Me With Commissioner Selig At 2009 McLane Lecture

Me with with MLB Commisioner Bud Selig.

Me with Drayton McLane Jr, the owner of the Houston Astros and sponsor of the McLane Lecture.

Me with Drayton McLane Jr, the owner of the Houston Astros and sponsor of the McLane Lecture.

On Wednesday, April 22nd, I had the unique privilege of being in the same room as Drayton McLane and Bud Selig. You may be wondering: How? I was at the 2009 McLane Lecture, on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Campus, which was sponsored by Drayton McLane Jr, the owner of the Houston Astros. His speaker at this event was MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

The Commissioner talked about how "Baseball Is A Metaphor For Life." He also talked about how he believes that baseball will persevere in these tough economic times, and he also talked about how baseball has the toughest drug testing program of all the major sports. He then talked how Baseball's proudest moment will forever and always will be when Jackie Robinson became Major League Baseball's first African American baseball player.

During the Question and answer session, we really got to see a side of the commissioner few outside of the owners get to see. During the Q &A Session, after Commissioner Selig had said that baseball had the sport's toughest testing program, the first two questions in the Q&A were about steroids. The Commissioner said "This is going to be a great Q&A because after I say baseball has the toughest testing program in sports, the first two questions have been about steroids." The Commissioner of Baseball was showing off his sense of humor. The fourth question in the Q&A was about how the New York Yankees could spend $400 million dollars in the worst economy since the Great Depression. "That's what they've done. They have to live with what they've done." Selig said. The final question was asked by Bill Jones, the mayor of nearby Temple, asking about possible expansion. The Commissioner used this question to again showcase his sense of humor.

"I Can Assure you one thing. Temple has no chance to get a Major League Baseball Team." The Commissioner said jokingly. Selig then responded that he thought Baseball had a fine balance at thirty teams. He said there would be no more expansion during his tenure as Commissioner.

That was the final question, then the Commissioner answered questions from the media.

I then met with the person whom this lecture is named, Drayton McLane Jr. I asked him how he got to purchase the Astros, what it was like to be in Minute Maid Park every game day, and then we started talking about the ballgame the day before. The Astros had their closer, Jose Valverde. on the mound in the ninth inning. Valverde loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but he came back to get the next two batters to pop up and the ballgame ended with an Astros victory. He said "It felt good to get that win, but you can never feel too good after a win, or too bad after a loss."

After the media was through questioning Selig, they opened the floor for pictures and questions. This is when I got to meet Commissioner Selig.

You may be wondering: what did you say to him? Here's what I said to him.

There was so many things that I wanted to ask the Commissioner, but I knew I wouldn't have had time to ask them.

I said "Mr. Commissioner, I think It's great that a Milwaukee Brewers fan like yourself is finally willing to embrace a Chicago Cubs Fan."

The Commissioner replied "Well, I like the Cubs too, but don't tell Drayton McLane I told you that."

I was joking with the Commissioner of Major League Baseball! It was awesome!
A UMHB staff member then took the above picture.

After I was through joking with the commissioner, I then went back to McLane and asked him if I could get a picture with him. He gladly obliged.

I was in Baseball Heaven on Wednesday the 22nd. This is a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. The fact that I met a team owner and the Commissioner of my favorite sport was incredible!

As I was leaving the Lecture, I then said words spoken for a much different occasion, but these words could not have been more true.

These words were spoken by Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium in 1939.

"Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

Mike Greenberg For Commisioner!

Mike and Mike talk about Baseball Commisioner Bud Selig's proposal to start World Series games earlier.

I hope Selig or whoever follows him finds a way to get this executed somehow, someway.

Mike and Mike start this week in Chicago for the Cubs home opener against the Rockies.

World Series Broken Beyond Repair

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Philladelphia Phillies are playing baseball, and almost nobody's watching.

The 2008 World Series has been tainted by the errors by the umpires, and the fact that the weather has not been kind in Philly, forcing fans to wait hours (or in tonight's case, days) to watch two teams play (at least) 3 innings of baseball.

The fact that there was almost no big city teams in the series was supposed to be good news for baseball, but when the umpires seem to make at least one bad call a night, it almost seems like all of baseball wants the Phillies to win tonight.

The World Series,the crowning jewel of Baseball Season, is broken beyond repair. It's a shame.

Bud Selig On The World Series Weather Issues

Bud Selig talks with SportsCenter about the decision to delay game five.

Selig, Umpires Explain Suspension Of Game 5

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig talks about the reasons for calling the game.


ESPN analysts recap Bud Selig's decision to suspend Game 5.

Game Five will not be made up tonight. It will hopefully be played tommorow night.

Phillies players talk about how the postponement will affect their team.


Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon talks about the commissioner's decision to suspended Game 5.


Tampa Bay players talk about Bud Selig's decision and the Rays' rally.

Idiot Commssioner Bud Selig Will Not Resign in 2009: Given Three Year Extension

Bud Selig was given a three-year extension as baseball commissioner through the 2012 season.

The unanimous decision made at Thursday's owners' meeting came two days after Selig and union head Donald Fehr testified before a congressional committee that both criticized baseball for its steroids problem and praised the sport for strides made during the past three years.

Selig will become baseball's second-longest-serving leader behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who was the first commissioner from 1920-44. Selig had said repeatedly since December 2006 that he intended to retire after the 2009 season, but many in baseball didn't believe him.

"I did wrestle with it. I spent a lot of time agonizing over it, mainly with myself," Selig said. "But they really convinced me."

He became acting commissioner in September 1992, when clubs forced out Fay Vincent. After saying he wouldn't take the job, Selig was elected to a five-year term as permanent commissioner in 1998 and gave up running the Milwaukee Brewers, the team he bought in 1970 and his family sold in 2005.

Owners voted in November 2001 to extend his term through 2006, then voted in August 2004 to extend it through 2009. He will be 78 by the end of the latest extension.

"This was coming completely from the clubs," Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said.

Selig received $14.5 million in the 12-month period ending Oct. 31, 2005, according to Major League Baseball's last available tax return.

Baseball's labor contract runs through the 2011 season and its national television deals with FOX, Turner Broadcasting and ESPN run through 2013. Revenue, which was $1.66 billion when Selig became acting commissioner, topped $6 billion last year. He projects them to top $6.5 billion this year.

I Cannot Believe the greedy owners gave this idiot commisioner three more years simply because he kisses the behinds of the owners and the players union! Both the owners and Players Union have too much power! Although some of the things Selig instituted have been great, including interleague play, Homefield Advantage At The World Series, and the World Baseball Classic, the thing that will forever tarnish Selig's legacy is the fact that he buried his head in the sand while the Steroids were running rampant in Major League Clubhouses! Selig is trying to correct the problem now, but it is too little, too late!

Baseball needs a new commsioner As Soon As Possible, because, under the watch of current commissioner Bud Selig, the worst commisioner in Sports, this great game of Baseball is heading to hell in a handbasket.