In the Best Interests of Baseball: The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig (review)

This book may be characterized as both an essay on the history of the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball and as a paean to its present commissioner, Bud Selig. In his preface, Zimbalist notes that he has met Mr. Selig, and he clearly admires him as a person and as a commissioner; however, the author's objectivity remains intact.

Before getting to the present commissioner, the reader passes through a dissertation on each of his eight predecessors. Don't be put off by this, as the space allocation is necessary. It is well known that the establishment of the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball was born out of the uproar over the "Black Sox Scandal" in 1919. The perceived integrity of Major League Baseball, which was not at its best at the time, was badly damaged, and the melodrama that persisted threatened the industry's future.

Into this maelstrom stepped Kenesaw Mountain Landis, an irascible, bigoted, and sour-faced individual cloaked with the robes and eminence of a U.S. federal court judge. Accepted by the team owners as a perceived friend of the game and its antitrust exemption, the judge drove a bargain most beneficial to himself in terms of personal compensation and bestowed powers, all "in the best interests of baseball." Even after his passing, Landis's image (after twenty-four years of service) remains stamped on the office. As post-Landis owners have struggled to outline a job description for the position, their preference has been not to stray too far from the present course, which has allowed the office to grow.

The next seven commissioners, in turn, brought with them their experiences as a politician, a press flack who reached his limits as a baseball administrator one step below the job, a retired military officer, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, an Ivy League president, and another lawyer. The author contrasts the backgrounds of these individuals with that of Selig and his "revolutionary reign." None of the first eight officeholders could necessarily be called ineffectual or anything less than a fan of the game. Some could be accused of being self-seeking, rigid, prone to narrow thinking, or quite possibly naïve, but it was Selig's own perspective on the game prior to any discussions of commissioner status that made a difference.

As owner of the American League Milwaukee Brewers, "Bud" Selig participated in a number of owners' meetings at which it was made clear to him that not only were the owners not in harmony with respect to their business, they were, in fact, outright hostile to each other.

These conditions, where the owners were at odds with each other, justified power being placed in the hands of a commissioner. Prior to Selig, there does not appear to have been an effort by any commissioner to seek a consensus from the owners before action was taken "in the best interests of baseball."

While "Bud" is a nickname he has had most of his life, it may also be taken as Selig's greatest management tool. As an owner, he was constantly on the telephone talking directly to his fellow owners, thus listening to each one's point of view on matters great and small and gaining the confidence of each. When it came time for Selig to be considered for the commissioner's post, "Bud" made a wise move. He took on the job as an acting official. This took care of a number of items to his advantage. As the acting commissioner from 1992 to 1998, any questions which might be raised as to the efficacy of the position being held by one of the team owners were...