Under Commissioner Bud Selig’s reign, Major League Baseball has become more and more about marketing and sales and way less about the fans or even the game, itself. If there’s a way to create a new revenue stream or bump up the current prices, Selig and his merry band of carpet baggers, baseball’s owners, will leap at it with no regard for who may be incurring the cost. Looking forward to taking your kids to an afternoon game on a summer Sunday? Check back with the team two weeks prior, as ESPN may have moved it to Sunday evening; a privilege the Commish and Co. signed away for extra cash when the last network deal was inked. Ticked off at the ridiculous prices being charged by the Mets and Yankees in their new homes? Selig can’t wait to tell anyone who’ll listen that he thinks the ducats have been priced responsibly. Even the nice patriotic gesture that sees teams wear Stars and Stripes hats on the three national holidays that fall within the season has been corrupted. Last year, when they debuted, each team wore a blue version of the cap, which was a big seller among fans. However, when Memorial Day rolled around this year, a red edition adorned the heads of all big leaguers. Let’s face it, how many more blue lids were actually going to be sold? As for the kids who thought they’d be wearing the same apparel as their heroes? Let Dad pony up another thirty five bucks and they’ll be up to date.
But, it is Selig’s most far reaching money grab, the World Baseball Classic, which has managed to put the players, themselves, in jeopardy. A made for television event played in 2006 and 2009, the WBC, features professional players representing their native countries in a two week tournament played at the beginning of March; or the time when most are just beginning the routine of preparing for the season. That many of the players might not be ready to compete so early was an issue seemingly disregarded as soon as a network exec reached for his checkbook. That there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of interest among fans was another factor that was ignored. So, on the games went, with their consequences to be realized during the regular season.
Of the 115 MLB players that participated in the event, 24 have spent time on the disabled list this year; more than twenty percent. There have been 7 more that have missed time to injury during the season but have not been disabled and still another 10 experiencing seasons that range from extremely sub-par to career-worst. That’s thirty five percent of those who played in the Classic having to deal with an unexpectedly disappointing season. Hope the payday was a good one, Bud.
Now, there are more than a few injuries that would have occurred no matter the situation. You can’t blame Cesar Izturis’ appendicitis or Brian McCann’s adverse reaction to laser surgery on the WBC. But some interesting patterns still exist. The Mets, for instance, not only sent the most players to the tournament but have had the most land on the DL. Even the Japanese, two time winners of the Classic and renowned for their conditioning, have seen no less than four from their roster miss time to injury.
Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was ridiculed at time by owners and fans alike for invoking the “best interest of the game” clause. Maybe that’s something Selig should consider. For, as the accompanying list shows, the “best interest of the game” is clearly not being served by the WBC. These players are paying the price for a shortened Spring Training. Unfortunately, until it hits him in his wallet, Selig probably won’t care.
DISABLED LIST
Mike Aviles Brian McCann
Alex Cora Oliver Perez
David Davidson J.J. Putz
Carlos Delgado Jose Reyes
Stephen Drew Carlos Ruiz
Jose Guillen Carlos Silva
Scott Hairston Joakim Soria
Chris Iannetta Ichiro Suzuki
Akinori Iwamura Edinson Volquez
Cesar Izturis Joey Votto
Daisuke Matsuzaka Brad Ziegler
MISSED TIME
Carlos Beltran
Miguel Cabrera
Carlos Guillen
Chipper Jones
Evan Longoria
Hanley Ramirez
Shane Victorino
UNDERPERFORMING
Joel Hanrahan
Matt Lindstrom
Jose Lopez
Magglio Ordonez
David Ortiz
Roy Oswalt
Jimmy Rollins
Jonathan Sanchez
Geovany Soto
Fernando Tatis
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