Hat ruling makes Selig look petty

There's a reason Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is nicknamed "Clueless Bud." Just look at the classless and callous way Selig handled the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with regard to the New York Mets.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday at Citi Field against the Chicago Cubs, the Mets had planned to wear hats from the New York City Police Department, Fire Department, Port Authority, Emergency Medical Services and other agencies that responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center.

But MLB said no to the hats, saying it would not make any exceptions. The Mets, like every other team, had to wear the MLB-issued 9/11 hats. But they could wear the other hats during batting practice and pregame ceremonies.

Not only did Selig ban the Mets from wearing the hats during the game, he blamed them for causing the controversy, saying they went to the media with their objections to his edict.

Really?

If any team deserved an exemption from MLB's uniform policy, it was the Mets. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the Mets turned over Shea Stadium, their former home, to the city to serve as a staging area. They were playing at home Sunday, a few miles from the World Trade Center site. They should have been allowed to wear the hats.

Instead, Clueless Bud and MLB looked petty.

■ ZERO TO HERO -- In a week, Isaiah Trufant went from being unemployed to one of the heroes in the New York Jets' come-from-behind 27-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Trufant, a safety who played for the Las Vegas Locomotives for two years, scooped up the ball and ran it back 18 yards for a touchdown after Joe McKnight blocked a punt in the fourth quarter.

Trufant, who had been with the Jets late last season after helping the Locos win a second straight United Football League title, was released by the Jets in the preseason. However, the Jets re-signed him to their practice squad last week and activated him late Saturday. He made it onto the field as a special teams member and came up with the huge play.

"It's been somewhat of a roller-coaster ride," Trufant said of his NFL season to date.

■ FISHER SITS OUT? -- The Impact Competitive Basketball League listed Derek Fisher among its 70 participants on its website. But that was news to the Los Angeles Lakers guard who doubles as president of the NBA Players Association.

Fisher told ESPN.com Los Angeles he wasn't planning on playing in Las Vegas this week, even though he's expected in town Thursday to address his colleagues on the status of the labor talks with the league. The lockout, which is in its third month, is putting the opening of training camp in early October in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, Fisher has been keeping his game sharp in LA, working out with Impact Basketball founder and president Joe Abunassar. And while he might not play this week, it wouldn't be a shock to see Fisher on the court at Impact next week. After all, even presidents have to stay in shape.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL