Sunday, April 27, 2014

LEAGUE PRESIDENT: the term is still in the rules.

Merger: AL and NL merged years ago. How come no one noticed?  Wednesday, October 19, 2011

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2014/official_baseball_rules.pdf

George Washington 1797 portrait
by Gilbert Stuart via Wikimedia Commons
Rule 2.00

THE LEAGUE is a group of clubs whose teams play each other in a pre-arranged
schedule under these rules for the league championship.

THE LEAGUE PRESIDENT is the league official charged with enforcing these
Rules, fining or suspending any player, manager, coach or umpire for violation of these
Rules, resolving any disputes involving these Rules or determining any protested games.
Rule 2.00 (League President) Comment: With respect to the Major Leagues, the functions of
the League President pursuant to these Rules shall be carried out by the designees of the
Commissioner of Baseball. The Commissioner may designate different officials to carry out different functions of a League President pursuant to these Rules.
_____________________________________

It's amazing that the title LEAGUE PRESIDENT is still used when there have not been LEAGUE PRESIDENTs for over a decade.

I was trying to find suspension rules and stumbled onto this.  My search was inspired by the recent spitball suspension of Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda.  He was suspended for ten games but with these odd anomalies:

1. He gets paid.
2. The club loses his roster spot and plays shorthanded.

Is that the same policy that applied to Ian Kennedy in 2013 when he was also suspended for ten games for hitting two Dodgers in the head in one game?

The LEAGUE PRESIDENT is supposed to suspend players.  But now the LEAGUE PRESIDENT is a designee of the Commissioner of Baseball, Allan Huber "Bud" Selig.

Ah, now it's clear.  Old Buddy working his old black magic that he weaves so well as the old song goes.

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