with the blue part on the right..thought it was just one player but everyone appears to have it that way..and then coming back from commercial i saw a fan wearing a white u.s. jersey that also had it the wrong way?!?![/quote]
despite US flag protocol stating:
[quote]”No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” (U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8(j)).[/quote]
(no reference is actually made to an athletic uniform…)
[quote]Flag patches affixed to right shoulders of uniforms are reversed, so that the union (stars) faces forward. The reversal was inspired by the age-old practice of carrying flags into battle. When fastened to a standard, the American flag’s union (stars) is always closest to the pole. A flag bearer rushing into the fray, then, would naturally lead with the stars.[/quote]
so there ya go
view of jerseyw/flag properly oriented
The Islanders third unis are now complete, the stripes go all the way around now. Blame RBK
link
[quote comment=”317584″]The Islanders third unis are now complete, the stripes go all the way around now. Blame RBK
link
Hooray!
Chance and Tom Farley, thanks for the help the other day asnwering my question about the Milwaukee Admirals Brewers patch. You guys are awesome.
[quote comment=”317584″]The Islanders third unis are now complete, the stripes go all the way around now. Blame RBK
link
I’m glad Reebok got that solved before they introduced the new jers… er, before the Isles wore the new jers… er, before the end of the season so we won’t see them again until next September.
Well done. Idiots.
[quote comment=”317537″]#1?
link
I think not.[/quote]
well…this doesn’t look any better…maybe if he flips it?
watching NCAA basketball on ESPN2. Gonzaga blowing away Santa Clara. the Zags jersey appear to have vertical striping woven subtly into them, like soccer jerseys often have. they are wearing white and it may just be everyone is wearing a black and white striped t-shirt under their jersey but I don’t think so. does anybody else in college roundball do that? it’s kind of distinctive but I haven’t quite made my mind up about it yet.
[quote comment=”317590″]watching NCAA basketball on ESPN2. Gonzaga blowing away Santa Clara. the Zags jersey appear to have vertical striping woven subtly into them, like soccer jerseys often have. they are wearing white and it may just be everyone is wearing a black and white striped t-shirt under their jersey but I don’t think so. does anybody else in college roundball do that? it’s kind of distinctive but I haven’t quite made my mind up about it yet.[/quote]
I noticed that too…reminds me of these two jerseys
link
link
I was thinking to myself, team USA would look better if they had a cap that was red and blue. Whaddya know, they do. I’m wondering to myself why they don’t wear the alt cap with the grey jerseys (or just wear the blue caps with both, as someone mentionned above).
I think the problem is that the red hat is just ugly period. The logo looks like it’s in black and white. A half-ass job on that hat IMO.
[quote comment=”317564″]
They also talked about Russell Martin’s new NOB, “J.Martin”, which I’m pretty sure was already brought up a wekk or two ago.[/quote]
The J stands for Jeanson – which is his mother’s surname – according to Jeff Blair’s column in the Globe & Mail
link
[quote comment=”317527″]There are a lot of things you can blame Bud Selig for, but steroids? That is one of the lamest articles I’ve ever read. Wallace Matthews is a complete idiot.[/quote]
I didn’t take it as Wallace Matthews blaming Selig for steroids so much as him saying Selig has done his damnedest, and used so many excuses, to distance himself form the steroid scandal / era every chance he gets. And the bottom line is that during his tenure, yes, baseball reached new heights for moneymaking, which was helped in no small part by the home run chase in 1998, but it also suffered some of its blackest eyes, including the 1994 strike and subsequent cancellation of the World Series, and rampant steroid use.
Selig has constantly changed his story when it comes to steroid use. First he said that he had no clue. Then when it was pointed out that guys like Canseco, McGwire, Bonds, et al looked like IFBB freaks, he comes back and says that there was nothing he could do about it. Someone must have pointed out how ridiculous THE COMMISSIONER of the league sounded saying that, so he elaborated further by blaming the union (which, to cut him some slack, as the facts have unfolded, maybe wasn’t too far from the truth).
Can you imagine Roger Goodell or David Stern (we’ll leave out Clueless Gary Bettman from this conversation) saying something like that? In public? Wallace Matthews’ point, and it’s a good one, is that Selig is no different from the shysters ruining the car companies and banks that are currently getting government bailouts: They collected millions upon millions in salary while their companies failed, yet when push came to shove they placed the blame on everything and everyone but themselves for their failures.
Selig is no different. When he gets asked, hey, how could this happen under your watch, the first thing he does is point fingers at everyone else, ignoring the fact that he was the guy in charge when it all happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day he tries to rewrite history and deny that he was there, cheering and clapping along with everyone else when McGwire and his jacked-up Popeye forearms were obliterating Roger Maris’ record. He wants to collect $18+ million? Then he needs to deal with the scrutiny that comes along with it.
It’s funny, because he’s really not the one that gets blamed for what happened; it’s always Fehr, Orza and the MLBPA who get vilified. Yet mention his name along with Fehr and Orza, and Selig gets defensive. And the truth of the matter is that this happened ON HIS WATCH, and will be a part of his legacy just as much as it will be for Fehr and Orza, and pointing the finger at everyone else is not going to change that.
I don’t usually agree with Wallace Matthews; most of the time I think his columns are a joke and an excuse to rip on people he doesn’t like (usually some guy by the name of A-Rod), but he hit the nail right on the head this time.