While much of Murray Chass’ latest blog entry concerns the Miguel Cabrera vs. Mike Trout MVP competition (no surprise that Murray considers Wins Above Replacement an insufficient determining factor), the former New York Times baseball columnist (above) notes that MLB.com considered a Bud Selig V.A. hospital visit, a Taco Bell promotion and a similar plug for the “Ducks On The Pond” trivia game all newsworthy enough to warrant front page coverage. Conversely, the recent DUI arrests of Mark Grace and Carlton Fisk received no mention from Major League Baseball’s house organ. Noting the Selig piece along with the Taco Bell and “Ducks On The Pond” stories were all penned by Mark Newman, Chass sneers, “he is designated as enterprise editor. House man would be more appropriate.”
The articles about Fisk and Grace can be found on many Web sites andin many newspapers (though strangely not The New York Times), but baseball’s Web site, the one that says its articles and columns are “ not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs,” opted not to post either the Grace or Fisk developments.
Baseball apparently doesn’t recognize negative news about its people. It’s like a child thinking if he or she closes his or her eyes, bad things or bad news will go away.
No story, on the other hand, can be too bad to post on the site if it highlights a positive aspect of Major League Baseball or a baseball promotion.