Article:Baseball Notebook: Selig Still Doing Ostrich Imitation

= Baseball Notebook =

Baseball Notebook: Selig Sticks Head in Sand Again

Once again Bud Selig shows his proclivity for doing his ostrich imitation. Last week he stated he had no interest in reading the transcripts from the Barry "Balco" Bonds testimony to the grand jury in 2003.

You would think if anyone would want to read the transcripts it would be the commissioner of baseball. Instead he says he will let the attorneys read the transcripts. The last I knew Selig is making $14.5 million a year. It is beyond me what he is doing to earn that kind of money especially when he doesn't want to use his precious time reading extremely important testimony from Bonds who profited more from using performance enhancers than any other player earning close to $100 million since using them.

Selig has been on my list since he canceled the 1994 World Series. He wanted to show the player's union he was in charge so he canceled the 1994 World Series and the fans were the ones that suffered and not the player's union.

It is strange that he would cancel the World Series on the 14th of September showing he had no intention of having the World Series played by announcing it so soon. Selig's legacy to me includes the canceling of the 1994 World Series, the ending of the 2002 All Star game in a tie and his reluctance to do anything about steroids since it was making his owner cronies rich from the increased attendance so fans could see the mammoth home runs the steroids laced players were hitting and the fact that major league baseball tested for steroids but didn't disclose names of players found to be using them them and there were no penalties for using steroids until Congress became involved and put heavy pressure on Selig to do something.

It also is a mystery how he moved himself into the commissioner's post by having his fellow owners vote him into the office ending the days of the independent commissioner who didn't take sides but now we had an owner as commissioner guaranteeing that the player's union would have less clout since they had to deal with the owner commissioner Selig.

If there ever has been a do nothing commissioner it has been Bud Selig. Seinfeld was the show that took pride in being about nothing. Selig can take pride in doing nothing because that is all he does and has been nothing more than a knee jerk reactionary that only acts when forced to. All we can look forward to now is when his contract expires at the end of the 2012 season. So we have five more seasons to suffer through with an insufferable commissioner. The definition of insufferable is difficult or impossible to endure and intolerable which describes our baseball commissioner perfectly.

Sports Illustrated Top 10 Major League Prospects: Spring Training Progress Report

The following is my summation of the Top 10 Major League Prospects and how they are faring this spring: No. 1 Jay Bruce OF: Bruce is hitting .333 this spring for Reds but has no home runs and three runs batted in. One positive stat is that he has struck out only twice in 18 at bats.

No. 2 Clay Buchholz RHP: Buchholz has not pitched well so far in spring training. He is 0-2 after two starts with a 12.60 ERA and has allowed 7 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings.

No.3 Evan Longoria: Longoria is hitting .364 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in. He has two doubles and triple among his four hits and is slugging .727 and has an on base percentage of .533. He has done nothing to lessen his chances of starting the season for Tampa Bay.

No.4 Joba Chamberlain P: Chamberlain has pitched 2 inings and has allowed 2 runs including a home run and has posted a 9.00 ERA this spring. It will be interesting to see how he does by the end of spring training since his innings total is so low it is too early to really tell how he is progressing.

No.5 Clayton Kershaw LHP: Kershaw was recently promoted to the major league camp showing the Dodgers are giving him every chance to make the opening day roster. He has no decisions and an ERA of 4.50. He has given up a run and three hits including a home run in 2 innings. Kershaw has posted 4 strikeouts and no walks this spring.

No.6 David Price LHP: Price the No.1 overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft has only pitched one inning with an 0.00 ERA but showed why he is being so highly touted by striking out three batters in that inning.

No.7 Travis Snyder OF: Snyder is hitting .375 this spring with no home runs and 2 runs batted in. He is showing excellent plate discipline by walking 5 times while striking out only once. Snider has little chance of making the Blue Jays this spring due to him just turning 20 last month and that he has no experience past A ball but the fact that he is leading the team in walks and on base percentage at .615 shows he has a bright future.

No. 8 Colby Rasmus CF: Rasmus is hitting .217 this spring but has exhibited some power which the Cardinals need badly with the loss of Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds. He is second on the team in home runs with 2 and runs batted in with 4. He has 6 strikeouts and 6 walks. Rasmus hit 29 home runs last season for Springfield in AA Texas League so may be ready for majors this year.

No.9 Homer Bailey RHP: Bailey has no decisions this spring with a 3.60 ERA. He has had control problems having given up 3 walks while posting 3 strikeouts. That was his problem when called up by the Reds when he walked 28 and struck out 28 last season. He does have a very positive stat in that he gave up only 3 home runs in 45 innings while with the Reds last season. He has only given up 18 home runs in 317 minor league innings. His main problem is working on his strikeouts to walk ratio. Just the fact that he pitched in the majors at the age of 21 shows Bailey is special and he won't be 22 till the 3rd of May.

No.10 Cameron Maybin CF: Maybin is hitting .294 this spring with no home runs and two runs batted in but does have 4 doubles this spring. He did nothing when called up by the Tigers in 2007 to show that he was ready for the major leagues with 7 hits in 49 at bats and a .143 batting average. He showed no plate discipline with 3 walks and 21 strikeouts when called up last season. He won't be 21 until the 4th of April so even if he doesn't make the major league roster this spring time is on his side.

Spring Training Notebook

Jolbert Cabrera hasn't played in the majors since 2004 when he played for the Mariners but he is only player this spring with 10 runs batted in. He is making his presence felt at the Reds camp this spring but it won't be easy making the Reds outfield with Ryan Freel, Adam Dunn, Norris Hopper, Ken Griffey Jr. and prospect Jay Bruce ahead of him. In fact his name is not even on the depth chart.

However, according to mlb.com he has played catcher and all four infield positions plus has played some outfield but it doesn't break it down to what outfield positions so he could possibly play every position except pitcher.

Torii Hunter has been red hot this spring with 8 extra base hits included in his 9 hits. He has 4 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs....Nick Swisher is also getting a lot of extra base hits with 7 of his 8 hits going for extra bases. He has hit 4 doubles, a triple and 2 home runs....Angel Pagan continues to lead all hitters this spring with 15 hits....Ryan Howard is third on the list with 12 hits and is hitting .444. and slugging .815 this spring. If Howard can hit for average again like he did when hitting .313 in 2006 before falling off to .268 last season he should have an even better season than last season.

Jorge Cantu leads all major leaguers in doubles this spring with 5....Eight players are tied for lead in home runs with 3 each....Sam Fuld trying to make the Cubs this spring and Brandon Inge lead in walks with 8. Corey Hart and Delwyn Young lead in strikeouts with 11 each with Hart having no walks this spring.

Twelve pitchers have perfect 2-0 records this spring....Kyle Kendrick leads in hits allowed with 19 hits given up in 7 2/3 innings....Noah Lowry leads in walks with 12 in 2 1/3 innings but his lack of control may be due to injury....Mark McLemore is next having allowed 10 walks in 6 innings....Joe Blanton leads in strikeouts with 10 in 11 innings.

Starting this week we should see some of the better known prospects sent to the minor league camp if they aren't going to be on the major league rosters. Also some established veterans may get their walking papers as teams start to concentrate on getting their rosters set for the season.

With opening day only about two weeks away teams want to give their starting pitchers more innings in the remaining spring training games. Among the six teams in the AL with winning records this spring only the Tigers had a winning record in 2007. The world champion Red Sox are last in AL spring standings with a 3-8 record.

Tampa Bay and San Diego are only teams playing .700 baseball this spring with .778 and .700 winning percentages respectively. San Francisco is the worst team this spring with a 3-9 record.