Bud, You Have To Make A Stand

Dear Bud:

Here I am with another letter. You remember last year’s? Well old pal, I’m afraid this one may stir even you into some mode of activity. I have some ideas that may help you straighten out America’s Pastime. While your combined leadership and administrative skills fall somewhere between Isiah Thomas and Neville Chamberlain (Kids: Read a history book), you must take action-even a lockout if necessary-before you lose the game for good.

Bud, remember how squeamish you were watching Barry Bonds chase and finally catch your buddy Hank Aaron? You could have sewed up Imodium endorsements for the rest of your life. Some time in the next 4-5 years, Alex Rodriguez will reach Barroid’s tainted 762. While A-Fraud will have to live with the consequences of his transgressions, YOU, yes YOU Bud, can act. Do you really think that your beloved Bart Giamatti or even Fay Vincent (baseball’s last ‘real’ commissioner) would have allowed this ‘Steroids Error’ to shame the game? The following will tick EVERYBODY off, owners included. But, implementing them will allow you to have some sort of ‘legacy’ that you fret about. I know you love baseball. Anybody who claims Hank Aaron as favorite player and friend can’t be all bad. However, there aren’t too many 10 year old kids sitting at home with posters of you on their wall. I don’t remember saying as a kid, “Mom, can I go to the winter meetings in Florida and talk to (late commissioner) Bowie Kuhn about free agency?” But let’s get this stuff right, and move on.

1. Reveal the remaining 103 names from the 2003 survey testing. I know the MLBPA will moan and groan. Still, by airing out the dirty laundry and letting the smoke clear, you CAN MOVE FORWARD. Why should A-Cheat take all the heat while Canseco and Radomski look like men of integrity?

2. Take drug testing to an independent 3rd party. Go to the best testers available-Olympic committees, Tour De France-WHATEVER, and have them oversee it. That includes HGH testing as that becomes available. Test players 18 times a year-once every 2 weeks during the six month season, followed by 1 a month in the off-season.

3. Stiffen the penalties for positive tests-1 year the first time, GONE the second. No exceptions. In real life, people don’t always get a 2nd chance. Yes, everyone deserves to make a living. Playing baseball is not a RIGHT, it’s a privilege. There IS a difference, Bud.

4. If the union protests, lock ‘me out. Make cleaning the game up the only issue at the next negotiations from your side. The fans deserve a clean game, especially since none of our 4 major sports is so tied to statistics. Stan Musial and Willie Stargell both hit 475 homers. But fans of the game know that with 3,630 hits and a .331 average, Stan The Man is a baseball immortal. Stargell, though a great man, shouldn’t be in Cooperstown.

5. For the next two seasons, order ticket prices cut 20 percent. Yes, I know the economy’s slumping. Otherwise, the Mets would have rid themselves of the Citi Field mess long ago; Bernie Madeoff hurt the Amazin’s more than we will ever know. But fans need to see something like this as a sign of good faith. Baseball is after all worth BILLIONS. The owners won't need food stamps.

6. Lastly, call a press conference and say, “I’m sorry for the mess of the last 17 years or so. Under my watch, steroids decimated the game. Salaries, work stoppages, and ticket prices disillusioned fans. I’ve done what I could to make it better, and now, resign as commissioner.”

Good luck, Bud-

Bobby