Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Smart PR by Bud Selig

It may be baby steps, but we all need to thank someone in MLB's PR department for taking a stand on an issue. From Boston.com's Sox blog:

PITTSBURGH -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was still upset today about Manny Ramirez not coming to Pittsburgh for tonight's All-Star Game because of a tender knee. "Maybe I'm old fashioned, but if you are voted on the team, it's a privilege," he said. "You ought to be here. He's the only person who did not participate this year. Everybody else has been here and has been terrific." Selig pointed out that two Mets, Tom Glavine and Jose Reyes, were both in Pittsburgh although they won't be playing in the game.

Now, Bostonians could have told you this spring that if Manny was picked to play in the All-Star Game, he would find a way to back out by July. There is nothing wrong with this. The Game's outcome does have some postseason meaning, but other than that, it's a place for fans to network and for sponsors to have tons of events to generate interest in their product or services.

Here is what I don't understand. It's great to see Selig address an issue to the national media by taking a strong position. Why in the world can't he or won't he do this regarding the steriod issue or fixing staduim issues? As I have said before, MLB needs a strong spokesperson to take the lead from the commissioner's office moving forward.

2 Comments:

At 9:18 AM, Blogger Patterson said...

...because picking on Manny is easier? The guy has a small tear in his MCL. It probably won't get worse, but imagine if it did, during a game that didn't matter?

Re: the steroids issue - I think that the issue is still too cloudy for him to do anything about it. Do you realize how many supplements there are out there? Ever been to a GNC? Where do you draw the line - no more protein shakes?

It's impossible to regulate, unless you commit to spending about a billion dollars on testing for every chemical that offers an unfair advantage. And even then, if he took a hard-line stance - he'd have to raise ticket prices to pay for it.

It's a no-win situation for poor Bud. He should just quit - this steroids issue is headed downhill, fast.

 
At 9:19 AM, Blogger Patterson said...

p.s. Yes, Manny should have gone to the All Star game.

 

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