How could you?

Do you even know what you did?

I actually had no problem with the All-Star Game ending in a tie. I know, I'm one of the few. At least, that can not be blamed on you. It's not like you could have decreed that Vincente Padilla or anyone else risk injury. Changes should be made for the future, of course, but, given the circumstances on July 9, you did what you had to do there. People have to remember that the All-Star game is an exhibition that is mostly put on for the fans' enjoyment. Even though the game ended in a tie, though, one question needs to be answered.

Why, in Gods name, was the Ted Williams MVP award not given out?

Let me preface this first with a little background information about myself. I am a die-hard Yankee fan. I have loved the team ever since I loved baseball. To me, they go hand in hand. I remember being 3 years old in 1977 and watching the Yanks in the Series. Now, saying that, I know that a lot of the game is about respect. Sure, I probably will forever hate the Boston Red Sox, but that does not mean I don't respect them. These players respect the game for what it is, and we, as fans, respect them for that. Sure, you have guys like Carl Everett or John Rocker (boy, that Texas locker room must be fun!), but they are few and far between. That being said, I have a great deal of respect for guys like Jim Rice, Carl Yazstremski and, of course, Teddy Ballgame.

By not naming at least one MVP, and not giving out that trophy so soon after the death of Ted Williams, you discrespected one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, and, in doing so, disrespected the game itself. If you were to have co-MVPs, Paul Konerko should have received it for the AL, and either Damien Miller or Barry Bonds for the NL. If you had done, that, I think the "blame", if any, would have shifted from directly on your shoulders to those of the All-Star system in general. Fans may not have gone home happy, but probably would have shown more of a satisfaction by being allowed to celebrate the game for what it was; an exhibition of some of the best players in the league.

Unfortunately for you, you have been subject to some horrible timing, some of which was your own creation. Now, I don't think that you can argue that you were the greatest commissioner in professional sports that we had ever seen, but you were doing a decent enough job before. However, because you were an owner, you were never seen as a fair commissioner that would have the players, or even the fans, in mind when you made your decisions. Your actions backed that. When you started in 1998, the McGwire/Sosa home run race polarized the nation. You were given a clean slate, which is a luxury that not many commissioners get. And yet, we come to what happened last fall.

The latest day that will live in infamy, in baseball circles, anyway, is November 6, 2001. Two days after one of the most exciting World Series ever, you uttered one word that upset every baseball fan. Contraction. Did you even fight this? Shouldn't you, as commissioner, be worried about about the sport in general, and not just what a specific group wants? Your own daughter voted for contraction, which tells every fan that you were also in favor of it. Shouldn't you have, I don't know, contacted the players? How about looking into opportunities in other cities? Some of the largest metropolitan areas in the US don't have teams. How about New Orleans? There's already a dome there! What about Charlotte, or Portland, or Indianapolis, or even Buffalo? God forbid you piss off Peter Angelos and decree that a team move to D.C. (which is EXACTLY what you're going to do with the Expos, and you know it). South Florida, like Arizona, is not a place to play without a dome. Of course, now that cheapskate Jeffrey Loria owns them (what a great decision THAT was to allow that to happen!), they're probably going to be contracted instead of the Expos, which you have now helped make a solvent and exciting franchise.

By even uttering the word "contraction", you have helped make a mockery of the game that millions of people hold dear. By not fighting against it, you have proven yourself the figurehead we all thought you were. For the sake of the fans, the owners and the players, please step down before the labor talks. It may be the only way to avoid a strike.