August 19, 200422 yr 08/19/2004 1:44 PM ET Owners approve Selig extension Commissioner's contract runs through 2009 By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com Bud Selig has led the Commissioner's Office for nearly 12 years. (MLB.com) PHILADELPHIA -- Major League Baseball owners decided unanimously at Thursday's meeting to approve a three-year extension of Commissioner Bud Selig's contract through the 2009 season. During the busiest quarterly owners' meeting of the year, MLB's top executives also approved the first World Cup-type tournament including Major League players to be staged during Spring Training of 2006. They also approved a new Baseball Channel to debut on cable television sometime in the midst of the 2005 season. Bob DuPuy, MLB's president and chief operating officer, also presented a report on the Montreal Expos' situation, but there was no decision about where the team might play next season. Selig's contract extension was the culmination of a groundswell among owners to keep Selig in office beyond the end of his current contract, which was slated to expire at the end of the 2006 season. "As I said to the clubs today, I'm very honored by their faith," said Selig surrounded by a bevy of owners at his post-meeting news conference, including the Mets' Fred Wilpon, the Angels' Arte Moreno, the Padres' John Moores, the Giants' Peter Magowan and Boston's Tom Werner. "This is something that they did themselves. I said to them, and I would say the same thing to you: to me, I can't imagine a higher honor than being the Commissioner of baseball. And with it goes an enormous sense of responsibility." Selig became interim Commissioner in September 1992 and was given the job permanently six years later. Since then has presided over an economic change in the sport that includes a rise in MLB's overall revenue to nearly $4 billion a season. In addition, a 34 percent sharing of each club's local revenue now allows the trickle down of money from the large-market teams to the smaller ones, thus increasing competitive balance. Under his watch, Selig fought for and won approval for Interleague Play, the consolidation of the America League and National League under one office, the three-division format and a Wild Card berth in each league, the unbalanced schedule, world-wide recognition of the sport, relative labor peace, steroids testing of Major League players, and home-field advantage in the World Series for the winning league in the All-Star Game. A number of owners said those gains were possible because of Selig's inclusive leadership. "I joined baseball at about the same time Bud became Commissioner," said Magowan, the Giants president and managing general partner, whose group saved the Giants for San Francisco at the end of the 1992 season. "If you think of what we were facing then -- owners squabbling with each other; no revenue sharing; competitive balance problems getting worse and worse -- and how far we've come, we've made remarkable progress. Bud has done it with an energy level and commitment to work that makes it very easy for the rest of us to entrust him with the fortunes of the game." Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb...s_mlb&fext=.jsp
August 19, 200422 yr They also approved a new Baseball Channel to debut on cable television sometime in the midst of the 2005 season. omgomgomgomg
August 20, 200422 yr '94-95 strike 519544[/snapback] You cant pit the strike squarely on Selig & the owners. Players were just as greedy. Nonetheles, Selig still sucks
August 20, 200422 yr Author The Baseball Network, regional 'national televised' games, Tampa Bay Devil Rays Selig sucks. 519544[/snapback] I don't like Selig by any means, but the Baseball Network was a good experiment for baseball that made alot of money. Regional 'national televised' games aka Saturday Game of the Week have been around since NBC made it popular in the 60's. The Devil Rays weren't a bad expansion, they just gave it to the wrong group, but that is changing as the new owner will soon take over Tampa Bay.
August 20, 200422 yr Author How do you have a 24 hour baseball channel in the offseason??? :blink: 519678[/snapback] World stuff, old games, and hot stove news. Press Conferences also help.
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