Bud gets what Bud wants: new commish coming

By Ben Fidelman
Editor-in-Chief

Don’t be fooled everyone, it’s just politics as usual.

As MLB Commissioner Bud Selig’s term in office inches closer to completion, there is much attention being drawn to the process in which his replacement is being selected. Although Selig urged owners and other baseball executives to keep quiet about the selection period, stories of a late push for one of three finalists are surfacing.

A vote will be held on August 14 that will give the owners their first shot at electing a new leader, but many speculate that some of the most powerful men in baseball are simply playing for a push.

A group of owners, led by the White Sox’s Jerry Reinsdorf, Angels’ Arte Moreno, and Red Sox’s John Henry, are trying to scrounge together enough votes to block the vote — 23 of 30 ballots are needed to win the commissionership — from landing a successful heir to Selig’s office.

It has been reported that Reinsdorf doesn’t genuinely want the candidate he is backing (Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner) to win the commissionership, but is frustrated at the mindset the seven-man selection committee had about the candidates. He felt they came in focused on one name — MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred — instead of having a truly open mind. Manfred is viewed to be the odds-on favorite to win, and Selig’s pick to replace himself.

No matter what the projections are, to get his point across Reinsdorf is hitting the phones to recruit owners for the necessary eight votes to at least block an election on Thursday.

My take on the matter relates to Selig’s time as commissioner as a whole. What he did better than anyone else wasn’t just getting votes to fall the way he wanted — but getting it done in unanimous fashion. Although this vote looks like it will be closer to 23-7 than 30-0, I don’t believe that this, one of his last votes, will fall far from his average. Expect a successful election in Baltimore one way or another on Thursday — because Bud gets what he wants.

Reinsdorf sounds off about commish selection process

By Ben Fidelman
Editor-in-Chief

The New York Times published an article on Thursday outlining an opinion of White Sox’s owner Jerry Reinsdorf in regards to the process that has been taken to find the next commissioner of baseball.

But as Mr. Selig’s final season unfolds, Mr. Manfred’s candidacy is meeting turbulence from an unexpected antagonist: Jerry Reinsdorf, the 78-year-old owner of the Chicago White Sox and long one of Mr. Selig’s most loyal allies in the game. Mr. Reinsdorf has broken ranks and tried to upend the plan to slide Mr. Manfred into the commissioner’s office on Park Avenue, several owners say.

This paragraph was a bit misleading, as it implies Reinsdorf is advocating specifically against one candidate for the job: MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred. From the quotes provided, it’s evident that this owner is simply frustrated with Selig’s hand in the process.

To combat this, Selig recently formed a seven-member committee to guide the 30 owners to a well-advised decision when they vote to choose the next leader for their sport.

The reason that the committee was even formed (or at least publicly acknowledged; it was covertly formed in March) was because some owners — I would assume Reinsdorf included — were growing weary at the unorganized and unofficial succession process that had been taking place.

I assume the vote will be held during the next quarterly owner’s meeting in July, giving the committee about two months to shop around the candidates.

The process has really just started, so have patience, Mr. Reinsdorf.