When Bruce Springsteen played the Bradley Center in Milwaukee earlier this month, he led into his encore with "No Surrender," sending its haunting refrain of "no retreat, no surrender" echoing around the arena.

 

Bud Selig is not a Springsteen fan. Yet that song applies to the Wisconsin-based commissioner as well as anyone.

 

Selig has held true to his passion for baseball through his entire life, including 50 years of involvement in the sport, the last 17 of which have been as its chief executive. To many, it must seem as if Selig has been commissioner forever, given all that has transpired in the major leagues in the past two decades.

 

Selig is entering the closing chapters of his tenure. He made that point semi-officially during an owners meeting in Chicago in mid-November.

 

According to sources, a group of five owners approached the 75-year-old Selig about remaining on the job beyond the end of his contract, which expires after the 2012 season.

 

It was the same kind of approach that had been used to convince him to stay in charge at least two other times, the first being after he stepped in as head of the executive council to lead ownership after Fay Vincent was forced to resign as commissioner in 1992. Selig’s tenure most recently had been scheduled to end in 2009, but his deal was extended quietly in early 2008.

 

This time, according to sources, Selig told the owners he will step aside after 2012 — not because he is tiring but because he has other things to do while he’s able.

 

Reached at his Milwaukee office Wednesday, Selig declined to discuss his conversations with ownership but confirmed he plans to stay on the job three more years. That means the next labor agreement, due to be negotiated in 2011, would be his final official act.

 

Selig doesn’t see himself considering retirement. He said he is trying to create time to write a book and possibly even teach some history. That was his major at the University of Wisconsin.

 

Selig’s children and grandchildren gathered in Milwaukee for the Thanksgiving holiday. Selig’s wife, Sue, was hoping to have him home Wednesday to help greet them.

 

"I told her I’d only be (in the office) until 4:30," Selig said. "That’s pretty good. I’m almost always here until 6."

 

It’s hard to imagine Selig with time on his hands. But the time finally is coming when baseball is going to need to consider the next commissioner.

 

One of Selig’s top lieutenants, Bob DuPuy or Rob Manfred, might be the best choice if the goal of owners is to continue in the same direction. Baltimore Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail, whose father and grandfather are in the Hall of Fame as executives, would be a popular choice among owners. The list is sure to grow as Selig moves closer to retiring.

 

 

 

Boston Herald

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view.bg?articleid=1215074&srvc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bostonherald%2Fsports%2Fbaseball+%28Red+Sox+%26+MLB+

I have to think Selig's legacy will be his involvement -- or lack thereof -- in baseball's steroid controversy until congress forced him to.

I personally think Bud has done a fine job....

bud...thanks for whatever you did to help get the stadium done...and dont let the door hit ya on the way out

How about Bob Costas as the next commissioner?

Commissioner President George W. Bush?

Commissioner President George W. Bush?

 

 

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth...I always thought Selig was one of the game's poorest comissioners however I have to give him credit that he solidified the game as a business and thus Baseball has prospered under his watch. I still can't stand the SOB... Replacing Selig with W would be a huge disaster. Anything W touches turns to crap

I personally think Bud has done a fine job....

 

 

He had his moments -- re-alignment, institution of the wildcard, interleague play, and replay have been a major plus in my opinion BUT there's just too much he allowed to happen that hurt the game almost beyond repair. And we aren't talking about piddly sh*t here, we're talking the two biggest setbacks Major League Baseball has faced in it's history -- canceling the World Series in 1994 and the steroid controversy. In my opinion his biggest fault wasn't that these two issues happened, it's that his indecision allowed the situations to spiral out of control to the point they did. Above all else, the commissioner should be the voice of reason and facilitate comprises that best benefit the game popular or not -- and this is where he failed miserably. Fay Vincent was ousted by Selig and his fellow small market owners for taking unpopular stances with ownership and players on the 1990 strike and Steve Howe drug debacle. But Vincent did what he thought was best for the game by intervening so baseball didn't miss any regular season games in 1990 and tried to make an example of Steve Howe for all the other drug users in baseball. I have to think to that he feels incredibly vindicated in the wake of Selig's tenure as commissioner -- who rather than try and make the best decision for the game, thought it would be more prudent to not make enemies and act in a hands off manner instead of doing the right but not necessarily popular thing.

Thanks for the Wild Card and interleague play, Bud. Don't let the door hit you in the ass, though. And may the next commisioner lobby to install a salary cap and either get rid of the DH, or have it in both leagues.

Thanks for the Wild Card and interleague play, Bud. Don't let the door hit you in the ass, though. And may the next commisioner lobby to install a salary cap and either get rid of the DH, or have it in both leagues.

