The hiring of Don Garber as MLS commissioner brings yet another man unfamiliar with soccer into the league hierarchy. Will this similarity breed contempt from fans desperate to see the league revive its flagging fortunes? Perhaps. Garber might indeed have marketing expertise, but he can’t directly run the half-dozen teams sorely lacking resources and personnel, and he may not have the clout to persuade operator-investors that running pro teams on the cheap is a ruinous enterprise. For all their expressions of commitment and dedication, the operator-investors are businessman with scant knowledge of the sport, little feel for it, and almost no willingness to inject significant funds to hire eager, hungry, creative people. Sources close to the New England Revolution acknowledge that Jonathan Kraft doesn’t care for the sport but sees it as a way to add 18-odd event dates to the Foxboro Stadium schedule. Stuart Subotnick and John Kluge are worth more than a billion dollars, and they’ve spent tens of millions running the MetroStars into the ground. Lamar Hunt deservedly draws praise for the building of Columbus Crew Stadium, and he was the first millionaire to plunge his wealth into MLS. Yet he steadfastly preaches long-term frugality, urging his partners to keep costs at rock-bottom until soccer catches on. Yes, the shootout must go and the clock should count up. But those quirks didn’t dissuade fans in 1996, and their elimination won’t trigger waves of returnees. The league must spend more money on players, and it must spend money on people capable of blasting MLS loose from its rut of inertia and stagnation. But how much commitment will there be the next time a cash call comes calling, and a Ken Horowitz or Philip Anschutz decides to sit on his money? FANS, LET’S HEAR YOUR VIEW Click here to log onto (Soccer) American Graffiti. Then click on the topic titled “The non-committal commitment” and respond to RIDGE MAHONEY in 200 words or less. Best responses may be reprinted in Soccer America Magazine. If YOUR View is selected, we’ll send you a cool T-shirt and pin… Because You’re FANATIC