LEAVING SO SOON, BUD?: The good news: Bud Selig, this blog's public enemy #1, announced this week that he's stepping down from his job as the commissioner of baseball. The bad news: he's not giving up the job until December. Of 2006. You sure that's enough time, Bud? Then again, an almost-four-year grace period before retirement is nothing for the man who spent six years as "Acting Commissioner For Life."
Selig will depart the game upon conclusion of the labor agreement that was signed last summer, meaning two things: 1) If, as usually happens, the end of the agreement results in a work stoppage, it won't be Bud's problem, and 2) Last year's agreement called for a moratorium on contraction until after the 2006 season- meaning Bud will still be left with a two-month window in which to whack the Twins and/or Expos should he so choose.
Meanwhile Jayson Stark, in his column today, says that this year's All-Star Game is likely to be "more competitive" than in recent years- yea, maybe this year there will actually be a winner.