12-19-2019, 07:39 AM
NEW YORK -- Bud Selig took over a sport with $1.7 billion in revenue, four teams in each years post-season, economic disparity among the clubs and a fixation on sticking with traditions that dated to the 19th century. After a decade of maintaining his departure was imminent, the 79-year-old baseball commissioner put his exit plans in writing Thursday and said in a statement he will retire in January 2015 after 22 years -- the second-longest term behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis. His revolutionary reign produced an $8 billion industry, interleague play, an expanded post-season and two decades of labour peace. But, he also presided over a cancelled World Series and long-running drug scandal. "Hes been the voice of baseball. Some people liked his voice. Some people didnt," Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I have a lot of respect for the guy." Selig has been a bit of the Boy Who Cried Wolf in the past when it came to his retirement. He said in 2003 that he would step down at the end of 2006 but has repeatedly accepted new contracts. Some owners -- even his wife -- had been skeptical in the past that he really would quit, but this marked the first time he issued a formal statement that he will give up the sports top job. He even gave an exact date: Jan. 24, 2015. "I look forward to continuing its extraordinary growth and addressing several significant issues during the remainder of my term," he said. Seligs length of service and impact on his sport matches those of Pete Rozelle, the NFL commissioner from 1960-89, and David Stern, who is stepping down in February after 30 years as NBA commissioner. Selig said he will soon announce a transition plan that will include a reorganization of central baseball management. Rob Manfred, baseballs chief labour negotiator, has gained increased influence in recent years, but its not clear whether Seligs successor will come from within the commissioners office. Many had speculated Selig wanted to surpass the term of Landis, who served from November 1920 to November 1944. Perhaps the biggest mark on Seligs tenure was the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs. Management didnt have a drug agreement with its players from October 1985 until August 2002, and drug testing with penalties didnt start until 2004. Selig has repeatedly defended his record, saying baseball acted as fast as it could in a matter that was subject to bargaining with players. "The game has grown under him tremendously. Hes made every effort to try to clean the game up," New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Hes left his mark on the game. Theres no doubt about it." Seligs tenure also included splitting each league into three divisions instead of two in 1995, when wild cards and an additional round of playoffs were added. Wild cards doubled to four last year, when the post-season stretched to four rounds. Expansion teams in Arizona and Tampa Bay started play in 1998, raising the major league total to 30. Interleague play began in 1997 along with revenue sharing, which allowed the smaller-market clubs a better chance to compete. Jackie Robinsons No. 42 was retired by Selig for all of MLB that same year, and other initiatives followed. Major League Baseball Advanced Media launched in 2000, the World Baseball Classic in 2006, limited video review of umpires calls in 2008 and the Major League Baseball Network in 2009. Owners have repeatedly praised his financial stewardship, which has led to record franchise values as shown by the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. The average player salary has tripled under his tenure to more than $3 million. Seligs critics said he moved cautiously -- a characterization even he sometimes agreed with. Running baseball from his longtime home in Milwaukee, he worked to build consensus rather than dictate to owners in the manner of Peter Ueberroth. Selig used a grandfatherly charm to get what he wanted. "Everythings been a success overall," Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Youre going to have your detractors, that goes without saying." Selig became a baseball fan when his mother took him to games as a child. Working in the family auto-leasing business, he became a minority investor in the Milwaukee Braves and tried to stop the teams move to Atlanta for the 1966 season. As a stopgap measure, he arranged for the Chicago White Sox to play nine regular-season games at Milwaukee in 1968 and 11 the following year. Just before the 1970 season, he bought the Seattle Pilots in bankruptcy court, moved the franchise to Milwaukee and renamed it the Brewers. Mentored by Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer, Selig became a leading owner by the early 1980s in his role as chairman of the Player Relations Committee, which determined labour policy. He was part of the group that wanted major changes in the sports lab contract with players and forced the resignation of Fay Vincent, who had been in office for three years. Selig took over as acting commissioner on Sept. 9, 1992, in his role as chairman of the executive council. While he presided over a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that led to the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years, following eight straight work stoppages owners and players reached agreements without interruption in 2002, 2006 and 2011. Although Selig repeatedly said he would not take the job full time, he was formally elected commissioner July 9, 1998. He turned running the Brewers over to daughter Wendy Selig-Prieb, but the Selig family did not sell the franchise until 2005. Selig agreed to a new contract as commissioner in 2001. He first announced his planned retirement in 2003, telling a group from Associated Press Sports Editors he would leave in 2006. "For a guy who took it in Sept. 9, 1992, and I told my wife it was two-to-four months -- 14 years later ... I think that will be enough. Theres no question, because there are other things I really would like to do." Asked again if this was his final term, Selig responded; "Oh, theres no question." He then agreed to new contracts in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Selig has said he wants to write a book. