Commissioner Bud Selig Biography

Since its debut during the Civil War, baseball has evolved from a mere recreational activity used by soldiers to pass the time in army camps into a major sporting industry generating millions of dollars of revenue annually. Like any large corporation, there are many positions; both on the field and off, required to keep the business of Major League Baseball running.

Beyond the obvious jobs of coaches and players, there are countless support and administrative personnel facilitating the “behind the scenes” aspects of the sport. Since its inception, professional baseball has appointed one top executive, the Commissioner of Baseball, to oversee the entire operation and maintain the integrity of the game. Unfortunately, like most public officials, the Commissioner is often forgotten in times of prosperity, yet the first to be blamed when problems arise. It is a job that requires not only a tremendous love for the game, but an even greater patience for the fans and media. From Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to Francis T. Vincent, Jr., most Commissioners have experienced disappointment by the fans at one time or another.

One man however, seems to have taken this love-hate relationship with the public to another level. Unfortunately, our current Commissioner appears to have inherited a broken version of our National Pastime. “His” baseball, unlike any of his predecessors, has been long-corrupted by big money endorsements, self-centered athletes and performance enhancing drugs. The baseball he was handed to manage is all but a faded shadow from the glory days when players were worthy and the fans treated them with respect. Many purists believe that both classes have declined in the modern game and as a result, much of the blame has fallen back on the Commissioner. This poses the question; why would anyone willingly take on such a role fully aware of the burden that waits? And who would want to? The answer to both questions lies in looking at a man that did: Mr. Alan H. “Bud” Selig.

Selig was a successful car dealer from Wisconsin who purchased the fledgling American League franchise known as the Seattle Pilots for a reported $10.8 million dollars. When Milwaukee joined the major leagues in 1953, Bud became a faithful Braves fan and subsequently the largest public stockholder in 1963. Unfortunately, he would later watch his beloved Braves move to Atlanta in 1965 resulting in the loss of both his team and his investment. Recognizing the importance of baseball to his city, Selig later formed an organization dedicated to reestablishing a team in Milwaukee. After several heartbreaking failures, Bud was finally successful in 1970 when a Seattle bankruptcy court awarded the Seattle franchise to the investment group led by him, and the modern-day Milwaukee Brewers were born. Amazingly, Bud's college roommate was Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and both of men went on to become owners of major league franchises within their own city. Like his political partner, Selig was always active in his community as a member of the board of the Green Bay Packers football team and the University of Wisconsin medical school. He was also the founder of “Athletes for Youth”, a trustee of the Boys and Girls Club, and helped establish both the Child Abuse Prevention Network and Businesses Against Drunk Driving.

After being given the position of “Interim Commissioner” in 1992, Bud was officially named baseball's ninth commissioner six years later on July 2, 1998. Following his appointment, Selig's daughter Wendy took over as acting president of the Brewers club and his interest in the team was placed in a trust. First and foremost a fan, Bud entered the position of Commissioner with the same tenacity that had led him in his crusade for a franchise in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, baseball was still reeling from multiple labor disputes and was suffering a steady decline in both ticket sales and television ratings. Over the last two decades, the National Football League had clearly become the most powerful and financially successful sport with professional basketball not far behind. Unbelievably, professional baseball had slipped from a perennial National Pastime to third on the list of popular American sports.

From the day he first entered the offices of the executive council, Bud had faced many serious and difficult issues. Initially, he presided over the 230-day strike that wiped out the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Eventually, he was able to help secure a new collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association, but afterward, many disgruntled fans felt that the Fall Classic's cancellation was a major factor in the decline of baseball's popularity. To this day, some believe that the game will never fully recover and may never again reach the romantic heights that it once enjoyed.

Some of Selig's other contributions to the game were the implementation of new rules, as well as the institution of addition playoff rounds. Some of these changes were overwhelmingly popular and unpopular with baseball's fans. These included the establishment of Interleague Play which opened up the door for many American and National League teams to compete against one another for the first time in history; the Wild Card system which added opportunities for more teams to participate in the post season; and the validation of the All-Star Game by making it count for home-field advantage in the World Series.

