MixedThe Wall Street JournalMr. Selig may be too inclined to portray himself as an honest broker seeking a middle ground between hot heads on both sides of the bargaining table, but there is merit in highlighting the intransigence of players as well as owners when it comes to assigning the blame for baseball’s troubles. As befits the man known as \'Budget Bud\' by team owners, he prefers to focus on the bottom line ... While celebrating baseball’s financial success, Mr. Selig is silent about the erosion of baseball’s once dominant hold on the nation’s sports fans ... Mr. Selig insists that \'baseball is an essential part of people’s everyday lives\' and firmly believes in the \'unique role baseball plays in American life.\' But that may be more a declaration of faith than a true assessment of the sport’s current status—and future prospects.
