European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 3,1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary White s the right Choice to Lead no by Steve Jacobson new Day this business of Bill White s suddenly be coming the leading candidate to be president of the National league is like Kremlin watching or studying who stood next to Mao at the May Day Parade. The Only thing we know for sure is that the Job of president of the league is coming open soon. The National league has always found a Man to fill the Job. Seldom has he had real Impact because the owners still run the game and league presidents operate with the own ers holding the reins. The Issue has taken on this air of mystery be cause the search com Mittee has fixed on hiring a Black Man who would be the first Black Ever to head a professional sports league. Baseball would look terrific. Peter Ueberroth is stepping out As com missioner of baseball and Bart Giamatti is stepping up from the National league. That s fact. The rest is leaked from a search committee that has maintained a posture of being unusually close mouthed for a baseball group. Naming a Black Man president of the league would t mean that baseball had completed its obligation to hiring minorities but it would be a visible and necessary Public step. Originally the prime candidates All were White and that considering baseball s eagerness to appear More sensitive to the issues of the time was decided to be unsatisfactory. Then two other men who had Strong administrative credentials and were Black took the Lead which seemed to suit the definition that the lords of baseball had in mind. But the names of Simon Gourdine and Gilroye Griffin however Strong their qualifications stirred Little Public recognition. Bill White after months of committee study Bill White appears to have taken the Lead. One of the candidates speculated tuesday that White s baseball Back ground has put him into the Lead. White is a former Star player and he has broadcast Yankee games since 1971. He is a Bright articulate Man. The Public knows him. That is a Strong qualification. People on baseball search committees have in the past set out trial balloons to see what kind of re action they get. White May be such a trial balloon. He has been interviewed by Peter o Malley the Kingmaker son of the late Kingmaker Walter o Mal Ley. Tuesday it was reported that White would most Likely be offered the Job this week. Baseball officially denies having decided any such thing. We re not confirming or denying any of the speculation that s been going on out there o Mal Ley president of the los Angeles dodgers and chair Man of the search committee said tuesday. Fred Wilpon president of the new York mets and another member of the search committee would say Only that quite a few candidates had been inter viewed All of them very  White is an impressive Guy. He is a graduate of Hiram College in Ohio. He was always a Man of substance on his bal club and a Man who would Deal with thorny issues racial or otherwise. During his time As a Yankees broadcaster he was Clever enough to have turned Down owner George Steinbrenner s offer to be a general manager. But what Are the qualifications for the Job Clif Ford Alexander the Washington attorney heading the search committee won t even offer a Job definition because you could infer who was being considered he said. Or Are any real qualifications necessary Gourdine was Deputy commissioner of the National basketball association before his present Job As head of labor relations for the metropolitan transit authority in new York. Griffin is vice president for labor relations for Bristol Myers. Baseball is scheduled for thorny labor management negotiations in 1990, and the. Input of people with labor experience would seem valuable. But the appearance of White s name at this Date suggests that s not what the search committee is searching for. The league president has three substantive tasks controlling the umpires overseeing the schedule and disciplining players. Then he kisses babies and entertains visiting dignitaries. He does what the owners permit him to do kind of like the vice president of the United states. If the Job is largely that of a figurehead a Black Man is entitled to be a figurehead too. The league president also has been a member of the player relations committee which will do the heavy work in negotiations. But they be never been Active participants. Lee Macphail became a Factor after he retired As american league president. Now baseball has created a new position of Deputy commissioner for business affairs to work with Giamatti. The Deputy is Francis Vincent a Washington lawyer formerly with the securities and Exchange commission and with Columbia pictures. And there is a second lawyer Chuck o Connor on the player relations committee with Barry Rona. Don Fehr executive director of the players association notes that it has been easier to work with american league president Bobby Brown because he had a player s understanding of the weight of the schedule and the size of the strike zone. Former National league president Chub Feeney was More fixed on baseball As it used to be which was