MLB Senior VP/Licensing Howard Smith Dismissed After 17 Years With The League

The new administration of MLB Commissioner ROB MANFRED and President of Business & Media BOB BOWMAN continues to reshape the league's front office in N.Y., as MLB Senior VP/Licensing HOWARD SMITH was abruptly dismissed Friday afternoon. Smith had been in charge of MLB licensing since '98; prior to that, he was Dir of Sports Marketing at Reebok. A new licensing head for MLB has not been named. In the interim, licensing and Smith’s eventual successor will report to Exec VP/Commerce & Sponsorship NOAH GARDEN. At the same time, Senior VP/Int'l Operations PAUL ARCHEY is leaving MLB after around 26 years for a job as President of JMI’s Univ. of Kentucky Sports & Campus Marketing. Both Smith and Archey were protégés of former MLB Exec VP/Business TIM BROSNAN, whose last official day was Jan. 30, after being with MLB since '91. Brosnan lost to Manfred in a bid to become the commissioner succeeding BUD SELIG.