Bud Selig's arrival in New York on Wednesday doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to ride in on a white stallion and save his sport from disaster. But it does have significance in a whole bunch of ways:

1) It's about time. He's the commissioner of baseball. How can you make maybe the most significant labor deal in history without the commissioner at least being in town?

2) It's a sign, in some ways, that a deal is at least within the realm of do-ability. And it's impossible for either side to make that deal unless Bud signs off on it -- live and in person. Whatever deal gets made -- if a deal gets made -- will be determined by exactly how willing the commish is to take the final steps toward compromise. He determines the fate of his sport now more than anyone else on either side. The negotiators have worked hard to try to make a deal, but only Bud can make it happen.

3) On the other hand, it could be a bad thing. The commissioner's presence in the negotiating room could upstage his own negotiators. So the best possible scenario is Selig staying handy for consultation and affirmation -- but not actually doing any negotiating firsthand. There's no assurance that's how it will work, though.

The best news of the day might not even have been the biggest news. When the owners' lead negotiator, Rob Manfred, said the two sides had been having "conceptual discussions" instead of making formal proposals, that was a clear indication they can at least see the framework for a potential deal.

Those "conceptual discussions" give them the opportunity to informally explore where they can find middle ground that's acceptable to both sides. After weeks of talking, the negotiators themselves conceivably know exactly where that middle ground is by now. But it's up to the commissioner to authorize his side to go there.

So Selig may not have ridden in on that white stallion. But he at least has the opportunity to make it look to the world as if he rode out on one.

Now he needs to avail himself of that opportunity. His legacy as commissioner hangs in the balance. As does the future of his sport.