Selig Won't Put Up with Cheapskates

You know what they say: talk is cheap. We'll see if Baron Budhausen puts his money where his mouth is. From the St. Petersburg Times:

PITTSBURGH - Commissioner Bud Selig has a way of slapping people across the face without leaving a mark. His polite but stinging comments complaining about Manny Ramirez's absence from the All-Star festivities were a prime example.

But generally overlooked was his rebuke of teams who still use the big-market, small-market dynamic as an excuse for a lack of competitiveness.

"There have been franchises that have been through 11 or 12 rebuilding programs over the last 60 years. They don't always work," Selig said during his annual All-Star Game conversation with newspaper reporters. "But I can tell you specifically, we will not tolerate people not spending the money."

The money is the $323-million Selig said Major League Baseball will distribute this season through revenue sharing to help level the playing field.

"I'm very sensitive to all the constituents, particularly the big markets because they're paying," Selig said. "I want these clubs to see who spent the money and where it's spent, every (bleeping) nickel."