There is no desire here to see Jim Riggleman leave the Cubs. Considering the available talent, he has done as well as could be expected. But if he decides it’s time to move and if Cubs management pats him on the rump and says, “See you later,” Riggleman could wind up managing the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
I have been listening closely, and, from what I have heard, Tampa Bay General Manager Chuck LaMar is among Riggleman’s longtime friends and admirers. He may talk him into making the jump. Also, Riggleman lives in Madeira Beach, just a few miles from Tampa.
The only drawback, I would think, is that he may not want to saddle himself with an expansion club that, more than likely, will finish in the second division for the next few years. Even so, the long-range prospects for the Cubs might not be much better if they don’t open their purse and have better luck in signing free agents.
Cubs President Andy MacPhail, when advised Riggleman might fly south, offered a one-sentence response: “It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
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Probably half the club owners, perhaps as many as two-thirds, privately are opposed to Rupert Murdoch’s impending purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers for $350 million, which would be a record for a big-league baseball franchise.
It isn’t that the moguls, with the exception of Atlanta’s Ted Turner, don’t like the guy. What they don’t like is his deep pockets. Murdoch has so much dough he can buy the entire National League. Worse, he can go into the free-agent market and come out with an All-Star team.
But the owners have no choice but to accept him as a partner. First, Murdoch controls Fox Television, which pours millions of dollars into their coffers; and second, if they vote him down, he can be expected to respond with enormous litigation that could empty the baseball bank.
A somewhat similar situation occurred when the owners rejected Edward DeBartolo’s bid to buy the White Sox 17 years ago. There was never an adequate explanation for the DeBartolo turndown. DeBartolo withdrew quietly, but Bill Veeck, who then operated the White Sox, was prepared to go to court with the claim he had been deprived of his only legitimate buyer.
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Realizing this, the owners quickly approved the Sox sale to Jerry Reinsdorf & Co. Milwaukee owner Bud Selig, with the support of Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, helped facilitate the Reinsdorf purchase. And White Sox fans have lived happily thereafter–or at least until this year. Going into this season, the Sox had won more games than any American League club in the 1990s.
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The latest Pete Rose attempt for admittance to the Hall of Fame is in progress. Rose’s attorney has petitioned acting commissioner Selig to have the Rose suspension lifted so Rose can smell the roses, no pun intended. But it won’t happen. Not yet.
It reminds me of a manager-umpire squabble. There are times when the manager knows the ump made the right decision, but he argues anyway with the belief this will help him get the next call. Also, Rose may be betting–maybe that isn’t the right word–that Selig’s successor may be considerably more benevolent in reviewing his application.
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What do the Cleveland Indians have that makes for success that is lacking in the White Sox and Cubs?
Here’s the take of Kevin Seitzer, the veteran infielder who is in his retirement season.
“There is no mystery,” Seitzer insisted. “What you need is the best pitching, the best offense and the best defense.”
Manager Mike Hargrove offered an equally terse answer.
“Talent and perseverance,” he said.
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Future baseball historians may wish to know that last Tuesday in New York was Selig’s fifth anniversary as acting commissioner. He had his usual breakfast of orange juice and a banana and, in midmorning, a cup of hot tea. For lunch it was a hot dog and a Coke. He then attended a surprise 50th birthday dinner for Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC, and was back at his Milwaukee base early the next morning.