Bud Selig is an Idiot

Friday May 18 8:00 PM

I enjoy watching Bud Selig squirm. The mlb comissioner's facetious response to Barry Bonds record home run chase, "Oh, is he approaching a record?" reveals far more of this man with the snake oil in his veins (and hair) than any speech from a podium might do. On the surface he might appear pleasant, even charming. But make no mistake. There's a darkness lurking.

The fact that he doesn't like answering questions about Bonds, never mind that he apparently doesn't know if he'll be in attendance when Hank Aaron's all time home run mark is eclipsed, is a delicious irony for those of us who have followed him closely since he helped knock Fay Vincent out of the park.

Selig was merely the "interim" comissioner at the time. Playing the "Aw shucks, I don't really want the job" routine as believably as his fellow owners who feigned admiration for Vincent. Just the beginning of a pack of lies. And always unbelievable performances. Oh, let me count some of the ways:

It "pained" Selig "terribly" to cancel the rest of the 1994 season.
It "saddened" him to announce the contraction of Montreal and Minnesota.
He lied to Congress during anti-trust exemption hearings in 2001 before being verbally body-slammed by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura.
He lied on The Team 990 during an in-game conversation with Elliott Price (Remember the Expos-tied for the lead in the NL wild card race-were not allowed to expand their roster on september 1st? "First I hear of this" Said Selig to Elliott.)
Montreal is "the last residue of contraction"'
"We want to get rid of them" (The Expos); "We need to get rid of them"
Declaring the All Star game a tie; subsequently awarding the winner home field advantage in the World Series.
Claimed he wasn't aware of rampant steroid use in baseball; before BALCO.
Claimed he wasn't aware of rampant steroid use in baseball; after BALCO
Continues to refer to current state of baseball as "A Renaissance"; 2006 World Series TV ratings hit a record low

I need to head home for the weekend or I'd go on all night. Put it this way. Bud Selig makes Gary Bettman look like Pete Rozelle.

Selig is clearly fucked on the Bonds issue. May he squirm forever.

I think Jeff Blair has been around the baseball beat long enough to earn a "Well, Jeff..." reply from Selig. I know Blair has reached the rarefied air status of "insider" with "access" directly to the comissioner's office, a must for anyone with a baseball column. So while he regularly lets the high & mighty off the hook he hasn't lost his ability to dish it out. Only now his cutting sarcasm (no, let's make that sardonic humour) is directed mostly at players and fans. But it's only rock 'n roll. And I love it:

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070518.wsptblair18/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/home

Another sports blogger who always gets me going-and who, like Blair-is always a terrific radio guest is Sportsnet's Jim Kelley:

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/jim_kelley/2007/05/18/end_of_days/

Nice moment at last saturday's Norah Jones concert at Theatre St. Denis. During her second encore (Tom Waits' "Long Way Home") a gentleman in the front row dropped to his knees while presenting an engagement ring to his girlfriend. She squeeled, accepted his invitation, then kissed and hugged him while a smattering of applause could be heard from some of us seated in the same section. The couple continued to embrace and slow dance while the ravishing Miss Jones and her band (including boyfriend and bass player Lee Alexander) looked on somewhat bemused.

Beats the proposal- via- sports- scoreboard route.

Jones makes her big screen debut in a movie that opened this week at Cannes. It's called "My Blueberry Nights". She plays a woman who tries to mend her broken heart by taking a cross-country road trip. She's sure to light up the screen. But I'm not as sure she'll equal the screen debuts of a couple of other beauties:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BylTBPNu7cU

and 50 years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAp-wd3Yf60&mode=related&search=

Pamela Anderson couldn't hold their g-strings.

Happy Victoria Day.

Montreal Expos 8, New York Mets 4
Day
Game Played on Monday, May 18, 1970 (D) at Parc Jarry

NY N 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 - 4 9 0
MON N 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 - 8 12 1

Time of Game: 3:10 Attendance: 31004
Starting Lineups:

New York Mets Montreal Expos
1. Agee cf Staehle 2b
2. Harrelson ss Jones lf
3. Jones lf Staub rf
4. Shamsky 1b Fairly 1b
5. Boswell 2b Fairey cf
6. Marshall rf Laboy 3b
7. Foy 3b Bateman c
8. Grote c Wine ss
9. Gentry p Stoneman p



METS 1ST: Agee was called out on strikes; Harrelson walked;
Harrelson was picked off and caught stealing second (pitcher to
first to shortstop); Jones popped to catcher in foul territory;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 0, Expos 0.
EXPOS 1ST: Staehle flied to center; Jones doubled to left; Staub
walked; Fairly walked [Jones to third, Staub to second]; Fairey
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Fairly out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Mets 0, Expos 0.

