Comments on: Fay Vincent Rips Bud Selig for Handling of Game 5 Rain Delay, Barry Bonds http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/fay-vincent-rips-bud-selig-rain-delay-barry-bonds/3432 Brown Bag it, Baby Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:47:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gene http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/fay-vincent-rips-bud-selig-rain-delay-barry-bonds/3432/comment-page-1#comment-316512 Gene Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:26:48 +0000 http://larrybrownsports.com/?p=3432#comment-316512 Vincent is two for three in my book. He is dead on about Game 5; it should have been postponed. He is dead on about Barry Bonds and his "home run record". However, he is dead wrong about the All Star game. I believe there was a tie in the All Star game prior to Vincent becoming Commissioner (1961). If he found it to be so repugnant, he should have changed the rules while he was in office. The MLB All Star game is an exhibition, played with different rules (a pitcher can only go three innings). Pro football, hockey and basketball already recognize that these games are exhibitions. The AL-NL rivalry stopped having much significance with the advent of free agency and the fluidity with which stars move from one league to the other (Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, etc.). However, if Vincent and Selig did want a result, all they have to do is allow limited free substitution so that a few players could return and the game could go on indefinitely. As I said, as long as pitchers are limited to three innings, it isn't a real baseball game anyway. Vincent is two for three in my book. He is dead on about Game 5; it should have been postponed. He is dead on about Barry Bonds and his “home run record”.

However, he is dead wrong about the All Star game. I believe there was a tie in the All Star game prior to Vincent becoming Commissioner (1961). If he found it to be so repugnant, he should have changed the rules while he was in office. The MLB All Star game is an exhibition, played with different rules (a pitcher can only go three innings). Pro football, hockey and basketball already recognize that these games are exhibitions. The AL-NL rivalry stopped having much significance with the advent of free agency and the fluidity with which stars move from one league to the other (Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, etc.).

However, if Vincent and Selig did want a result, all they have to do is allow limited free substitution so that a few players could return and the game could go on indefinitely. As I said, as long as pitchers are limited to three innings, it isn’t a real baseball game anyway.

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