his background. Macphail could disagree without being disagreeable. White would bring ideas that might be closer to the real life of 1990. But the league president has made no difference at All in negotiations Marvin Miller former director of the players association said. The commissioner has never been that important to labor negotiations  the owners have taken a she lacking in the Public Eye with their conspiracy policy. A Man such As Bill White could Only help the image. He s a Good Man with considerable personal qualifications. If there is some tokenism involved that does t diminish White. But then having a Black Man As president of a league does t mean that baseball can close out Black men with the potential of Earl Weaver or Sparky Anderson. If the presence of a Black Man As league president encourages others to press on for front of fice positions because there s room at the top it will be significant. Mavs Rocky Road has Aguirre thinking of Home by David Aldridge the Washington Post the Dallas Mavericks Are in trouble. Roy Tarpley is Back in rehabilitation Rolando Blackman is out for three weeks with a dislocated Fin Ger Mark Aguirre is talking about playing in Chicago with Michael Jordan. And the Mavericks though Only 4 a games out of first in the Midwest division Are foundering. And maybe close to trading Aguirre to Detroit for Adrian Dantley. Sunday they suffered their worst Home loss Ever a 118-93 blitzing by the lakers on lbs. That made them 0-3 versus the lakers and after losing at Home tues Day night to the jazz they finished 4-11 in january after 16 straight winning months. We just have problems said Norm Sonju the general manager. I think it s disappointing when you re one of the top two or three talented teams in basketball. We Haven t been in  Dallas misses Tarpley who was averaging 14.8 Points and 10.6 rebounds when he violated the terms of his aftercare program and was suspended by the league Jan. 5. But Sonju says the team has t been playing Well consistently for a while. He s not the major part at All Sonju said. It s an easy thing to focus your emotion on him. We miss his enthusiasm but we be been playing out of sync. We re Down 10 or 12 Points before the second unit is even in there. We be been 34-30 since last March 6. We re basically playing .500 basketball so it s been for a much longer period than this latest  Aguirre vented his feelings before last week s loss in Chicago the Mavericks 10th straight on the Road. I be heard that Isiah Thomas has been begging for me in Detroit Aguirre said. To play with Michael Jordan in Chicago Aguirre s Hometown would be a dream come True. I be got three of them on my list Isiah air Jordan and magic Johnson but to play Here in Chicago would be too  tuesday the Dallas morning news told of Dis Aba notebook up Mark Aguirre Xavier Mcdaniel cushions about a Deal involving Aguirre and Dantley. The Mavericks reportedly rejected sending Aguirre and Sam Perkins to Detroit for Dantley and John Sal Ley. Tuesday night at Dallas reunion Arena for the jazz Mavericks game club owner Donald Carter acknowledged Trade talks but counselled stay  and Aguirre pleading sore Ankles took pregame drills and decided he could t play. A team doing much better is Seattle where Derrick Mckey is now the permanent starter at Forward and Xavier Mcdaniel is the permanent sixth Man. The supersonics in the thick of the Pacific division race had won six in a Row and were 19-3 at Home until tuesday night s loss to the nets. Mckey the second year Man out of Alabama had started All 40 games and averaged 15.6 Points on 51 per cent shooting from the floor. Mcdaniel gets about four minutes a game fewer than Mckey and is averaging 19.2 Points. Both average around five rebounds a game. Last season Mcdaniel averaged 21.4 Points in 34.6 minutes a night. Derrick s been playing Well coach Bernie Bickers Taff said. He s been consistent for a Young player. I just think the diversity of his game is intriguing. He does a lot of things Well. But you still have to under stand that he s a Young  Bickerstaff said the Seattle Media second guessed the move originally. They just made statements he said. They wanted to know Why. They made it seem As though it was a demotion for Mcdaniel. They made it seem As though Mcdaniel and i were having problems. And All of that was just baloney. It would t have been made unless Mcdaniel approved of  Cleveland s Lenny Wilkens was t thrilled with the equal $5,000 fines assessed for the Brad Daugherty Bill Laimbeer fight. Laimbeer has a reputation for getting into fights and he has done that for a number of years Wilkens said. They should have handcuffed this Guy years ago and we would t have these problems  the always loquacious Charles Barkley has the last word on the All Star voting process. It s just a contest where people vote for the Guys at Home Barkley who finished second among Eastern conference forwards told Philadelphia writers. They should vote for the Best players. Dominique Wilkins beat everybody by 200,000 votes at the Forward Posi Tion. I Don t think he s 200,000 better. First he should he said. How am i going to get any shots with Moses Michael and Dominique on my team