In the Best Interests of Baseball? : The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig

by Zimbalist, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780471735335
• ISBN10: 0471735337
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-10
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

"Once again, Andy Zimbalist proves that no one understands the mysterious inner workings of the best game on earth better than he does. With energy, thoughtfulness, and passion, he has parsed the complicated world of baseball and shown how important its business side is to its soul-and its survival." -Ken Burns "By looking at baseball from the perspective of the commissioner's office and its many challenges, Professor Zimbalist has been able to use his scholar's eye and his fan's heart to see the game as an ongoing enterprise that needs refreshment. The fair but unsparing portrait of Bud Selig he paints is of a man who is nobody's fool and nobody's tool-and now, those of us who love the game need him to start the rally that will restore baseball in America's esteem." -Scott Simon, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday and author of Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball and Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan "Baseball books, like the game itself, are often replete with errors. But Andrew Zimbalist has written a carefully researched yet lively review of the record of the nine commissioners that is both fair and accurate. It is long overdue and a superb read." -Fay Vincent, former commissioner of baseball "Tremendously enjoyable and a must-read for baseball fans. Guaranteed to raise the level of discourse on sports-talk radio." -Jim Bouton, former 20-game winning pitcher for the Yankees and author of Ball Four "Andrew Zimbalist has done a very credible, eminently readable, and engaging job describing MLB's commissioners, particularly Bud Selig, who easily has become the most significant figure in baseball in decades. While Selig will not necessarily share all of Zimbalist's views about the game, In the Best Interests of Baseball? has thoughtfully, and perhaps uniquely, tracked many of the thorny issues that Selig confronted during baseball's new golden era." -John Moores, owner of the Padres and member of MLB's Executive Council "I always thought Yogi Berra was the wisest source on baseball, but Zimbalist has hit a grand slam here." -Tom Werner, owner of the Red Sox and former owner of the Padres

Author Biography

<b>Andrew Zimbalist</b> is the Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics at Smith College. An award-winning writer, media commentator, and consultant in the sports industry, Zimbalist has worked with players&#8217; unions, cities, owners, and leagues.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: Running a League	1	(12)
The History of the Commissioner's Role	13	(19)
The First Commissioner: Kenesaw Mountain Landis	32	(17)
The Undistinguished Middle I: From Chandler to Eckert	49	(26)
The Undistinguished Middle II: From Kuhn to Vincent	75	(36)
Bud Selig: A Lifetime in Preparation	111	(23)
Baseball's Acting Commissioner, 1992--1998	134	(24)
Baseball's Permanent Commissioner, 1998--	158	(45)
Governing Baseball: Assessing the Past and Anticipating the Future	203	(16)
Notes	219	(18)
Index	237