Stark: Bud Selig’s final year in office
From SABR member Jayson Stark at ESPN.com on January 27, 2014:
The commissioner of baseball told us again this month that this is it. Really. Seriously. He’s not kidding. He’s not messing with us. His time is up. And he means it.
It’s “100 percent” certain, said Bud Selig. On Jan. 24, 2015, when his contract countdown clock hits zero, “I’m done,” he said.
So let’s take him at his word. What do you say?
Stop snickering out there. Stop scoffing. He’s “done.” You got it?
Which means that just one year from now, if everything goes the way the commissioner says it’s going to go, we’re going to look up, in the final week of January 2015, and someone not named Allan H. “Bud” Selig is going to be running this operation.
Wow. Scary thought.
Because you have to admit: Whether you worship this man or you still perceive him as some sort of frumpy Midwest bumpkin (which he’s not, by the way), it’s hard to remember anymore what baseball looked like before Bud Selig grabbed the steering wheel. Hmmm, were the bases even 90 feet apart back then?
So let’s start there. With only one year remaining, theoretically, in the commissioner’s historic 22-year reign, it’s more than just an excellent time to look at what lies ahead for him. It’s also a beautiful time to look backward.
At how Bud Selig changed baseball’s world over these past 22 years.
It’s an unbelievable tale.
Read the full article here: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10349245/bud-selig-final-year-mlb-commissioner
Originally published: January 27, 2014. Last Updated: January 27, 2014.