D'Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall has been mentioned as a possible replacement for MLB Commissioner Bud Selig if he steps down at the end of the '14 season, as Selig has repeatedly said he would, but Hall rebuked that during a radio interview Thursday. Appearing on KTAR-AM, Hall said, "I certainly don’t see myself going anywhere. I’m right where I want to be and I’m not leaving Arizona." Hall noted he likes "staying within baseball” to find Selig's successor, as the current commissioner has “showed how important that is." Hall: "Especially to have somebody that has a team background. You have to know what the issues and challenges are for teams." Selig came to the position after owning the Brewers. However, Hall said he is "one of those that hopes Bud will stay on longer." Hall: "He’s done a terrific job. ... I hope we can convince him otherwise because I don’t see any reason to make a change" ("Doug & Wolf," KTAR-AM, 5/2).
REVISIONIST HISTORY: In Columbus, Michael Arace wondered how history will "judge Selig” and noted it is “possible that, 50 years down the road, he will not be viewed in the stereotypical fashion.” He will “not be seen as the addled man in the stands in Milwaukee" during the '02 All-Star Game with his "pants pulled up too high and his tie hanging too low, throwing up his hands in a gesture of cluelessness.” Selig during his 20-year tenure has gotten the owners to “buy into the modern idea of revenue sharing, which has contributed to an era of labor peace.” Its impact on the bottom line has been "huge.” From a “financial point of view, baseball has never been stronger.” Forbes estimates that the “average value of a franchise has risen 23 percent, to $744 million, under Selig.” Although it “seems crazy to think this way, Selig is going to be difficult to replace.” The owners are a "fractious bunch of multimillionaires,” and finding a commissioner who “has their trust, gets them to do some things they have never considered (for the good of the game) and keeps the profits rolling -- all while being crucified by the general public -- well, it might be just nigh impossible” (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 5/2).