 

 

Hell no.

 

(edit: btw, your sig is brilliant)

Thanks for the Wild Card and interleague play, Bud. Don't let the door hit you in the ass, though. And may the next commisioner lobby to install a salary cap and either get rid of the DH, or have it in both leagues.

 

Maybe the new commissioner can even get it so that unicorns and leprechauns take my tickets at the ballpark!

 

Seriously, things that are never going to happen.

Selig has not been good for baseball at all. Although the wild card makes the season more exciting for more towns around the league, thats the only good thing Selig has done.

 

Was ok with steroids, which helped the game at first, but then didnt jump on the grenade when the sh*t hit the fan. Interleague is also an abomination that cheapens the World Series. How about his push for contraction?

 

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

I like interleague.

How about Bob Costas as the next commissioner?

 

 

Or maybe Jeff Conine. Costas would be great but it'll never happen because he appreciates the game too much to be the owners' puppet like Selig is. Whoever it is, it'll be one of their cronies and business as usual.

I wonder if George Will might be considered. I believe he has expressed interest in the past. I could certainly see it.

 

I've always been mixed on Selig. I think he handled the divisional restructuring well as new expansion teams were added. I like interleague play and don't think that it cheapens the World Series. It's fantastic to see the Marlins come to Camden Yards every couple of years. I'm glad he never tried to implement an NFL or NBA style salary cap structure

 

I don't particularly care for the unbalanced schedule. I don't like using the All-Star game for home field advantage. I am a bit displeased with how he managed the steroid era.

I don't care who takes his place, as long as he's not one in favor of a salary cap.

How about Bob Costas as the next commissioner?

 

 

Or maybe Jeff Conine. Costas would be great but it'll never happen because he appreciates the game too much to be the owners' puppet like Selig is. Whoever it is, it'll be one of their cronies and business as usual.

 

That's disheartening...

 

I hate interleague, hate DH, and want salary cap (or anything else that will make the game more fair to smaller market teams). The end.

What's so bad about interleague?

What's so bad about interleague?

 

 

I don't know, I guess I just kinda find it a waste of time, and I'm sort of traditionalist when it comes to baseball (hence my hate for the DH)...and I absolutely flipping HATE the rays (which we always seem to play, two series last year). I like the attendance it brings, though.

 

Speaking of which, I went to one Marlins v NY game two years back and I was about to go insane with the amount of NYers and bandwagon fans in Fl. I swear it was about as terrible as a Cubs game. Maybe I'm biased?

It's pretty cool to be able to see the Marlins play in Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park during the regular season. Restricting match-ups to the World Series makes those events incredibly infrequent.

 

I went up to Boston this past summer for the Marlins-Red Sox series and it was an awesome experience.

It's pretty cool to be able to see the Marlins play in Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park during the regular season. Restricting match-ups to the World Series makes those events incredibly infrequent.

 

I went up to Boston this past summer for the Marlins-Red Sox series and it was an awesome experience.

 

 

Lol, I guess that's the difference! My vacations are restricted to winters (at university now), so I haven't been able to see them play anywhere else... short of me wanting to drive up to j-ville and watch them play the minors (I'm so excited for this). I find that the more infrequent the games against the AL are, the more cherished and the more the anticipation grows for them. On the plus side, with the exception of the Rays and Boston, we rocked Interleague this year.

I wonder if George Will might be considered. I believe he has expressed interest in the past. I could certainly see it.

 

I've always been mixed on Selig. I think he handled the divisional restructuring well as new expansion teams were added. I like interleague play and don't think that it cheapens the World Series. It's fantastic to see the Marlins come to Camden Yards every couple of years. I'm glad he never tried to implement an NFL or NBA style salary cap structure

 

I don't particularly care for the unbalanced schedule. I don't like using the All-Star game for home field advantage. I am a bit displeased with how he managed the steroid era.

 

 

I think George Will would be an interesting candidate. I have had the chance to meet him personally (worked in a group home program where his son was a client) and he always was a person who loved to talk about DC area sports and sports in general. I know he did a lot of work with the nationals and spent a lot of time around the clubhouse. His son was also an "equipment manager" for the Nationals; which gave us the chance to attend a lot of games and spend time in the clubhouse.

 

Will seems to be somewhat winding down in the political scene a little bit, after his recent book release and just weekend appearances on programs he seems to be taking on less of a load. Maybe that could be a blessing and make him a serious candidate.

I actually ran into Will a few years ago on the DC Metro after a Nats game. I took a picture on my cell phone (that's why it's so blurry). The Metro becomes a cattle train after the game, so it was a bit crowded. I didn't even bother trying to talk to him.