METS 2ND: Shamsky struck out; Boswell grounded out (second to
first); Marshall popped to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 0,
Expos 0.
EXPOS 2ND: Laboy struck out; Bateman singled to left; Wine
singled to center [Bateman to second]; Stoneman struck out;
Staehle singled to right [Wine to third, Bateman scored, Staehle
to second (on throw)]; Jones was hit by a pitch; Staub popped to
third in foul territory; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 3 LOB. Mets 0, Expos 1.

METS 3RD: Foy grounded out (pitcher to first); Grote walked;
Gentry struck out; Agee singled to right [Grote to third];
Harrelson walked [Agee to second]; Jones struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 3 LOB. Mets 0, Expos 1.
EXPOS 3RD: Fairly flied to center; Fairey lined to center; Laboy
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 0, Expos 1.

METS 4TH: Shamsky lined to center; Boswell singled to right;
Marshall doubled to center [Boswell scored, Marshall out at
third (center to shortstop to third)]; Foy walked; Foy stole
second; Grote grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E,
1 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.
EXPOS 4TH: Bateman was called out on strikes; Wine grounded out
(second to first); On a bunt Stoneman singled; Staehle struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.

METS 5TH: Gentry struck out; Agee reached on an error by
Staehle; Harrelson singled to center [Agee to second]; Jones
forced Harrelson (second to shortstop) [Agee to third]; Shamsky
popped to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.
EXPOS 5TH: Jones struck out; Staub flied to right; Fairly struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.

METS 6TH: Boswell singled to right; Marshall flied to left; Foy
singled to left [Boswell to second]; Grote flied to left; Gentry
struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.
EXPOS 6TH: Fairey struck out; Laboy flied to left; Bateman
grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 1,
Expos 1.

METS 7TH: Agee was called out on strikes; Harrelson grounded out
(first unassisted); Jones popped to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.
EXPOS 7TH: Wine grounded out (pitcher to first); Stoneman
grounded out (catcher to first); Staehle grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 1, Expos 1.

METS 8TH: Shamsky flied to center; Boswell walked; Boswell was
caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); Marshall homered;
Foy homered; Grote homered; RAYMOND REPLACED STONEMAN
(PITCHING); Gentry struck out; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 4,
Expos 1.
EXPOS 8TH: JORGENSEN REPLACED SHAMSKY (PLAYING 1B); SWOBODA
REPLACED MARSHALL (PLAYING RF); Jones was called out on strikes;
Staub singled to right; Fairly singled to right [Staub to
second]; Fairey singled to left [Fairly to second, Staub
scored]; TAYLOR REPLACED GENTRY (PITCHING); Laboy struck out;
Bateman singled to center [Fairey to third, Fairly scored]; DAY
BATTED FOR WINE; Day popped to third in foul territory; 2 R, 4
H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Mets 4, Expos 3.

METS 9TH: SUTHERLAND REPLACED DAY (PLAYING SS); Agee popped to
first; Harrelson flied to left; Jones was called out on strikes;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Mets 4, Expos 3.
EXPOS 9TH: BRAND BATTED FOR RAYMOND; Brand singled to center;
MCGRAW REPLACED TAYLOR (PITCHING); Staehle forced Brand (catcher
to shortstop); PHILLIPS BATTED FOR JONES; Phillips walked
[Staehle to second]; Staub doubled to center [Phillips to third,
Staehle scored]; Fairly was walked intentionally; BAILEY BATTED
FOR FAIREY; KOONCE REPLACED MCGRAW (PITCHING); Bailey homered
[Phillips scored, Staub scored, Fairly scored]; 5 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0
LOB. Mets 4, Expos 8.

Final Totals
Mets 4 9 0 8
Expos 8 12 1 8
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