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“We want to make it durable enough for repeated topplings,” said one representative.Amid nationwide tumult over the problematic legacy of historical figures and the statues that recognize them, Minnesota DFLers and Republicans found rare common ground on Thursday. “When baseball resumes again, Twins fans will find a new statue of former Commissioner Bud Selig that they are encouraged to ransack and pillage,” said Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud). “I listened to my constituents on this one,” said Jim Nash (R-Waconia). “They’re pretty skeptical of any government spending, but they heard this and were ready to pay for it themselves ten times over. It was inspiring.” Selig was the Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1998-2015 and was a key figure in the attempt to contract the Minnesota Twins in 2001. Experts agree that if one were to draw a mental picture of a used car salesman underwater with creditors forced to watch his only daughter french kiss a Hell’s Angel, it would look like Bud Selig. “We want to make it durable enough for repeated topplings,” said Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee). “Minnesota’s welders and artisans have stepped up to consult on crafting a truly wretched ogre of a statue, one that incites disgust and a palpable rage in all who see it. I expect it to be as iconic as the Bemidji Paul Bunyan, only covered in rotten fruit and excrement.” The statue, which is expected to show the former commissioner in a pose reminiscent of when the All-Star Game finished in a tie, will also showcase his background as owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. “To give it that true Brewers game experience for Twins fans, it will feature speeding tickets from the Tomah, Menomonie, and Wauwatosa police departments,” said Nash. “We’re hoping to also land an authentic event day port-a-potty from Lambeau Field or Summerfest to sit next to the bronze nightmare. The horrors contained within would really pull the entire thing together.” Click here to view the article

In case you missed it, there's a new commissioner of Major League Baseball. I know that for many fans, that may come as a shock. There are fans who can legally enjoy a brew or two at ballgames who have never attended a big league game that wasn't played under rules dictated by Bud Selig. If it's true that "the exception proves the rule", then that applies to Bud Selig's role in "proving" the Peter Principle.There's no other way to explain that man surviving 22 years as commissioner of baseball. But today is not the day to trash Selig. Today we humbly beseech his replacement, Rob Manfred, to finally do something about a couple of the most outdated and ill-advised Selig policies. These are two issues that I have long felt were the dumbest, most indefensible of all MLB policies and yes, I've written here about both before - several times, in fact. I'm referring to baseball's policies concerning compensation for minor league players and the MLB.tv blackout policy. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) These two issues are handled illogically, at best, and offensively, at worst, in the way that they reflect MLB's low views of the value they place on two of the assets most critical to the game's long-term viability -- their future players and their current and future fan base. FOX Sports writer Jon Paul Morosi posted an article recentlythat listed a number of issues that Morosi felt Manfred should focus on as he inherits Selig's throne atop Major League Baseball. I may disagree with Morosi's view concerning Selig's legacy, but his list of topics where Manfred could make improvements included a number of valid possibilities. Unfortunately, it did not include any mention of paying minor leaguers even minimum wage, much less a living wage, nor did Morosi mention the blackouts. I'm not surprised, of course. The next baseball writer from a major media outlet to properly and persistently shame baseball on either topic will be among the first. I won't go into great detail concerning either topic. There are plenty of articles available with a simple Google search authored by far more knowledgeable and talented writers than yours truly. But if you really want to read my take on the issues, you can find my thoughts on minor league pay by clicking here and on blackouts by clicking here (where I asked the Twins president why he didn't want me to be a fan) ... and here (where I attempted to start an "Alice's Restaurant"-like movement)... and here (where I basically just trashed Selig for his inaction on the subject). http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/KernelsPractice.jpg Most of these guys are among the lowest compensated people at the ballpark. On the pay issue, suffice to say that, unless you are a US player drafted in the top couple of rounds or one of the very highest regarded international 16-year-olds playing ball anywhere in the world, signing your name on a contract to play professional baseball in this country is a losing proposition. You'd almost certainly have a better shot at making a living off your competitive fire by taking up Texas Hold'em. Wages for minor leaguers start in the neighborhood of $1,100 a month. That's gross (in more ways than one). Uncle Sam is going to take his share and then there are clubhouse dues, all of which leaves a typical player with a few hundred dollars a month to cover luxuries like housing, transportation and food. Of course, the players only get their money while they are assigned to an actual minor league roster. No pay for offseason workouts or team-sponsored appearances. No pay for spring training. You think there's really little difference for a player who gets the final roster spot on a full season Class A roster coming out of spring training and the first guy left off who stays behind at extended spring training? Guess again. One guy gets paid a pitiful sum. The other guy doesn't get even that. In his article, Morosi did include this item on his recommended to-do list for Manfred: "Engaging young athletes, especially African-Americans." Here's a thought, Mr. Manfred. Maybe if you actually paid young players working their way toward the big leagues a living wage, athletically gifted kids (of any ethnicity) wouldn't laugh at you any time you suggest they put their talents to work at baseball instead of other sports, where at least they have a shot at becoming more famous indentured servants of major colleges. The good news is that a lawsuit against baseball has been filed on behalf of minor leaguers, asking the courts to require teams to pay at least minimum wage salaries to players. What is MLB's reaction to that challenge, under Selig and, so far, Manfred? They're trying to convince Congress to specifically categorize ballplayers as "seasonal workers," akin to carnival workers. And they're enlisting the help of their minor league affiliates to help lobby their elected representatives on baseball's behalf, via not-so-thinly veiled threats of "contraction" of minor league teams if baseball is forced to increase pay to their future players. Those are nice guys running big league baseball, huh? Likewise, the issue of blackouts has been out there for years. Promises from MLB executives (including Mr. Selig, himself) to take a look at the issue go back at least to 2008 and probably further. But here we are, in 2015, and still cable TV subscribers in Iowa are blacked out from watching any game involving the Twins, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Cardinals or Royals, unless it's a national network game. The blackout even applies to subscribers of MLB.tv. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/blackoutmap.gif Look at all the pretty colors in Iowa and Nevada! This has been frustrating to me and my fellow Twins fans in Iowa for years, but nobody in baseball or the media has really cared. Now, however, thanks to WGN no longer broadcasting Cubs games on the national version of their network, a lot of Cubs fans outside of greater Chicago may suddenly discover the problem. Welcome to the club, folks. Maybe you can get the national media to notice the problem. As with the minor league pay issue, there's some news on this front. Baseball has indicated they are looking into the matter and there may be changes to the policy forthcoming. Hmmmm... I think we've heard that before. Anyway, Mr. Manfred, if you want to convince me you are any different than your predecessor whatsoever, you can start by proving you give a damn about your fans and about being even mildly fair to the thousands of young players who are feeding your talent pipeline by clinging to their dream of playing big league baseball. Until then, a lot of us will continue to view you as nothing more than "Bud Light." Click here to view the article

