The Real McCoy

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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 37th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.

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August 2009

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Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2009 > August > 25 > Entry

Thirty minutes with Bud Selig

By Hal McCoy | Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 03:58 PM

What a spectacular view. It is on the 30th floor of the US Bank Building, the tallest building in Milwaukee. He has a huge corner office with a panorama of Lake Michigan.

The office is occupied by Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and I spent 30 minutes visiting with him this morning.

Say what you want about the man, he is a compassionate, caring man. If he is your friend, he is your friend forever.

He invited me because he is legitimately concerned about my future and what lies ahead for me after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. I told him I’ll be fine, but he made me promise I’d call him if I needed anything, anything at all.

A new Mercedes would be nice, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean that.

The reception room when you walk in from the elevator is circular and there is enough memorabilia in it to spend a few hours gaping. There is a gigantic circular rug that is a baseball, white with red stitchings.

The most eye-catching piece of furniture is a couch made entirely of baseball bats. The three cushions are actual genuine bases. Fittingly, one of the front supports on the couch is a Ted Kluszewski bat. His nickname was Big Klu and his bat was big, big, big.

There are baseballs with each team’s log perched atop three gold crossed bats. There are statues, including one of Mighty Casey - not Sean Casey, but Casey from the Mudville Nine.

Bud’s office is a museum, too. Jackie Robinson is displayed prominently, including one photograph that his widow, Rachel Robinson, gave to Selig. There is a signed photograph from Joe DiMaggio, “My all-time favorite player,” he said.

Selig laughed as he pointed to a picture of Robinson watching Bobby Thomson touch second base after hitting the historic home run in 1951 that beat the Brooklyn Dodgers and put the New York Giants in the World Series.

“Robinson was so mad he stood and watched Thomson, just to make certain he touched second base,” said Selig.

Selig is one of the least ostentatious wealthy men I’ve ever known. He makes $18 million a year, but you’d never know it. Nearly every day he buys his lunch from the same sausage vendor on Wisconsin Avenue, near his office. He has used the same barber forever.

His house in the Milwaukee suburbs is modest, the same house he had when he sold cars and when he became owner of the Brewers. He no longer owns the Brewers and his daughter no longer runs it. They sold out.

But Selig, a dedicated Milwaukee citizen, maintains his office in Milwaukee, while the rest of the Major League Baseball Offices are on Park Avenue in New York.

Much of the conversation was privileged and off-the-record, just a personable chat about baseball, the economy and my future.

There was some talk about Pete Rose and Selig put it all in perspective when he said, “You know, the reason I’m sitting in this office is because of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal (when the White Sox threw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds). That’s the only reason we have a commissioner now. They hired Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Without that, I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair.”

Bud was busy for lunch and I was indebted that he thought enough of me to give me 30 minutes out of his busy day. In his honor, on the way back to the hotel, I stopped at a sidewalk vendor and bought two Italian sausage sandwiches with ketchup, relish and onions. Healthy? No. Good? Delicious.

Then I parked myself on a park bench near the river that runs through downtown Milwaukee, lit up a Romeo & Julietta and read my latest Lee Child novel.

MANAGER DUSTY BAKER’S 103rd different lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Brewers: Drew Stubbs, cf; Paul Janish, ss; Joey Votto 1b; Brandon Phillips; 2B, Scott Rolen, 3b; Lakynce Nix, rf; Jonny Gomes, lf; Corky Miller, c; Bronson Arroyo, p.

THE REDS have some interesting pitching plans for the next few days.

On Wednesday, Kip Wells comes out of the bullpen to make his first start for the Reds. On Thursday it is Justin Lehr. On Friday against the Dodgers it is Homer Bailey. On Saturday it is probably Micah Owings (if he isn’t needed to back up Wells Wednesday). If Owings pitches too much Wednesdahy, the club probably would call up Matt Maloney for Saturday (it is his turn for Louisville that day) and Sunday it is back to Bronson Arroyo.

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