Random Rant: Bud Selig, Midwestern Man of Mystery

I thought I had Bud Selig all figured out. Wishy-washy, ineffectual, sniveling, dishonest. Totally uninspiring. That just about sums it up.

Then Saturday came. In Philly before Game 4 of the World Series, with tons of rain on the horizon for Sunday and Monday, Selig did what all great commissioners do: He made a bold, long overdue decision, going against all rules and regulations in order to adhere to what's right. He announced that no World Series game would end in less than 9 innings, despite rules which specifically that they could if suspended with one team ahead after 5 innings -- rules which have been on the books for over 100 years.

That would be a dynamic, ballsy move by any commissioner, even Roger Goodell, the toughest sheriff outside of Arizona. But for weaselly little Allen "Bud" Selig (Who gets nicknamed "Bud", anyway?) it was a tour de force, a career-defining moment. The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell called it "The Bud Doctrine". I saw ol' Bud in a whole new light.

Then Monday came. Game 5 was potentially the final game of the season, the Phillies with a chance to wrap up their first title in 28 years in front of the home crows, with their dominating ace Cole Hamels on the mound. I understand why the game was started -- it wasn't raining, at least not very hard -- and I can't fins any fault with taking a shot. If you don't, and it doesn't rain the way it's supposed to and you look like an idiot.

Once the game got going, it looked like the right call, too. The Phillies put two runs on the board right off the bat, and Hamels looked to be his usual dominating self. The game was traveling by quickly and the rain was still falling at a manageable rate. Although it had increased, it appeared the game could be gotten in.

Then the 4th inning came. The rains came down harder, and the Rays closed within a run. This were not necessarily unrelated events. With two outs in the inning, Jason Werth misjudged Carlos Pena's deep fly ball to the wall. Although it hit near the top, it appeared it was reachable by Werth -- the first of several flyballs fielders would struggle mightily to find among the raindrops. Pena's double was his first hit of the series, and was immediately followed by Evan Longoria's first hit of the series, and RBI single.

The rains keep steadily increasing, and the field became waterlogged. It seemed an excellent time to stop. But Selig didn't call for it. He claims now he had weather reports which claimed the rain would only get worse -- this now seems true, as the game has been postponed for 48 hours -- and thought they could squeeze it in. That was a bad idea. Correction, a Bud idea.

The field became a joke, which may have led to the rays tying the game in the 6th -- an error by Jimmy Rollins allowed BJ Upton to reach. Upton stole 2nd base in a quagmire, and scored on a base hit ahead of a weak throw (and probably wet ball) by Pat Burrell. When the inning was over, and the game tied, the game was called. This seemed to be quite convenient -- had the Phils led, there would've been an outcry for the rules to be upheld and the game (and series) ceded to Philly. With a tie game, there is no other option than to play it out.

Needless to say, the City of Brother Love is none too pleased. Fans are angry. Hamels claimed after the game that he couldn't throw with his usual velocity due to the rain. Matt Stairs even said that "the big guy (presumably Selig, not God) got what he wanted". That, and a full day (at least) without baseball for the nation sports media to gnaw on this juicy bone of a story, makes for an ugly spectacle for baseball. Or, in other words, standard operating procedure under Selig.

I thought I had Bud Selig all figured out. Turns out, I was right.