Major League Baseball

Q&A with outgoing MLB commissioner Bud Selig

Published Jan. 13, 2015 10:57 p.m. ET

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Bud Selig chatted with FOX Sports West's Jill Painter Lopez in a phone interview from Arizona, the site of this week's owners meetings. Selig's tenure as Major League Baseball commissioner comes to an end next week after 22 years in office. The 80-year-old will be in Los Angeles on Saturday to be honored at the 12th annual "In the Spirit of the Game Sports and Entertainment Spectacular," benefiting the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

Selig will also present an award in a star-studded event that is scheduled to attract 1,000 people. Dusty Baker, Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park are among those scheduled to be honored. It will be one of the last events he attends as MLB commissioner since his final day in office is Jan. 24. Then, he becomes commissioner emeritus, will join his wife, Sue, as fans at Wimbledon and will become a history professor.

FOX Sports West: As your tenure comes to an end next week, is this an emotional time for you?

Bud Selig: Everybody is asking me that. It hasn't been yet. I've started to do a lot of thinking after close to 50 years in baseball, but I'm still staying as commissioner emeritus and I'm going to teach and I'm going to write a book, so I'll be busy. I haven't thought about it a lot. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of emotion at some point.

FSW: I would imagine you've had a lot of well-wishes from players and baseball executives as you approach the end of your tenure. Any particular one that has meant a lot to you?

BS: There have been from a lot of people, I know there will continue to be. Most people are very simple with a very lovely thank you. That's kind of rare for a commissioner after 23 years. Most people aren't thanking commissioners. They're saying goodbye, good luck and see you around sometime.

FSW: You'll honored and also be presenting an award at the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation Awards dinner on Saturday. What does it mean to you to be involved with Dennis Gilbert's organization?

BS: I love it. One thing I learned in all the years as president and owner of the Brewers, scouts are often underappreciated, and they shouldn't be. They're so vital to the success of the sport and the organization. Many of my favorite people are scouts. I love what Dennis Gilbert has done. I think this dinner has grown immensely in popularity and number of people there. I'm honored to have an award named after me. I've been there a lot. I'm very grateful they're honoring me again Saturday. The fact that it's (for) scouts is just really a wonderful story.

FSW: What are you most proud of in your tenure?

BS: Well, there a lot of things. I guess the No. 1 thing is economic reformation of the game, because it provided us with the greatest competitive balance we've ever had or any sport has ever had. It saved a lot of franchises. It was difficult and a sport that needed to be changed. It hadn't for 50 years. That would be No. 1. There a lot other things. We have the toughest [drug] testing program in America today. We have 22 years of labor peace, which is unheard of. The wild card. There's been more change in the last 22-23 years and I'm grateful for that. The sport today is more popular than it's ever been. Gross revenue is at an all-time high. Attendance is at an all-time high.

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FSW: What's your biggest regret?

BS: I don't know that I really have any, and I've been asked that. I'm saddened by the loss of the '94 World Series. That was heartbreaking, but out of it has come 22 years of labor peace and great economic changes and more competitive balance. Sometime in life, you have to go through a lot of pain to get to where you're going.

FSW: What are your plans beside being commissioner emeritus, things you never had time to do as commissioner that you'd like to check off your bucket list?

BS: I can't say that in terms of my commissionership that I really didn't do everything I wanted to do. I guess there will always be things that our system needs some work, but I have every confidence Rob Manfred will do that and do that extremely well. I'm looking forward to this part of my life. When I was a kid in college I wanted to be a history professor. So I finally get to be one at age 80. I'm a huge American history buff. I've pretty much done everything I wanted to do. My wife (Sue) has always wanted to go to Wimbledon, so that's something we'll do. We'll do some things.

FSW: As a commissioner of a major sport, can you weigh in on your take of why there hasn't been an NFL team in Los Angeles for nearly two decades?

BS: I have no idea. I'm friendly with all the other commissioners and past commissioners, but I'll let the NFL worry about that.

FSW: You've had your fair share of praise and criticism, especially from fans. How have you dealt with that?

BS: It's tough, but one thing you learn early on when you're commissioner is that you're going to have to deal with that. You'll make tough decisions, especially meaningful decisions, and there will always be somebody who doesn't like it and there will be criticism. You have to learn to accept that. That's part of the job.  

FSW: What's the biggest misconception about you?

BS: People often said I was too slow sometimes and cautious, but I did it because it was politically the right thing to do. It takes time. I've always said to people when I'm all done you can evaluate my whole tenure, and I'll say that again today because it's been the busiest 22 years in the history of baseball. But that was a misconception, no question.

FSW: What, if anything, would you have done differently regarding the steroid era?

BS: Look, people have said we were slow to act. We were not slow to act. We tried to get it in '94 when players went out on strike anyway. We tried to get it after that and when all the McGwire-Sosa thing broke, we went to Harvard with the union. It's a subject of collective bargaining. It's not something the commissioner can unilaterally do. In 2001, the minor leagues had a complete steroid program, a great program. In '02, when we were negotiating, we had the beginning of a steroid program. It's a historical myth to say we were slow to react. People have said that. However, they're wrong.

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FSW: Who's your favorite player, current or former, that you keep in touch with?

BS: Well in my long career, Henry Aaron and I have been friends 57 years and remain extremely close. And also Robin Yount, who played for me for 20 years. I've been close to a lot of players and really enjoyed my relationships with them. But those two are two that have (lasted) most of my career.

FSW: How would you assess the state of baseball in Southern California, for Angels and Dodgers?

BS: It couldn't be better, my goodness gracious, when two teams come close to drawing 7 million people, it's amazing.The state of baseball in Southern California is outstanding.

Fan question: What are some cities you'd like to see the All-Star Game in the next couple of years?

BS: Well, we're in the process of doing that, by the way. Everyone wants the All-Star Game. I'm grateful. We've made a lot of commitments to get stadiums built, but there's a lot of places we want to go for the All-Star Game.

FSW: What advice would you give to new commissioner Rob Manfred?

BS: Well, he's worked so close with me the last 25 years ... I've given him a lot of advice over the years, and I'll continue to as commissioner emeritus. He knows the job very well because he's been very close to me for a long, long time.

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