MIAMI – Baseball commissioner Bud Selig observed Wednesday night a Cardinals team playing without first baseman Albert Pujols for the first time since 2001 and without manager Tony La Russa for the first time since 1996.
“It just shows you that nothing in baseball is forever,” said Selig before the Cardinals opened the season with the Miami Marlins. “But I do have a really high opinion of (Cardinals manager) Mike Matheny. He caught for me for six or seven years in Milwaukee. A wonderful man.
“Tony was there a long, long time. He’s moved on. And Albert has as well. It’s happened to almost every player who’s played the game, especially in the last decade.”
Selig and La Russa were on hand Wednesday. But while La Russa is working for Selig, he was not connected with him on this night.
La Russa represented Major League Baseball and MLB.com in a chat he participated in along with former pitching star Jack Morris and former slugger Frank Thomas. Selig, who visited a veterans’ hospital among other activities Wednesday, acknowledged La Russa’s involvement with the commissioner’s office on “special projects,” but repeated his position from a month or so that La Russa could leave if he got an offer from a team to be in the front office.
“I’m aware that he’d probably rather be with a ball club,” Selig said.
“I have great affection for him and have great respect for his abilities. I’ve given him some projects and he’s a pleasure to work with. He’s doing very good work here.”
Although Joe Torre, another former Cardinals manager, has rejoined the commissioner’s office as executive vice president of baseball operations, La Russa reports not to Torre but directly to Selig, the commissioner said.
“Joe’s the on-field guy. Tony’s doing projects apart from him,” Selig said.
La Russa has no title. “Not yet,” Selig said. “But he’s got only one boss, me, so that’s easy.”
Both remain on Selig’s 14-person, blue-ribbon panel to study and improve on-field matters. Selig said, “I told both of them that once you get on the committee, you never get off.”
When he spent a half hour answering media questions before the opener, Selig talked about new Marlins Park, Joey Votto’s contract with Cincinnati, the proposed international draft, potential realignment and the designated hitter.
On Marlins Park: “Fabulous, isn’t it? All you can say is ‘Wow!'”
On Cincinnati first baseman Votto’s 10-year, $225 million deal: “Joey Votto is the face of that franchise. And I understand why (Reds owner) Bob Castellini and the Reds did it. It’s good if you can preserve your star and the fans know that they have that kind of commitment. Cincinnati has to figure out the economics of all that, but it’s healthy for the sport.
“So I’m grateful. There are some signings I’m not wild about, but that isn’t one of them.”
Asked if Pujols signing with the Los Angeles Angels, rather than the Cardinals, qualified in the other group, Selig said, “I don’t comment on that.”
Further realignment, after Houston goes to the American League Western Division next year, “isn’t anything that’s on the front burner right now,” he said. “I do like realignment. But I don’t see it right now.
“Now, we’re going to have interleague play every day (next year) which took a little convincing of me to do.”
Selig is the only front-office executive left _ he was the Brewers’ president – when the DH was added by the American League in 1972.
“That was the only thing I ever voted with (then Oakland A’s owner) Charlie Finley on,” Selig said. “The American League likes it. The National League doesn’t. So it’s been that way for 40 years now and that’s hard to believe.
“But it will take a catalytic event to change things. A catalytic event may be more realignment, but I don’t see it on the horizon.”
The international draft will take place this year in a form to be determined. That would seem to include Korea and Japan, Selig said, but not Cuba.
“(Cuba) is beyond my province as commissioner,” Selig said. “You have to go to Washington, D.C., and ask people about that.”
Selig said he was delighted with last week’s season openers in Tokyo and had one other venue in mind.
“My dream, frankly,” he said, “is I want to open up in Europe, too.”
