Is Bud Selig the worst baseball commissioner of all time?

Question

He turned a blind eye to steroids, created the idiotic idea of using the All Star Game to detemine which league has home field for the World Series, and caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

Answer 1

Don't even get me started. The team with the better combined record of regular season and playoff series should be the team that has home field advantage in the Series--although at least Selig's worth on this one is measured in the meaning that it gives to the All Star Game. But I agree with your sentiment. I do not like most of the things that he's done and I am particularly critical of the things he chooses not to do, like enforcing a hard-nosed steroid policy and giving we few splurgalicious fans the opportunity to continue purchasing the out-of-market baseball package offered via Extra-Innings through cable t.v. instead of having to get connected to DirectTV. 1994 was a black mark on baseball. I stopped paying attention for three years--my personal boycott--and if I didn't absolutely love the game, I would be thinking of boycotting for another three years on account of Selig and co's crap-a-long tactics.

I am so mad about this DirectTV thing, and DuPuy needs to have his sphincter widened with a pitching rubber or maybe a RemDawg.

I'm with you on this. Hrrrumph.

Answer 2

If you look at history, all commissioners have done some rotten things. Bowie Kuhn, while doing some good things, basically nearly caused a player rebellion in the 70s with the Reserve Clause. Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Shoeless Joe Jackson, and black ballplayers. There was a time when blacks were in the MLB before Landis became commissioner. Happy Chandler tried to block the Dodgers from signing Jackie Robinson. Ford Frick put the asterik on Roger Maris' home run record. I still don't think of Selig as a commissioner, he's an owner. This is a guy who moved his own team into the weaker National League to give them a chance. It's as simple as that for me, but for this question, yes he is the worst.

Answer 3

This is much akin and as difficult to answer as who is the worst politician.

Each commissioner has done some stupid things and each has left a historical mark on the game somehow. As good as anyone may think the others were, how is it that substance abuse is now an issue when anyone related to the sport knows that it has been a problem since the 1920s? Selig been around that long? Perhaps negligence establishes your "better" commissioners.

One thing that should have been fodder for a long time now: The commissioner's office is supposed to be an impartial, arbitrary office between owners and the players (union). Before selling the Brewers to his daughter for $1, he was owner, chairman and king poo-bah of the Brewers. How can that go uncontested?

I wonder how profits would impact Selig's owner buddy Peter McGowan in San Francisco if Bonds goes to jail before the record?

Maybe the next commissioner will be Mark McGwire. Perhaps the public and the media will ignore that conflict of interest as well and the game will go another direction.

Answer 4

I think that the Selig era will definitely go down as one of the worst in baseball history. I think his only decent contribution was the wild card, and a lot of purists don't like it. I'm not a fan of the wild card personally, but if it attracts more fans, so be it.

As for the strike, as much as I'm not a Selig fan, that wasn't his fault. That was pure greed on the part of the Players' Association and their leader Donald Fehr. They went on strike and forced the cancellation of the World Series. They are already the most powerful union in the country and tried to flex their muscle and it almost killed the game for good.

Answer 5

Yes! Bud Selig is a team owner. Any owner who becomes commissioner, even if he puts his ownership in a trust, is in a conflict of interest. He has put the interest of the owners ahead of the players' interests, and ahead of the game itself.

Answer 6

i don't know about worst of all time, but he's pretty close if he's not there...all of the above that you listed are classic disasters that selig has been involved in(in addition to causing an all-star game to end tied, then bringing in the home-field in the ws resolution to save face for that mistake), and the only good idea he's come up with is the addition of the wild card

Answer 7

No the commish during the time when minorities was not allowed to play in the league i forget his name. Selig allowed McGwire to use a substance that was banned in every sport except baseball the league allwoed it then expect him to come clean on it now. All-star game to decide who gets home field advantage is a good idea make them play hard.

Answer 8

Absolutely not, he may be one of the best ever. The issues he has had to deal with are the most perplexing ever for a comissioner, not to mention the players union have the owners in a bad position. He has been powerless to address issues like steroids because the players have to agree to any drug testing, and what is wrong with making the All Star game meaningful.

Answer 9

the only thing I like about the guy is that he allowed interleague play. That is something I prefer. However I think he is too lenient on the steroids. He needs to kick out Bonds, and change the All Star game. That just goes to show what an idiot he is.

Answer 10

mlb has set attendance records the last 5 years
the owners are happy
the players are happy
the rookies get 200,000 mininium
the players union is happy
the fans go to games
direct tv is happy
bud selig is happy,it doesnt matter whos worse