Bud Throws Barry Under A Bus

Bud Selig said "fuck you" to Barry Bonds yesterday.

Bonds is 22 home runs away from Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755, a record that was widely assumed would never be broken. If Bonds manages to sort out his contract troubles with the San Francisco Giants (and his legal problems), odds are quite good that he'll break Aaron's mark this season. And when/if he does, Selig, the (shitty) Commissioner of Major League Baseball, may or may not place a congratulatory telephone call to Bonds.

Selig insisted that Major League Baseball would celebrate Bonds' potential feat exactly as it does any other major milestone, such as a pitcher's 300th win. Last year, Selig telephoned San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman when he became the career saves leader.

This is a lie of major league proportions. In fact, MLB does not celebrate every "major milestone" in an identical manner. I'm sure you remember when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa passed Roger Maris' single-season mark of 61 home runs. Recall how they stopped the game and everyone ran on to the field and hugged everybody? McGwire rode around the stadium during a game in a little car so the crowd could kiss his ring.

Let's go larger. Remember the hoopla when Cal Ripken Jr. set the record for consecutive games played? That celebration was larger than the trophy ceremony following the World Series. Ripken also took a victory lap. Did he get a phone call from Bud Selig? Hell no...Selig was there.

We all know Barry Bonds is an asshole. We also know Bud Selig is an asshole. I don't have to make any cases; you know the score. Bonds cheated. Selig looked the other way, and now he's in the position of having to acknowledge that baseball's most vaunted record is being broken under shady circumstances (even worse for Selig, Aaron is his good friend). Too bad. Selig wanted to be Commissioner. He's the worst Commissioner to serve during my lifetime, which is frightening when you consider I've also been a baseball fan during the reigns of "Buffoon" Bowie Kuhn and Bart "Fuck Pete Rose Over" Giamatti (I still believe Giamatti fed Rose some bullshit about "accept this so-called lifetime suspension and, after the heat's off, we'll reinstate you in a couple of years," and then reneged on the deal).

Hey, I wouldn't want to be the guy either who has to stand on the field and say glowing things about Barry Bonds. But I would do my job, which is more than Selig has ever done.