MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is poised to sign a two-year contract extension this week at the owners' meetings in Arizona, according to industry sources. First reported by ESPN, the new deal will keep Selig as baseball's top exec through '14. Selig first became interim commissioner in '92, and removed the interim tag six years later. With a total of 22 years running the game, Selig will trail only Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who served 24 years, in longevity among MLB Commissioners. Selig had repeatedly insisted he planned to retire in December at the end of his current three-year contract, similar to statements he made toward the end of prior contracts. Over the past year, he had grown even more strident in his expressed desire to expand his teaching at the Univ. of Wisconsin and Marquette Univ. and his writing, going so far as to outfit a new office last year in Madison. But after a highly successful '11 that included record revenue, a new labor deal and improved World Series TV ratings, owners were loath to let him retire. Selig, 77, also remains in excellent health for his age, and still maintains a workout streak of more than 1,000 consecutive days. Selig is believed to receive more than $22M in annual compensation under his current deal. The last publicly available figure for Selig for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2007 showed $18.35M in total pay, easily the highest among any commissioner of a U.S. pro sports property. The Selig contract issue, as of now, has not been officially noticed for the owners' meeting agenda, league sources said, but can still be added (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
THE MAN WITH THE PLAN: In N.Y., Bill Madden cites sources as saying that a "number of owners went to Selig and told him that he needed to make a decision about staying on the job or they were going to have to begin looking for a successor." Among the reasons the owners "want Selig to stay are the unresolved issues surrounding the Mets and their financial difficulties and the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium problems." Two major issues -- the "sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the approval of the Oakland A’s to move to San Jose -- are in the process of getting resolved" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/11). Also in N.Y., Tyler Kepner writes perhaps Selig's "most important" accomplishment during his tenure was managing "to persuade 30 owners, with largely competing agendas, to accept revenue sharing as a way to increase competitive balance." Nineteen different teams "have made the playoffs in the last five seasons, and nine teams have been champions in the past 11 seasons" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/11). MLB.com’s Richard Justice said, “Most of the things that we think of as good in baseball right now began with Bud Selig, and labor peace is first on the list. There’s a generation of fans that don’t even know that between 1975 and 1994, the owners and players did their level best to kill the game, and he brought stability to that. Revenues were $1 billion when he became commissioner, $7.5 billion now” (“Hot Stove,” MLB Network, 1/10).
MONEY TALKS: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Kaduk wrote, "It would admittedly be hard for anyone to walk away from a compensation package that's around $20 million every season. Since he's healthy and enjoys doing the job, why not continue working?" Kaduk added, "If Selig is really searching for a clear landing spot, he's probably not going to find one. And if we're really being truthful, it's possible he won't find a softer landing spot than the one he has right now." Of all the "years for Bud to retire, 2012 seemed like a good fit." The new CBA has been "signed without incident, the sport is in strong financial shape and two of Bud's pet projects -- the World Baseball Classic and playoff expansion -- have found their wings." His tenure "would have ended at an even 20 seasons with plenty of positives accrued along the way for a pretty good legacy" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/10).