Bud Selig is set to retire this off-season after 22 years at the helm of Major League Baseball. Rob Manfred has already been voted in as his successor, a position he has been groomed for ever since starting to work for MLB in 1998. The 55-year-old Manfred will have a variety of issues on his plate as he takes over from the 80-year- old Selig. During Selig's tenure as commissioner, baseball has been marked by a variety of ups and downs.A large growth in attendance has increased revenue across the game. This has resulted in some large contracts for baseball's more established players. Besides the positives, there was also a World Series that was cancelled because of a strike and the performance enhancing drug scandal which impacted many parts of the baseball world. For the Minnesota Twins, there have been some positive things that have happened under the Selig regime, even if they can't all be credited to him. The Twins were able to finance a new stadium and Target Field has turned out to be a gem. Increases in revenue allowed the Twins to pay Joe Mauer one of the largest contracts in baseball. The organization also got to host the last All-Star Game with Selig as commissioner. However, the biggest story surrounding the Twins and Selig will always be the threat of contraction made following the 2001 season. Minnesota and Montreal were left on MLB's chopping block after Selig revealed that owners had voted 28-2 to eliminate two teams. Twins owner Carl Pohlad was frustrated with Minnesota's state government for not being able to come up with a deal to replace the outdated Metrodome. Pohlad would have been paid $250 million to close out the franchise he purchased in 1984. There were a lot of things going wrong in the baseball world in the aftermath of September 11th. In an interview with the Pioneer Press this summer, Selig said, "Contraction had nothing to do with Minnesota. Baseball was really struggling at the time, losing a fortune as a sport. There were owners who believed that contraction might help." Luckily for Twins fan, contraction never happened. A Hennepin County judge ruled that the Twins had to honor their Metrodome lease for the 2002 season. The Twins took full advantage of their new life as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since their 1991 World Series championship. The team won the AL Central Division three straight seasons and six of the next nine years. Minnesota found itself back on the baseball map but not until after dealing with a situation that left more than one scar on the franchise. Selig did some good things for the Twins but his lasting memory will be the fact that he almost stole baseball away from a generation of fans in the Upper Midwest. Click here to view the article

Bud Selig is set to retire this off-season after 22 years at the helm of Major League Baseball. Rob Manfred has already been voted in as his successor, a position he has been groomed for over since starting to work for MLB in 1998. The 55-year old Manfred will have a variety of issues on his plate as he takes over from the 80-year old Selig. During Selig's tenure as commissioner, baseball has been marked by a variety of ups and downs. A large growth in attendance has increased revenue across the game. This has resulted in some slough of large contracts for baseball's more established players. Besides the positives, there was also a World Series that was cancelled because of a strike and the performance enhancing drug scandal impacted many parts of the baseball world. For the Minnesota Twins, there have been some positive things that have happened under the Selig regime even if they can't all be credited to him. The Twins were able to finance a new stadium and Target Field has turned out to be a gem. Increases in revenue allowed the Twins to pay Joe Mauer one of the largest contracts in baseball. The organization also got to host the last All-Star Game with Selig as commissioner. However, the biggest story surrounding the Twins and Selig will always be the threat of contraction made following the 2001 season. Minnesota and Montreal were left on the MLB's chopping block after Selig revealed owners had voted 28-2 to eliminate two teams. Twins owner Carl Pohlad was frustrated with Minnesota's state government for not being able to come up with a deal to replace the outdated Metrodome. Pohlad would be paid $250 million to close out the franchise he purchased in 1984. There were a lot of things going wrong in the baseball world in the aftermath of September 11th. In an interview with the Pioneer Press this summer, Selig said, "Contraction had nothing to do with Minnesota. Baseball was really struggling at the time, losing a fortune as a sport. There were owners who believed that contraction might help." Luckily for Twins fan, contraction never happened. A Hennepin County judge ruled that the Twins had to honor their Metrodome lease for the 2002 season. The Twins took full advantage of their new life as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since their 1991 World Series Championship. The team won the AL Central Division three straight seasons and six of the next nine years. Minnesota found itself back on the baseball map but not after dealing with a situation that left more than one scar on the franchise. Selig did some good things for the Twins but his lasting memory will be the fact that he almost stole baseball away from a generation of fans in the Upper Midwest.