Selig Talks at Length About State of Game

As snow fell on Jacobs Field on Wednesday night, acting Commissioner Bud Selig said he opposes moving the World Series to a warm-weather site and favors returning to a 154-game schedule. He said he is concerned about low TV ratings but thinks they’re part of a pattern being experienced by all sports and doesn’t know what more he can do about remarks by NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, who said he hoped “the World Series would be four games and out.”

“I was terribly disappointed [by those remarks],” Selig said, “but Don has apologized, [NBC sports head] Dick Ebersol has apologized and the network has apologized. Some people think I should have come down harder on him, but other than shooting him I don’t know what I can do.”

In a wide-ranging interview before Game 4 of the Series, Selig conceded he kept checking his watch during the 4 hours 12 minutes of Game 3 on Tuesday night and “thought the ‘Unfinished Symphony’ had a chance to finish before the game did.” The Florida Marlins won the six-error, 17-walk affair, 14-11. Selig said he agreed with the view that it was “terribly ugly” but didn’t think it was entirely the result of bad weather. He cited pitchers being consistently behind in the count and said baseball again has to explore and implement ways to accelerate the pace.

“None of this is in anyone’s best interest,” he said of the long games. “Umpires, players and everyone involved have to recognize that there are rules on the book. I would tell the umpires to keep the hitter in the box and stay on the pitcher . . . bam, throw the ball.”

Selig also said:

* Despite the marketing and revenue rewards of playing the World Series in a warm-weather site such as San Diego, it would be “unconscionable” to move it considering the civic pride of respective participants and possible taxpayer investment in the home stadiums of the respective teams.

* He strongly endorses return to a 154-game schedule, eight games fewer than currently played and that, while many clubs disagree, he believes the shorter schedule would favorably impact attendance and revenue and permit the World Series to be played earlier, in better weather. He will encourage consideration of the 154-game schedule as part of the second realignment phase in 1999.

* The abysmal ratings for playoff day games make it unlikely the networks would consider a return to day games during the series, but he does think the issue of earlier starting times for night games, giving youngsters a chance to see the final innings, should be reexamined.

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How long was Game 3 Tuesday night? Some perspective: Games 2, 4 and 5 of the 1908 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers took a combined 4 hours 30 minutes to play. The game between the Indians and Marlins on Tuesday took 4:12, the second-longest nine-inning game in series history.

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The nasty weather is expected to continue for Game 5 tonight, but Marlin starter Livan Hernandez, a 22-year-old Cuban refugee, will at least feel at home during the day.

Singer Gloria Estefan, a Cuba native who lives in Miami and sang the national anthem before Game 2 in Pro Player Stadium, is flying to Cleveland today with the chef and kitchen staff from Bongo’s, a Cuban restaurant in Orlando. They will prepare a pregame Cuban feast for Hernandez and the Marlins at the team’s hotel.

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Hernandez said he had not been updated about his mother’s efforts to travel to the United States.

On Monday, a State Department official announced that Miriam Carreras had received a visa to enter the country. She had hoped to arrive in time to watch her son pitch in the World Series. However, the Cuban government had not yet permitted Carreras to leave. It is doubtful the government will grant her permission for fear she won’t return.

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The Marlins, contrary to popular opinion around the major leagues, didn’t acquire Darren Daulton for leadership in the clubhouse.

“We got him because we needed a left-hander who could hit,” Manager Jim Leyland said. “We got him because we thought he was still an outstanding hitter.”

Daulton started at first base and played a key role in the Marlins’ victory in Game 3. He hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, giving the Marlins a 3-2 lead. He also singled in the ninth and scored three runs. He is batting .429 in the series.

Florida acquired Daulton, 35, on July 21 from the Phillies for outfielder Billy McMillon. Daulton, a star catcher on Philadelphia’s 1993 NL championship team, had undergone nine knee operations in 13 seasons. He said he had considered retiring before the trade.

“It’s a good feeling to be part of this team,” Daulton said. “But now that I’m here [in the World Series] again, I’m not satisfied. I want more.”

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Baltimore Oriole outfielder Eric Davis, who made a dramatic return from cancer surgery and inspired thousands of fans and patients in the process, received the Roberto Clemente man-of-the-year award during a pregame news conference.

“I feel like if I can only be half the man that Roberto was, then I feel like I’m headed in the right direction,” he said, adding he would encourage people--young and old--to never stop dreaming.”

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Staff writers Mike DiGiovanna and Jason Reid contributed to this story.