I guess there were some people goofing around on the internet when baseball had a commissioner other than Bud Selig, but I sure wasn't one. Come Sunday, we'll all be able to say that.
For those of you who hate Allan H. "Bud" Selig, just take solace in knowing that the next time I post his picture in MLB Bullets will likely be the day he dies.
- Tomorrow is Bud Selig's final day as commissioner. Tyler Kepner explains how Selig's life was all about baseball and he leaves the game with no regrets.
- Jeff Passan writes that while Selig's tenure as commissioner was a mixed bag, ultimately he was a survivor who left a legacy worth remembering.
- Ken Rosenthal gets Selig's greatest rivals, union heads Don Fehr and Gene Orza, to talk about Selig's mistakes and triumphs and how he played a role in ultimately saving the sport.
- Craig Calcaterra asks: "Bud Selig. Great Commissioner or the Greatest Commissioner?" He says "greatest."
- Calcaterra notes that some of his readers did not respond kindly to that article. In your comments below, please nobody violate Godwin's Law.
- Part 1 of Jon Heyman's exit interview with Selig.
- The Padres have a really creepy portrait of Selig hanging in the lobby. (h/t Big League Stew)
- I guess Selig's final act will be that MLB and the umpires union have ratified the new five-year collective bargaining agreement.
- Aaron Gleeman examines the issues facing new commissioner Rob Manfred.
- OK, enough on Bud. With the signing of Max Scherzer, the Nationals now have seven clients of agent Scott Boras. The Nationals clearly don't have a problem working with Boras.
- However, Jayson Stark points out what most of us already know: seven-year contracts for pitchers in baseball never end well for the team.
- David Schoenfield thinks baseball needs the Nationals to become a truly "great" team.
- Dave Cameron makes the case for a Stephen Strasburg for Mookie Betts trade.
- Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart says that the team is no longer pursuing free agent pitcher James Shields.
- The Padres are still talking to Shields about playing in San Diego, but ultimately believe he will sign elsewhere.
- With Max Scherzer gone, Anthony Fenech asks if David Price will be the next pitcher to leave Detroit. The Tigers are saying they won't trade him this season.
- Ryan Vogelsong was reportedly close to signing with the Astros, but now it looks like he will re-sign with the Giants.
- The Giants also designated Marco Scutaro for assignment after Scutaro had what is likely career-ending spinal surgery. Thirteen years in the majors, a World Series title and $40 million is a pretty nice career.
- The Reds agreed to a minor league deal with former Cub Jason Marquis.
- The Braves signed Jonny Gomes to a one-year, $4 million contract.
- The Rangers acquired Carlos Corporan from the Astros.
- David Schoenfield thinks those Astros will be the "surprise team" of 2015. That's a tough division to sneak up on anybody though.
- Arthur Rhodes officially announced his retirement. Rob Neyer remembers the all-time holds king.
- Anthony Castrovince lists ten bargains still left on the free agent market.
- You can look at this chart listing the last time each major league team made the playoffs in two ways. The positive way to look at it is that there are six teams that have a longer postseason drought than the Cubs.
- The team with the longest playoff drought, the Toronto Blue Jays, are getting closer to having a new president in current Orioles GM Dan Duquette. The player rumored to be going back to Baltimore is last season's number one draft pick Jeff Hoffman.
- David Schoenfield thinks the Orioles may have been right to not to make any real moves this offseason.
- Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg says the team's clubhouse chemistry was not good last season.
- Pedro Martinez will have a Red Sox cap on his plaque in Cooperstown. Pretty easy call there, although I guess the Expos could have made a case. That is, if the Expos still existed they could have made a case. Of course, the big issue is whether or not it will include the Jheri curl.
- It doesn't look like Southern Californians will be able to watch the Dodgers on TV this season either.
- Yankees broadcaster John Sterling's apartment burned down. It was apparently a total loss.
- Taking off on what's going on in the NFL right now, Matt Snyder lists several "equipment controversies" in MLB history.
- And finally, this isn't specifically a baseball story but rather about all sports and sports media in particular. Bryan Curtis takes on the plague of sports journalism: The "talk about" semi-question. That's a particular pet peeve of mine, and especially when it is phrased as "talk about your feelings when . . ."
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. It will be Bud Selig's final day as commissioner.