# MLB fans, begin the mourning. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666 "2004-08-20T04:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/1 "2004-08-20T04:01:41Z")
That shitstain is back for 5 more years. Yeas the one that allowed an All-Star game to end in a tie, then the next year decided the winner of the ASG would determine home-field advantage for the World Series. Yup, the same fuckstick that “sold” his franchise to his daughter, then decided to set up revenue sharing that benefits his (yes, he still owns it, do’n be naiive) ballclub by millions of dollars a year. Yup the same one that snookered the 5 county area around Milwaukee to pay for his shrine, while selling off all but one (Jenkins) of the most promising impact players. Sure, The Brewers have one of the best farm systems in baseball. But that doesn’t mean shit if you keep trading them before they can mesh and make a run for the title. There is too much more to bitch about and I’m too pissed to make anything further coherent, so I’ll leave an article that will help make my point. I’ll be back tomorrow to add to why Selig is Satan. 5 more fucking years with this asshole. Nice knowing you baseball. :smack: :wally [http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2678288](http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2678288) FUCK! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/2 "2004-08-20T04:04:30Z")
No, no. _Steinbrener_ is Satan. Selig is a minor demon, at best. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Llama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@The\_Llama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Llama)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/3 "2004-08-20T04:08:57Z")
Please, Steinbrenner pays money to help his team win. Selig reaps money while all of baseball suffer. They can hardly be compaired. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/4 "2004-08-20T04:13:46Z")
I don’t care much about baseball anymore. Milwaukee’s finest asshole is part of why. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/5 "2004-08-20T04:19:12Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I don’t care much about baseball anymore. > > Milwaukee’s finest asshole is part of why. One more reason he pisses me off. Please Dopers, don’t hold Selig as a Milwaukeean. The 20 years I lived there showed me that nobody outside his family there likes him either. ---
**Author:** ![thermalribbon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@thermalribbon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thermalribbon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/6 "2004-08-20T04:22:55Z")
In purist’s terms, Selig has pissed many people off. Interleauge Play. Fuck that. The unbalanced schedule. Fuck that. However, in terms of bringing MLB to a healthier state, Selig must be given credit. The Wild Card has been very successful. He has gotten Steinbrenner to share - but still he can afford 200M payroll. He’s gotten the union to agree to participate in the steroid testing. All in all, Selig is reviled but when his track record is evaluated, he is going to go down as one of the great commissioners in baseball history. Like it or not. Please read San Diego Padres owner John Moores commentary [here.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35559-2004Jul7.html) ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/7 "2004-08-20T04:30:29Z")
> [@thermalribbon](#): > > Please read San Diego Padres owner John Moores commentary [here.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35559-2004Jul7.html) Holy cow, an owner who recieves millions of dollars for doing nothing thanks to Selig likes him? Shocker! > [@](#): > > All in all, Selig is reviled but when his track record is evaluated, he is going to go down as one of the great commissioners in baseball history. In all earnestness, I would be happy to read a glowing retrospective of Mr Selig’s career, provided it concludes with whom he is survived by and where to send the flowers. Not that I would. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/8 "2004-08-20T04:31:20Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > No, no. _Steinbrener_ is Satan. Selig is a minor demon, at best. He is Beelzebud! I hate Steinbrenner, but at least he wants to win. Selig doesn’t seem to care who wins, he just wants to trash baseball at every opportunity. Has he ever said anything positive about the game? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/9 "2004-08-20T04:31:32Z")
The unbalanced schedule is an abomination unto the Lord. Inter-league play, though, is really cool. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/10 "2004-08-20T04:33:31Z")
[http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1103/111789.html](http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1103/111789.html) Steroid testing? Do you really need me to include links that show how many times you can fail a drug test before incurring significant punishment? It’s a joke. The MLBPA has Selig by the short hairs on this, he punked out on this in essence. He is the worst commissioner since Kennesaw. And even Kennesaw was somewhat respectable. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/11 "2004-08-20T05:21:43Z")
I can only hope that Seligula does not serve out his contract. The damage he is doing to the sport is enormous. Interleague play is _not_ a success. Sure, it’s nice to have the Mets play the Yankees, or the Giants play the Athletics, or the White Sox play the Brewers, but once you get past the natural rivalries of shared metro areas, it gets boring really fast. Hmmm, who will the Rockies play? Why, their natural rivals, the um, um, um, Texas Rangers! Sure, that’s the ticket! And in an attempt to keep some kind of fairness in the schedule, you can’t have the Mets play the Yankees every year, so even the few natural rivalries don’t get exploited to the fullest. In response, attendance is down for interleague play. The Wild Card is another terrible idea. More teams making the playoffs diminishes them. Sure, there’s a Division Series to televise and get revenue from, but who watches those games? Allowing the All-Star game to end in a tie is emblematic of his tenure as commissioner. Baseball games do not end in ties. It is a rule. You may suspend a game, or declare it not played, but you do not have ties in baseball. And on his watch, we did. We had a tie in the All-Star game, because everyone involved forgot that it’s supposed to be a baseball game, not an exhibition. Gad, I despise the man. I want him to go away. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/12 "2004-08-20T05:32:41Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > Interleague play is _not_ a success. Sure, it’s nice to have the Mets play the Yankees, or the Giants play the Athletics, or the White Sox play the Brewers, but once you get past the natural rivalries of shared metro areas, it gets boring really fast. Hmmm, who will the Rockies play? Why, their natural rivals, the um, um, um, Texas Rangers! Sure, that’s the ticket! And in an attempt to keep some kind of fairness in the schedule, you can’t have the Mets play the Yankees every year, so even the few natural rivalries don’t get exploited to the fullest. In response, attendance is down for interleague play. Okay, I’m not a big sports fan, so maybe I don’t understand the intricacies, but… Are you saying that those same people who’re so “bored” with interleague play would’ve been just fine if those teams had just been playing the teams within their league? Why is more options for matchups bad? > [@](#): > > You may suspend a game, or declare it not played, but you do not have ties in baseball. What about crying? ---
