When Bud Selig was named baseball’s acting commissioner in 1992, he told his wife, Sue, that his term would last four months, tops. Before he leaves, it is going to seem like he has been around longer than the infield-fly rule.
This is a good thing.
Without the Milwaukee car dealer baseball still might be running like a lemon. He lacks the designer suits of Peter Ueberroth and the multi-syllabic eloquence of Bart Giamatti, but Selig has done what they and others could not.
He not only gave baseball its first decade of labor peace since Robin Roberts persuaded Marvin Miller to head the players union, but he also used that time to lead his fellow owners out of the dark ages.
Selig may not have found an antidote for the hype machine that is the National Football League, but he has overseen an improvement in his own product that has led to record crowds and a surge in television ratings.
During Selig’s 13 seasons on the job, 15 new stadiums have been built. Some, including U.S. Cellular Field, have undergone massive renovations. The leagues were realigned into three divisions and the playoff field doubled from four to eight teams. Gross revenues have increased from $1.6 billion to $4.1 billion, and the redistribution of that revenue from large markets to small markets has increased exponentially. A significant plan of drug testing was implemented for the first time.
Sure, his tie to the Brewers always has been a blatant conflict of interest (in case you have a couple hundred million to invest, his ownership group is looking for a buyer). But his vested interest has served the sport well. He could not be cast off easily when he clashed with owners, as was his predecessor Fay Vincent, and he would not walk away when the going got tough, as did Ueberroth.
Selig, 70, is a baseball lifer. No wonder his fellow owners are crossing their fingers that his health allows him to serve through 2009, which will be the end of his second three-year contract. The latest one was awarded Thursday at an owner’s meeting in Philadelphia.
“I’ve been in baseball for more than 25 years and, in that time, I’ve never known anybody more dedicated to the sport or devoted to the game,” New York Mets chairman Fred Wilpon said. “He has done a fantastic job as commissioner, and I believe that everyone, club personnel, players, fans, everybody recognizes his contribution to the game. . . . His efforts over the last 12 years have resulted in a sport that is stronger, healthier and more exciting for our fans. Baseball is in great shape in today’s market because of Buddy’s leadership.”
Selig is, and always has been, the easiest of targets. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and sometimes seems to have as much polish as the average yard tool. For his critics, the lasting picture of Selig came at the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, when he threw his hands into the air in exasperation after learning both managers had run out of pitchers in only 11 innings.
But it has become impossible not to see Selig as an unlikely revolutionary. He lacks the mad-scientist elan of men like Charles O. Finley and Bill Veeck but had the credibility to sell doubting owners on the merits of interleague play and the wild-card playoff concept, which he borrowed from the NFL’s Pete Rozelle.
MLB’s last two champions were wild cards, both crowned after terrific postseasons. If not for realignment and the wild card, there would have been only eight teams within five games of a playoff spot through Wednesday’s games. Instead there were 14.
“All of you heard me say over and over, this sport has never been more popular,” Selig said Thursday. ” It has a great future. We should never be afraid to change when change is necessary. We face competition, and we have to be willing to adjust to that competition.”
Selig continues to wrestle with the question of whether he can relocate the Montreal Expos in the Washington, D.C., area without seriously damaging the Baltimore Orioles. As a result, his relocation committee continues to explore Las Vegas and Norfolk, Va., as possible alternates.
Selig is disappointed that baseball’s first true World Cup can’t be held in 2005, as he had hoped, but is pleased that it is a viable possibility for 2006. He also is excited MLB, like the NFL, will own its own television network. That was approved Thursday.
With another round of labor talks scheduled to begin in 2006, this would seem like a good time for Selig to walk away.
He has a legacy on which many others would be happy to rest. But he knows he has unfinished business, including Pete Rose’s application for reinstatement.
Sue Selig should have known better when Bud told her he would be a short-timer.
“It has to be the longest two-to-four months in history,” said Selig, with a laugh that has replaced his once-familiar frown.