Perhaps the biggest threat still faced by the modern game's Commissioner is the rapidly growing dichotomy between rich and poor teams. Few people however, could be as uniquely well-suited to address this issue. As the owner of a small-market team, Selig obviously understands the difficulties that the “Milwaukee's” of the world have going up against financially superior teams like the New York Yankees. This issue will continue to plague Major League Baseball and along with the debate over mandatory drug testing, has turned the spotlight on Bud to fix the problem at all costs. Over the last few years, many fans and media have doubted Selig's abilities refusing to recognize that any of his policies have had a noticeable impact on fixing today's “broken game” Fortunately for him, many others have applauded his efforts and baseball finally appears to be making a slow but steady comeback.

So far Bud Selig's legacy has been met with mixed emotions and it seems for every fan that recognizes the benefits of change, there is a purist who denies them. Time will only tell as Selig's term in office is far from being up and many issues still need to be resolved. Fortunately, he appears ready to stay the course and hopefully better days for baseball are on the horizon. Unlike his players though, it appears in many instances, this Commissioner, Bud Selig, “just can't win”.

April 1, 1970: Bud Selig purchases the Seattle Pilots for $10,800,000.

September 9, 1992: Bud Selig is selected as chairman of the major league's executive council.

September 10, 1992: Bud Selig is appointed Acting Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

September 2, 1994: Bud Selig makes September 9, 1994, the deadline for canceling the rest of the regular season if no agreement is reached in the strike between the owners and players.

September 14, 1994: Bud Selig officially cancels the remainder of the 1994 season.

October 14, 1994: Bud Selig & Donald Fehr go to the White House and meet with President Clinton to reach an agreement concerning the baseball strike.

January 13, 1995: Bud Selig states, "We are committed to playing the 1995 season and will do so with the best players willing to play," effectively allowing the use of replacement players for spring training & the regular season.

November 5, 1997: Bud Selig realigns the major leagues moving "his" Milwaukee Brewers from the American League to the National League.

June 29, 1998: Bud Selig requests a special session of the owners for July 9th in Chicago.

July 9, 1998: Bud Selig is elected as the ninth Commissioner of Baseball by the club owners.

March 31, 1999: Commissioner Bud Selig confirms that talks have occurred which could lead to advertising on the sleeves of players uniforms.

June 28, 1999: Bud Selig says, "There is no doubt that Hack Wilson's RBI total should be one-hundred ninety-one (191). I am sensitive to the historical significance that accompanies the correction of such a prestigious record, especially after so many years have passed, but it is important to get it right." The "new" RBI came from the second game of a doubleheader between the Cubs and the Reds on July 28, 1930 where Charlie Grimm was credited with two (2) RBIs and Wilson with zero (0). Selig also adjusted Babe Ruth's walk total to two-thousand sixty-two (2,062).

August 2, 1999: Bud Selig moves Darryl Strawberry's reinstatement from August 11th to August 4th.

August 23, 1999: Bud Selig announced that Pete Rose will be invited to the 1999 World Series if he is elected to the All-Century Team.

December 21, 1999: Bud Selig fines the Los Angeles Dodgers $50,000 and forbids them from scouting any players from the Dominican Republic for one (1) year as a penalty for having signed Adrian Beltre as a fifteen (15) year-old. Selig also denied Beltre his free agency because "he participated in the scheme."

January 19, 2000: Major league baseball owners give Bud Selig the power "without limitation" to ensure "there is an appropriate level of long-term competitive balance among the clubs." Selig can override all the baseball rules and even attempt to impose a salary cap if he thinks it's necessary to reach an agreement with the players following the 2001 season.

January 20, 2000: Major league baseball owners vote to give all their Internet rights to the commissioner's office. Bud Selig is expected to parcel out monies in thirty (30) equal amounts.

January 31, 2000: Bud Selig suspends Braves reliever John Rocker until May 1st for his racial and ethnic remarks made in a Sports Illustrated.

February 28, 2000: Bud Selig suspends Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry (his third suspension) for one year for testing positive for cocaine in January.

October 28, 2001: Bud Selig says that two major league teams might be eliminated by the start of the 2002 season. The Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are mentioned.

January 10, 2002: Bud Selig asks the players union to accept a luxury tax that would slow the increase of salaries. He also proposes that teams vastly increase the amount of local revenue they share.

February 5, 2002: Bud Selig announces that major league baseball has postponed plans for contraction until 2003.

March 12, 2002: Bud Selig announces he's going to start enforcing the 60–40 rule, which says teams can't have an asset / debt ratio below that level.

July 9, 2002: Bud Selig ends the 2002 All-Star Game in a 7-7 tie after eleven (11) innings as both the National and American leagues run out of pitchers.