Selig monopoly expands within Buddy system

• Deal goes to former Disney/ESPN boss Michael Eisner. And, why not?

"During the halcyon days of the baseball card boom there were many companies vying for the dollars of collectors and the revenues went through the roof. The inevitable bust killed some of those companies, Fleer and Score we hardly knew thee, and now Major League Baseball is trying to close out the remaining competition by giving the business exclusively to Topps.

• That's not how they spin it, of course. They spin it as saying that the way to revitalize the trading card business is by marketing it exclusively to kids, a party line that Topps' owner Michael Eisner is preaching as well....

The whole thing smacks of an inside deal between MLB and Eisner, who used to be part of the inner circle as the

• head of Disney. Disney, of course, once owned the Angels and owns ESPN, which has

• given the MLB a lot of cash and exposure over the years.

Topps needs a little help to bolster their bottom line, so old friend Bud Selig helps him out and everybody's happy."...

• "Giving Topps a Baseball Card Monopoly is the Wrong Decision," by Josh Alper, NBC Sports.com

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