Baseballhead:
Bob Kravitz - Still an Idiot

Michael Cox

Note: Yes, I know the big news is Bud Selig's coronation as official commish-for-life. As much as I'd like to give you a fresh "take" on the thing, it's all been said before, because the only real difference is that the word "acting" has been removed from his title. Where baseball goes from here, however, will be covered in another installment of "Change or Die," next Friday. -MC

It's weird. Only three days after venting my anger over Denver "journalist" Bob Kravitz' uncalled-for and unprofessional swipes at Ken Griffey, Jr., I'm even more angry than I was then. And it's not just the flippant arrogance or the hiding behind "we" ("we promise to treat you better next time") because "I" would look too apologetic, in his subsequent columns.

The flames have probably been fanned most by the local Seattle media people I've heard in the aftermath - folks who have spoken to and watched Griffey on a regular, ongoing basis and have followed his career approximately two thousand times more closely than Mr. Kravitz.

These folks have weighed in with the truth about Griffey: how he feels about the game of baseball and about people in general, his respect and reverence for the elders of the game (indeed, Frank Robinson was the one who convinced him to do the Derby after all), his contribution to the community, and most of all, his passion.

In short, the consensus (and this even comes from members of the local press that he won't speak to) is that Griffey cares more about the game than just about anybody, and that he lives to play baseball. Moreover, these people know firsthand the physical demands of traveling from Seattle to the rest of the country (made worse by MLB and ESPN's bungling in scheduling Sunday night games for the sport's most marketable star on the evening before the Derby for the past three years). That's all in addition to the mental and physical demands of being the best, most well-known player of our time.

I'd like to know what Bob Kravitz has given to the game of baseball that entitles him to to hurl high-school epithets at a man who was just plain dog tired.

I suspect I'll be waiting a long time for an answer.

Okay, I think I'm done now - as long as I don't spot Kravitz in the same room anytime soon.

More from Denver:

Item: Bob Costas had free rein to babble about the "ills" of baseball during the All-Star broadcast, unfettered by any sort of buffering influence by his broadcast partner. Bob Uecker has always been a decent partner for Costas, because: 1) he was the actual play-by-play guy, and as such, Costas couldn't interject until such time as Uecker stopped talking. Uecker knew this; 2) Uecker had a way of turning anything into humor.

It's no surprise that Costas usurped the play-by-play role. The only thing boothmate Joe Morgan has going for him is that he has a smooth voice and that he's in the Hall of Fame.

Nevertheless, the evening contained a couple of good quotes. Referring to the commissioner search "commission", which performed the charade of assembling a mythical list of candidates before throwing it aside and asking Selig to do the job: "Rather than disband the commission, they will be given the job of searching for Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Hoffa."

And after what must have been the 20th lineup change of the game: "If you're scoring at home, stop."

Item: Cal Ripken believes he should not only not sit a game or two and end The Streak (which even he speaks of with a sickening reverence), but also that he's the best 3B option the Orioles have. The sad thing is that the "best option" part is likely true, but only because the O's have done such a great job of genuflecting at tired old guys, at the expense of the team's desired success. Cal should really stop believing his own hype, however - he told Keith Olbermann, "This talk always comes up whenever I'm not hitting quite as well as I should."

Earth to Cal: You're bad now, and you have a history of worse second halves...

Item: Mastercard signs a promotion pact with MLB, then runs one of their "there are some things money can't buy" ads during the All-Star Game. But wait: "two hot dogs, two popcorns, two sodas (all apparently small size, judging from the items the father and son are holding) - $18"? I know ballpark food is expensive, but that's some costly grub. I priced those items at $16 locally, and the KingDome's prices are some of the highest. With a "partner" like MasterCard, who needs opponents?

Fortunately, the dad made up for the stigma of being ripped off for food by snagging an autographed ball for only $45.

That is, unless it was a Mike Maddux ball, in which case both father and son are worthy of our pity.

Item: Speaking of ads, MLB has a new one of its own, this time hyping the homers. "Who's gonna crush 62...before the season is through?" it asks. I know they see the Maris chase as the incredibly marketable anomaly it is, but the tone of the ad makes it seem like Selig and Co. are almost promising a new record.

Still, if guys still continue to pitch to Mark McGwire, that may not seem too far-fetched.

Michael Cox promises to one day stop heckling opposing pitchers at minor-league games by calling them "Meat". Tell him it really isn't so bad at mc@strikethree.com.