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Vincent in book: Selig

MILWAUKEE -- A new book by former commissioner Fay Vincent claims Bud Selig once told President Bush, then owner of the Rangers, that Bush would make a fine commissioner even though Vincent strongly believed Selig was maneuvering to get the job.

"Fay, what do you think about me becoming commissioner?" Bush asked Vincent several months after Vincent was forced out as commissioner in September 1992, according to the book.

"I think it's a great idea," Vincent said.

"Do you think I'd make a good commissioner?" Bush asked Vincent.

"Absolutely," Vincent answered. "You're smart. You love baseball. Is it something you want?"

Replied Bush: "Well, I've been thinking about it. Selig tells me that he would love to have me be commissioner and he tells me that he can deliver it."

As Vincent writes in the book, The Last Commissioner, "All my alarms went ringing at once."

As Vincent notes, Selig was, in effect, acting commissioner at the time and was president of the Brewers.

"He was, in my opinion, a walking conflict of interest, hiding behind his formal title, chairman of the owners' Executive Committee," Vincent writes.

Vincent says he was warned Selig wanted the job and said so to Bush.

Bush: "He tells me he doesn't want it and that I'm his guy."

Selig helped Vincent take over the commissioner's job after the death ofA. Bartlett Giamatti in 1989. But, dissatisfied with Vincent's work, Selig led a group of owners who forced him out.

PLEA FOR KITAEN: Actor Tawny Kitaen agreed to a plea bargain on spousal abuse and battery charges alleging she attacked her husband, Cardinals left-hander Chuck Finley.

Kitaen did not admit guilt but agreed to enter a spousal battery counseling program. If she completes the program and other conditions of the deal, the case could be dropped.

The bargain also requires Kitaen, 40, to avoid contact with her husband, stay away from their Newport Beach, Calif., home and return to court in December for a progress report.

GIANTS: Catcher Benito Santiago was suspended for two games by the commissioner's office, which said he bumped umpire Mark Hirschbeck on Sunday. Santiago also was fined an undisclosed amount.

INDIANS: Outfielder Matt Lawton and catcher Einar Diaz will miss the rest of the season because of injuries, and Lawton might not be ready to return for spring training. Lawton had surgery Tuesday to repair a frayed labrum.

RANGERS: Shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who had played in 376 straight games, was out of the starting lineup because he said he was too tired.

ROCKIES: Left-hander Mike Hampton will miss his second straight start Friday because of a strained ligament in his right foot.

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