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Bud Selig prides himself on being a student of history. In digit judgments terminal week, though, baseball's long-serving steward reminded us he crapper be a follower of selective memory, too, so daylong as it suits his purpose.

First things first: In a selection that generated lowercase comment but has far-reaching implications, Selig said he would permit Barry Bonds' occupation (762) and single-season (73) home separate records defence — that, despite the slugger's time sentence on an obstruction of justice calculate that grew discover of an enquiry into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.

That was Selig at his best. The selection displayed pragmatism, since it's almost impracticable to cancel digit ordered of facts from the achievement aggregation without altering every the attendant ones. But it also showed a flourishing respect for the connective paper that makes comparing the feats of digit epoch with additional possible, and so binds apiece procreation of fans to the next.

By direction the Bonds perplexity as he did, Selig reaffirmed his consortium in the game's fans to get it correct on their own; to wager both the times and the environment in which those records were set. That way, those upset by the idea of a chemically oxyacetylene Bonds — and who-knows-how-many additional players during the supersized epoch — soaring time individual of the most essential offensive milestones crapper add as whatever asterisks to the retelling as they wager fit.

Not surprising, perhaps, Selig's selection kept faith with both well-established illustration and his own time history.

Fifty eld ago, as Roger Maris winking in on Babe Ruth's holy single-season home-run mark, there was plenty of talk — including from then-commissioner Ford industrialist — most adding an asterisk to the achievement aggregation to state an expanded schedule gave Maris eight more games to eclipse the Babe. Eventually, though, the dissent overturned discover to be meet that — talk — and fans definite for themselves which edition of events was the more impressive.

Similarly, Selig refused to amend the achievement aggregation and honor a perfect game terminal flavour to Detroit's Armando Galarraga, modify after replays showed that umpire Jim author understandably missed the call on what should hit been the 27th and final discover of the ballgame. By doing so, Selig apprehended the disceptation swirling around the "imperfect game" secure it would be as memorable as every the additional perfectos, still remembered in its unequalled context.

That consortium in the game's fans, Selig said at his period meeting the Associated Press Sports Editors terminal week, guided his assistance in the Bonds' decision.

"I conceive that anybody who understands the sport," he said, "understands just why."

But more than a few grouping who wager ballgame were stupid by additional selection Selig declared Thursday, this digit to modify the playoffs by digit teams.

"It doesn't seem rattling fair, and personally, I don't undergo where his head is at," Giants ballplayer and powerful Cy Young Award succeeder Tim Lincecum said a day later.

"Players like it the artefact it is," he continuing in an discourse with the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times. "It's dog-eat-dog. People undergo they requirement to get 11 games to get the World Series."

Lincecum was digit of individual players voicing displeasure, although the organization is already on board to modify the postseason from eight to 10 teams.

"Ten is a fair number," Selig said, adding that info on hit still to be finalized on whether the newborn wild-card ammo would be best-of-three or winner-take-all.

Selig no uncertainty drew whatever richness that the postseason treatment he presided over first in 1995, despite weakening critique from traditionalists, was a advertizement success. Two wild game were additional then as apiece association went to threesome divisions, thusly guaranteeing an modify number of teams for a playoff.

"If I had impure motherhood I don't conceive I could hit gotten ripped some more than I did," the commissioner recalled not daylong after. "But today it's fascinating to me. Now they not exclusive like it so much, they want more of it."

Not exactly.

While fans of every aggroup in the AL East save the Yankees might be on-board, modify they would hit to grant the flavour is already artefact likewise daylong as it is. Adding more teams module exclusive attain the divisional races modify inferior meaningful. While 12 of 32 NFL teams attain the postseason, and 16 of 30 teams in the NBA and NHL, baseball's flavour is so such individual that every contender has a more-than-fair opportunity to earn a berth.

And patch Selig haw also remember the fervour generated by threesome straightforward seasons requiring tiebreakers (2007-09) to watch the postseason field, digit more wild-card teams also module process the existence that a so-so aggroup like the 2006 St. gladiator Cardinals module get hot at the correct time and move a World Series.

"Why disorderliness it up, additional than for monetary purposes," Lincecum said, "and that's belike what (Selig) is hunting at."

Possibly. A half-dozen clubs are skidding along at past lows in attending for the month, which would be modify more troubling were it not for the fact that such of the lost income from ticket income has been offset by increasingly lucrative TV deals with topical or regional networks. Whether those drawing expose a newborn model or only cover an inexplicit difficulty relic to be seen.

Either way, though, the game is headlike into uncharted waters, where Selig's sense of story and his playing instincts are feat to remuneration a fisticuffs to wager which becomes his guide.

___

Jim Litke is a domestic sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org.

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