We always knew he was a weenie.
With a lengthy non-answer, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig on Thursday gave no indication he would move the 2011 All-Star Game from Phoenix in response to Arizona’s immigration law, saying MLB has already done everything it should do regarding equality.
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The players’ union has come out against the law, and some — including the city of San Francisco — have called for MLB to pull its Midsummer Classic from Arizona.
But asked about it after a quarterly owners’ meeting adjourned, Selig responded only by citing MLB’s progress in hiring minorities.
“We have enormous social responsibilities,” Selig said.
“We’re a social institution. We have done everything we should do — should do. Our responsibility, privileged to do it, don’t want any pats on the back. And we’ll continue to do it.
“We’ve done well. And we’ll continue to do well. And I’m proud of what we’ve done socially, and I’ll continue to be proud of it.
“That’s the issue, and that’s the answer.”
That’s also a whole lot of nothing. Honestly, though, it’s not unexpected. While sportswiters and bloggers may call on Selig to take action, I don’t see him doing anything unless he’s compelled to do so. Maybe Congress could force the issue, but that’s a long shot at best. No, if Selig can be goaded into action it’ll have to be the players’ union, which didn’t directly address the All Star Game in its statement but did say they would “consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members” if the law went into effect, which it now has. Your move, MLBPA.
It makes sense for Selig to not commit to moving the 2011 game. Who knows what will happen in the next 12+ months, politically and legally. However, it would behoove Selig to ask for cities/franchises to volunteer to be the first alternate choice, maybe with two months’ notice. The selection process can be two-staged, with the first stage being internet-based to narrow the choices down to three to five finalists, then the final vote can be done Hall of Fame style.
Personally, I think the D-Backs should start announcing all home games in Spanish first.