Hey, who says newspapers are a dying business?  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig purchased a full page advertisement in Sunday’s Houston Chronicle — a paper no longer available in Austin vending machines — to explain his side of the story in last week’s decision to move the Cubs/Astros series to Milwaukee’s Miller Park.

œI recognized the advantage the Cubs would have in playing in such close proximity to Chicago, and had there been a better option, I would have taken it, Selig wrote in the ad on page C16 of the Sports section.

œAll of us involved in the decision regret the frustration the Astros and their fans felt about playing two games in Milwaukee.

Selig said roofed ballparks in Minneapolis, Phoenix and St. Petersburg, Fla., were not available.

œWe did not think it was fair to play games on the West Coast with the Astros heading to Miami to face the Marlins, the commissioner said.

œWhile it is insignificant in comparison to the havoc that was taking place in southeast Texas, the storm also created a scheduling difficulty for Major League Baseball. … As commissioner, my job is to balance many competing needs, while also finishing the season on time, Selig wrote.

Astros first baseman Lance Berkman said he still thinks other options were available but that the gesture was appreciated.

œI know that he feels like there were no other options. I™m not sure that was necessarily the case in a strict sense, Berkman said. œWe could have opted to not play any of the games and play a doubleheader at the end of the season if we needed to. That probably would have sorted out any playoff implications. That™s certainly a nice gesture on his part to maybe make amends.

Berkman added that despite the circumstances, the Astros are to blame for their own shortcomings.

œYou can only use that as an excuse for so long why we are where we are, Berkman said. œWe went up there, and there™s 90 feet between the bases up there at Miller Park) just like there was at home. There was a hostile crowd, but we won three games from the Cubs at Wrigley, so it™s no excuse.