Selig interview

[southsider2k5]

From prohibiting personal trainers inside the clubhouse to eradicating steroid abuse, Major League Baseball is determined to clean up its act, according to Commissioner Bud Selig.

 

In a far-reaching exclusive interview Monday with the Tribune, Selig advocated "zero tolerance" for players caught using banned performance enhancers and vows "strict punishment" for teams that violate the edict barring non-baseball personnel from the clubhouse. That would include the personal assistant to Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, Julian Martinez, who has been provided a clubhouse locker, access to the team's charter flights, a playoff share and other considerations for the last four seasons.

 

"I have very strong feelings on the subject. And let me say this: It will be enforced very strictly," Selig said when asked specifically about the Sosa situation.

 

Selig addressed several other questions ranging from the Yankees' signing of Alex Rodriguez to the Pete Rose appeal and the staged destruction of the Steve Bartman ball.

 

Q. Baseball has been relaxed in its rules as far as allowing personal trainers and other non-MLB personnel in the clubhouse. Are you confident the rule can be enforced since the steroid distribution charges against Barry Bonds' personal trainer?

 

A. There is no question in my mind. I think it is critical. It is a policy that should have been enforced much more stringently. I am telling you right now, it is going to be enforced very aggressively.

 

Q. Does that include Sammy Sosa's personal assistant, Julian Martinez?

 

A. It applies to everybody in baseball. It is the way it is supposed to be. I remember 30 and 40 years ago, we were very, very careful about who got in clubhouses. The clubhouse is supposed to be for the players. And there have been times in the last few years when I walked into the clubhouse and there are just tons of people in there. That is in no one's best interests from a security standpoint, from a health standpoint.

 

Q. Will the punishment be in the form of fines?

 

A. Hopefully I won't have to get to [fines], but there will be strict punishment if it is violated.

 

Q. Are you concerned that the cloud of suspicion surrounding the abuse of steroids will affect the fans' perception of the game?

 

A. Obviously, I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. We have great players who I don't think need any help. We have a policy. This is what I call part of an evolution. We will test more aggressively this year. Look, I won't be satisfied until we have a zero-tolerance policy. I don't want the players or anything diminished by what we have and what they have accomplished. I am obviously very concerned about the fact that the only negative we have [in baseball] is the talk about steroids.

 

Q. With the signing of Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees are paying more for their infielders alone than many teams are paying their entire ballclub. How are smaller-market teams expected to compete?

 

A. I understand that the Alex Rodriguez deal sort of set all this up. But remember that the Yankees are going to pay $58 million or $59 million in revenue sharing. And another $22 million in tax. When I started as the acting commissioner, there was no revenue sharing, no tax, no nothing. I think you have seen a very dramatic changing of the economic landscape. But we are only in the second year of this [system]. We have a lot of work to do. We have new rules that will be very, very helpful. They haven't quite kicked in yet. But we are moving toward all that. You have seen a difference in the way clubs have acted. Is there work to be done yet? You bet. We are going to have well over $300 million in revenue sharing. That's a long way from nothing. I think we are beginning to level the playing field.

 

Q. Are you confident baseball can sustain the excitement and drama from last fall's postseason?

 

A. I am very encouraged. I don't think I have really anticipated a season more in all of my years in baseball, which is now almost 40 years, any more than this one. Every divisional race I look at should be outstanding. We have a couple of divisions where we could have as many as four teams involved. We finished the season in an extraordinary manner. I know it wasn't the finish they wanted on the North Side of Chicago or in Boston, but it was just unbelievable. The television ratings, the amount of interest, the feeling toward the game, the excitement . . . it was unparalleled. Many people said to me that it was the best postseason in baseball history.

 

Q. White Sox fans, in particular, have been critical that their team did not spend millions to attract top free agents during the off-season. Is that a valid criticism?

 

A. There are so many economic myths. But the one that I am always amused by is that, `We have got to have a deep-pocket owner.' There is no such thing. There has never been such a thing. Owners can only spend what their franchise can generate. There is no one who is willingly going to say he is going to lose $30 million or $40 million or $50 million a year. In fact, Wayne Huizenga did it once [in 1997 with the World Series champion Marlins] and he got out. And he was a very deep-pocketed owner. The Cubs and the White Sox do everything they can to generate as much revenue as they can. And they spend it.

 

Q. What was your reaction to the admission by Pete Rose that he bet on baseball, and when do you plan to announce his possible reinstatement to the game?

 

A. That's the one question that I am sensitive about for this reason: I am the judge in this case. It is inappropriate for me to comment in any way, shape, form or manner. Any communication that I have between me and Mr. Rose is going to stay between us.

 

Q. I know you made it a point to talk at length with Steve Bartman following the controversial foul ball incident in last year's NLCS. What was your reaction to the destruction of the Bartman ball last week?

 

A. I think the destruction of the Bartman ball ranks with `the Curse of the Bambino' in Boston. You have the `Goat Curse' [with the Cubs], and all of these other things. It is a manifestation of the intense feelings that people have with baseball and the Cubs and the Red Sox and other clubs. It shows you how much those folks want the Cubs to win. I did have communication with Steve Bartman, who I think has been unfairly castigated by some. The thing that struck me about Bartman was the message he got out a couple of days [after the foul ball incident]. It was written so well and with so much emotion and so much passion. Frankly, it broke my heart reading it. Believe me, he is the last person in the world to want to hurt the Cubs.