Bud Selig: profiles in stupid

Post by **heyzeus** » March 23 07, 12:13 pm

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

Biggio angry over cancer kids pin flap

By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer
March 22, 2007

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) -- Craig Biggio was angry at the commissioner's office Thursday night after he was told to stop wearing a pin on his cap that bears the logo of a foundation that helps children with cancer.

The Houston Astros star said he has worn the bright yellow, sun-shaped pin, featuring the logo for the Sunshine Kids foundation, on his hat during spring training games for the past 20 years without a problem. He is the national spokesman for the foundation and is very active in its work.

"I'm not a disrespectful person and I don't disrespect the game," Biggio said. "But I've been wearing this pin for 20 years because it puts smiles on 20,000-something cancer patients' faces."

Biggio said someone in the commissioner's office contacted the Astros about instructing him to remove the pin, but he wasn't sure who it was. He said Houston general manager Tim Purpura was sent a fax with a picture of Biggio from Wednesday night's game.

Purpura declined to comment on the matter, as did a spokesman for Major League Baseball.

"Major League Baseball does a lot of good things, but this is one of the stupid things," Biggio said.

His comments came after he left Houston's 16-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.

The 41-year-old second baseman, who is 70 hits shy of 3,000, said he wears the pin in spring training because many of the pictures for baseball cards are taken during those games and the children like seeing the pin on those cards.

"That's what it's about," he said. "If somebody wants to sit in an office and feel good about themselves, they should feel real bad about this one. They didn't think about all the cancer kids that get enjoyment out of it."

Biggio said he was told before the game that he couldn't wear the pin, and the umpires approached him on the field to make sure it was gone.

Astros manager Phil Garner was also unsure who contacted the team about the pin.

"The league has a code where they watch what's on the uniforms and I don't know the full extent of it, but evidently the Sunshine Kids pin is not part of it," he said.

As for the game, Astros starter Chris Sampson, vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed 12 hits and 10 runs in 2 1-3 innings. He gave up a home run in the first to Jesus Flores.

Ryan Church had three hits, including a home run, and five RBIs to lead the Nationals. Washington starter Jerome Williams allowed two runs and two hits in five innings.

"This was probably one of the best times I've thrown all spring," he said. "I got the ball down, working breaking balls and getting people out like I'm supposed to do. I felt real confident on the mound."

Williams was also happy with his hitting. The career .110 hitter had three hits and scored twice.

AJ · Post by AJ » March 23 07, 12:26 pm

I understand why professional sports teams have that rule, I agree with it completely, if you didn't then pro sports teams uniforms would resemble NASCAR.

But MLB screwed up here, they should have nipped it in the bud on day 1, not let him wear it for 20 seasons.

myersli · Post by **myersli** » March 23 07, 12:27 pm

This kind of issue absolutely s#cks for MLB. They want to do what they believe is important (protect uniforms from advertising of any kind), but things like this make them look rather stupid. The same thing happened in the NFL when Pat Tillman died. Players wanted to wear things as a memorial, but the NFL nixed it since it involved making changes to the "official" uniform (e.g. helmet/jersey). One one hand, I agree that MLB should protect the "sanctity" of the uniform and hat (e.g. I never want to see a ubid.com ad on the side of a player's hat). But, there are always exceptions to the rule. Just make it a situation where a player has to petition MLB if they want to make a personal addition to the uniform (e.g. Biggio's pin). Then, Selig et al can approve it and come out as the good guys. Right now, it appears as though they're against a wonderful organization that fights children's cancer. Come on, Bud, think... Oh wait, this is the same organization that won't let me watch baseball on my cable network. Now I understand!

Post by **heyzeus** » March 23 07, 12:29 pm

It's also worth noting that Biggio only wears the pin during spring training. And of course, has done so for 20 years, while raising millions for kids with cancer.

Sometimes, the sanctity of a uniform uniform rule isn't worth the publicity and bad will you'll generate by enforcing it.

haltz · Post by **haltz** » March 23 07, 12:30 pm

heyzeus wrote:Sometimes, the sanctity of a uniform uniform rule isn't worth the publicity and bad will you'll generate by enforcing it.

Although, in this case it might be.

AJ · Post by AJ » March 23 07, 12:34 pm

haltz wrote:
heyzeus wrote:Sometimes, the sanctity of a uniform uniform rule isn't worth the publicity and bad will you'll generate by enforcing it.
Although, in this case it might be.

Had MLB been smart, they would have offered to let every member of the Astors wear the pin for a certain game, that is allowed under the rules if it's approved by the comissioners office isn't it?

Instead they wait 20 years, and then tell him he can't do it with no offer of charity. They could have even made a donation and looked good. Their PR blew this one.

Jmodene · Post by **Jmodene** » March 23 07, 12:34 pm

Of course, Selig is the one who sanctioned putting ads on the actual bases.

This rule, though, came about not long after 2002, when all the Cards were writing "DK" on their hats - apparently too many players and too many teams were writing things on their hats and/or uniforms for one reason or another, and MLB decided to rein it in, by limiting it to just the official patches and stuff (for instance, the Civil Rights patch the Cards will be wearing next Saturday).

I wonder what would have happened if Biggio had refused to take the pin off. Would he have been ejected from the game? Fined? Suspended? I think that if he feels as strongly about it as the article implies, he should have pushed back a bit and seen what happened.

mikechamp · Post by **mikechamp** » March 23 07, 12:39 pm

How's this for a bit of irony (in light of this thread topic):

Commissioner Bud Selig was formally presented on Thursday with the award as the 2006 Executive of the Year by the Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb

haltz · Post by **haltz** » March 23 07, 12:43 pm

card_fan_in_chi wrote:Their PR blew this one.

Oh, I meant good for the kids.

It's spring training. He's a future HoF'er who's been doing this for years. Good God.

Jmodene · Post by **Jmodene** » March 23 07, 12:44 pm

Well, as I said, it's only been against the rules now for a few years. It's not that they waited 20 years to do anything about it; it's that they changed the rules 16-17 years into the 20, and even then, only because somebody brought it to MLB's attention. I wonder who, and I wonder why.