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin and Marquettes law school. "We look forward to working with the commissioner over the next 15 months," union head Michael Weiner said in a statement. "Then, we hope the commissioner enjoys his retirement and wish him well." China Jerseys Online . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement. China Jerseys Fake . Louis Blues and back into top spot of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings. The Sharks had been ranked No. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/. The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. China Jerseys Replica . -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back. China Jerseys Authentic .J. -- All those records, all for naught. SAN ANTONIO -- Unable to comfortably separate from the young Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs turned to a proven finishing formula - Tony Parker driving for layups when he wasnt kicking the ball to open teammates on the perimeter. Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. And we made some 3s in the fourth quarter. Those are the two reasons we won the game." Parker had eight points and three assists in the final quarter, committing just one turnover in 9 minutes. "A win is a win," Parker said. "Theyve been playing well, the Raptors. They had a big win in (Oklahoma City) and they made it hard on us." Coming off a 104-98 victory over the Thunder on Sunday, the Raptors got within three or less on numerous occasions in the second half, but couldnt complete the rallies against the Spurs. "It was a superior team, I think, first of all," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "You talk about one of the top teams in the West. Talking to the Oklahoma City coach, they feel the same way about how tough San Antonio is." Toronto trailed 57-56 after DeMar DeRozans 3 with 9:22 left in the third quarter, but Parker and Tim Duncan combined for eight points to rebuilding San Antonios lead to 67-59. In his second game off the bench after starting the Spurs first 26 games, Danny Green hit a pair of 3s to put San Antonio up 90-80 with just under 8 minutes remaining. Green was 4 for 6 on 3-pointers in scoring 14 points for the Spurs (21-7). "I didnt bench him because he wasnt making shots," Popovich said. "You dont bench people because theyre not making shots. We changed the look and changed the rotation a little bit. It could change again." The change helped San Antonio overcome a Toronto team that had gone 4-2 since trading leading scorer Rudy Gay to Sacramento on Dec. 9. Kyle Lowry and Terrence&nnbsp;Ross had 23 points each and DeRozan added 13 points for the Raptors (11-15).dddddddddddd Ross was 3 for 6 on 3s and 10 for 16 overall. Toronto kept pace despite giving up 16 offensive rebounds, being outscored 52-36 in the paint and allowing San Antonio to score a season-high 24 second-chance points. The Raptors also had 13 turnovers. "That was the kicker," Casey said. "That was difference in the game, our turnovers and the defensive glass. We didnt do a good job of turning and finding the body and thats mental fatigue. We had been doing a good job of keeping people off the glass and attacking the basket, but youre not talking about chopped liver in San Antonio. They are going to be in the money at the end of the season." The bench again provided San Antonio a lift, with Ginobili and Patty Mills each hitting a 3 as the reserves outscored their peers 18-2 in the second quarter. Ginobilis 3 gave the Spurs their largest lead at 52-43 with 2:20 remaining in the half. Still, Toronto closed a three-game road trip with victories over Oklahoma City and the Dallas Mavericks. "Were happy with it, we wanted to be greedy and get 3-0, but 2-1 against these three teams is pretty good, well take it," Lowry said. NOTES: DeRozan was assessed a technical foul with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter for continuing to argue a continuation call against him after official Lauren Holtkamp warned him, "Thats enough." . The Spurs recalled G Nando De Colo and F Malcolm Thomas from their developmental team in Austin. De Colo had 31 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals in a 131-94 victory over the Delaware 87ers on Saturday. . Former Spurs C David Robinson received a loud ovation, including applause from officials Holtkamp, Danny Crawford and Tony Brown, when he appeared on the big screen at midcourt to acknowledge his military service. . Steve Novaks streak of turnover-free play ended at 202 minutes after entering with 3 minutes left in the game. It was the longest active streak in the league. ' ' '