Just another complaint about my favorite sport and the car salesman who runs it.

Now he's saying there's absolutely no chance of Major Leaguers participating in the 2004 Olympics. This isn't a direct quite, because I can't link up to the article right now. Selig says: "The ebb and flow of the game is critical, and we can't disturb that."

But paraphrasing: The continuity of our season is more important participating in the Olympics.

According to the Associated Press article, Selig has assured everybody that Major Leaguers in the Olympics is next to impossible.

Olympic officials have made overtures to get Major Leaguers into the Olympics. They've said they'd shorten the schedule from 11 to 5 days. IOC president Jacques Rogge complains that they have the best American athletes in hockey, in track, in tennis, in basketball. But no the best American athletes in baseball.

But that's not even the whole problem. They also don't have the best Dominican baseball players. Or the best Venezuelan. A couple or three of the best Japanese players are now playing in America. And significant portions of what would be the teams of several other nations.

You know, there are a couple of ways to get Major League players in the Olympics. Without assassination of parts of the heirarchy of Major League Baseball.

The first is delay the season 8 or 9 days and play a full 162 game season. The Series ended in November in 2001. It wouldn't be unprecedented. The Olympics in 2004 are something like the 13th through the 29th of August. Seems to me that would be a great way to get teams rested up for the pennant chase.

The other solution might be to play a 154 game season that year.

But get players out there. There used to be no greater honor than playing for your country in the Olympics. Nobody used to be worried about millionaires getting hurt. And that's the problem. Owners wanting only to protect their investments. Who wants to let Sammy Sosa win a medal in the Olympics if he gets hurt playing for the Dominican Republic team?

There's talk of a World Cup of baseball. But I think Bud "Smart as a Bag of Hammers" Selig should make a couple of goodwill gestures. I think the Olympics would be a classy gesture. But he is a used car salesman.