Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger "has said he is intrigued by the possibility" of becoming the next MLB Commissioner after a "small but influential group of team owners" reached out to him about the opportunity, according to sources cited by Michael Schmidt of the N.Y. TIMES. Iger is under contract with Disney until '16, but the owners backing him said that he "may be able to leave earlier." An Iger candidacy "could present the biggest challenge" to MLB COO Rob Manfred, who is considered "the current front-runner" to succeed Commissioner Bud Selig. Many owners said that if Manfred became commissioner, he would "probably need to install a deputy with deep knowledge of marketing and business." White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf is "among those who would support Iger" and is "determined to stop Manfred from becoming commissioner." He is "willing to accept pretty much anyone else" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/25).
HOLDING THE REINS: YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Passan wrote Reinsdorf has "somewhere between 12 and 14 votes in his pocket at any given time, and he is deploying them in an effort to block Selig from delivering the commissionership to Manfred without so much as a discussion." Sources said that Manfred "remains shy" of the 24 votes he "would need for confirmation." Manfred's sin "in Reinsdorf's eyes is two-fold." Manfred "recognizes the large markets ultimately run the game because they're the ones that generate massive revenue." More "egregious" is that Manfred "calls Reinsdorf out on his politicking." And the "only thing more dangerous than a powerful man is one who tells the truth about how he lassoed that power." Passan: "What if the Reinsdorf caucus works in blocking Manfred? And what if no other viable candidate separates him or herself from the rest. Would it really happen? After all this fanfare? The succession panel knows one candidate it absolutely loves, and his name is Bud Selig" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/26).
BAER MARKET: In S.F., John Shea noted MLB Giants President & CEO Larry Baer "refused to talk about" the commissioner succession process or "say if he's interested in the job." His "current role of running the Giants as a fourth-generation San Franciscan is the stuff of childhood dreams." A source said Baer is "way down on the list, but it's always good to be mentioned" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/25). CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto reported Baer's candidacy for the position has "hit a wall." Baer "may be the commissioner of baseball some day because one should never rule anything out, but the job description is probably going to have to change dramatically for him to someday be deemed the perfect fit" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 5/26).
