GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Commissioner Bud Selig expects baseball owners to vote next week from a list of three candidates for his successor.
Buzz Sawyer Jersey Retro . "Yes, there will be a vote in Baltimore," Selig said Wednesday, referring to the owners meeting next week. Selig said the seven-member panel appointed earlier this year, and headed by St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., worked independently to get to this point. "I told them at the time that the job was theirs because, after all, they have to live the commissioner. Im going to be gone," said Selig, who is retiring in January. "Ive been very well-informed and briefed and so forth, but theyve been independent and theyve come up with this list on their own, and Im grateful for that. They did what I asked them to do." The reported finalists for the job are Rob Manfred, MLBs chief operating officer; Tim Brosnan, MLBs executive vice-president for business and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner. When asked about those names, Selig said "the list is accurate." The commissioner has refrained from publicly endorsing anyone as his replacement after 22 years on the job. Selig spoke to reporters after addressing the opening luncheon for the 2014 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, which will feature about 300 players ages 13-18 with 16 teams playing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this week. The gathering came a day after the former clinic owner accused of selling performance-enhancing drugs to Alex Rodriguez agreed to plead guilty in what prosecutors called a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute steroids to both major league ballplayers and high school athletes. With potentially more legal proceedings related to Biogenesis, after former owner Anthony Bosch and six others were charged, there is always the possibility of additional names being revealed. "Im really not concerned," Selig said. "We did what we had to do. Well be very thorough. ... I dont really have any knowledge if theres anything else coming. "Look, Im proud of where we are," he said. "We have the toughest drug testing program in America, and certain American sports." It was a year ago this week that Rodriguez was among 13 players disciplined by Major League Baseball as a result of the Biogenesis scandal, two weeks after Ryan Braun had already accepted a 65-game penalty. Most of the other penalties were for the final 50 games last season, though Rodriguez appealed his much longer suspension and is out for all of this season. Selig planned later Wednesday to visit the Rangers ballpark in nearby Arlington on his tour of the 30 franchises. He also planned to visit with Dr. Bobby Brown, who practiced cardiology in the Dallas-Fort Worth area before serving as vice-president of the Texas Rangers and later the AL president from 1984-94. "Ive been so busy and things have been so hectic that I havent really had a chance to focus on (pending retirement). Next November, December and January, Im sure Ill do a lot of that," Selig said. "I try not to think about that, I really dont. Yeah, there are a few times when Ive said to myself, well, this is the last time youll do this. And this is the last time Ill do this. I think the emotion will come later."
Lloyd Harrison Jersey Retro .J. -- Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun No.
Bud Cooper Jersey Retro .com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No.TOKYO -- Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man to break into the top 10 of the world tennis rankings on Monday. Nishikori, who is No. 9, was assured of a place in the top 10 after beating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. "It was a big goal for me to get top 10, but its just only one week for now," Nishikori said on the ATP website. "So I have to keep playing better tennis and keep this ranking. My goal is not to get one time into the top 10. Hopefully I can keep this ranking." The 24-year-old Nishikori bbeat David Ferrer 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 in the semifinals in Madrid before retiring from Sundays final with a hip injury when trailing Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-4, 3-0.
Kevin Wyatt Jersey Retro. Nishikori, who went into the Madrid Open at No. 12, had previously reached a career-high of No. 11 in June 2013. The Japanese player beat Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-2 to win the Barcelona Open on April 27 for his fifth career title and his second of the year. Nishikori becomes the first Asian to rank inside the top 10 since Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand did so on March 29, 2004. ' ' '