**Author:** ![colour\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@colour\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colour_wolf)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/13 "2004-08-20T05:35:27Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > Interleague play is _not_ a success. Agreed. They should eliminate this immediately. > [@](#): > > The Wild Card is another terrible idea. More teams making the playoffs diminishes them. Sure, there’s a Division Series to televise and get revenue from, but who watches those games? Here I completely disagree. Adding the Wild Card was a great idea. More teams have something to play for. If there weren’t a wild card, 3 divisions would already be decided. Giving more teams more incentive to win is all good, as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/14 "2004-08-20T05:43:56Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Okay, I’m not a big sports fan, so maybe I don’t understand the intricacies, but… Are you saying that those same people who’re so “bored” with interleague play would’ve been just fine if those teams had just been **playing the teams within their league?** Why is more options for matchups bad? This is so much better because it gets into tie-breakers come wild-card time. I’m not against the WC format, it may be the one thing Selig did that is good, but inter-league play is just revenue whoring. When it comes to records, it’s nice for the Yankees to beat up on the Padres, but what’s the point? I’d rather see them play the BoSox or the Twins and earn wins in the league they want to represent come playoff time. Leave inter-league play for its intended purpose. The World Series. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/15 "2004-08-20T06:05:51Z")
I’ve been bitching about that piece of shit for 30 fucking years! I fucking [**HATE**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=124750) that cocksucker! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/16 "2004-08-20T06:09:22Z")
> [@colour wolf](#): > > Agreed. They should eliminate this immediately. The fans like it: ESPN noted earlier this year that average interleague attendance is still higher than normal attendance. I’ve got no problem with it. The Rangers playing the Rockies is no more or less interesting than the Marlins playing the Padres or the Expos playing… anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/17 "2004-08-20T06:25:21Z")
I like being able to see different teams come to town. I like seeing the other league’s stars come in and a play a game that counts. I think it should expand. I think you should have to play _every_ other team! ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/18 "2004-08-20T07:19:23Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > What about crying? There’s no _crying_ in baseball, everyone knows that. I, for one, won’t be happy until baseball realizes that its little experiment with the DH is a disaster and returns both leagues to playing the real game. If Selig did that, I’d advance him to sainthood. (Of course, you do have to die before you can become a saint.) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/19 "2004-08-20T08:03:54Z")
The primary reason that regular-season interleague play is WRONG is because it ignores one of the fundamental principle of the sport: that you EARN the privilege of striving at the extraordinary. Playing a game (or a series of games) of baseball against a team not in your league is an extraordinary endeavor, and you EARN it by proving your team to be the best in your own league. But as rotten as Selig assuredly is, he’s merely a symptom of what’s wrong with baseball today. Consider: he’s not (solely) responsible for the evil Designated Hitter feature that taints the American League. This abomination flouts another principle of the hallowed game: that you EARN the privilege of stepping up to the plate and attempting to hit a baseball; and you EARN it by playing defense. Baseball pitchers bat, that’s all there is to it. I don’t know what to call a game where the pitcher remains in the game after a pinch-hitter has batted for him, but it’s not baseball. Baeball used to be all about keeping the unworthy and the disreputable out of the clubhouse and the front office. I’ll confess 23 year-old **kaylasdad99** found Bowie Kuhn to be heavy-handed and tyrannical when he banned Willie Mays from the game for taking a job shaking hands in an Atlantic City casino (ban lifted by Peter Ueberroth in 1985, IIRC). But I was dumbfounded when the same principle was ignored when the Prince of Darkness himself was allowed to actually OWN a team (to this day I cannot bear to hear the name O’Malley, or to eat Carnation ice cream). The qualities that made Major League baseball a noble and honorable American institution have been stripped away since my childhood. It ALMOST doesn’t even matter that electric lights are now contaminating the playing field at Wrigley Field. I don’t know if there is any going back to the days of goodness and rightness. But it’s going to have to begin with a revocation of MLB’s exemption from anti-trust laws. The bastards who own the game today have shown that they can’t be trusted with it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666/20 "2004-08-20T08:06:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The primary reason that regular-season interleague play is WRONG is because it ignores one of the fundamental principle of the sport: that you EARN the privilege of striving at the extraordinary. Playing a game (or a series of games) of baseball against a team not in your league is an extraordinary endeavor, and you EARN it by proving your team to be the best in your own league. The privilege you earn is playing the BEST team in the other league for the title of the BEST team in baseball. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-fans-begin-the-mourning/260666.md?page=2)