Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 21, 2000

Volume 28, Number 29

Baseball commissioner Selig to speak at events

Major league baseball commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig will visit the campus on Tuesday, April 25, as the University's first Morgado Fellow.

Selig will be the guest of a tea at 2:30 p.m. in the Calhoun College master's house, 434 College St. Following the tea, at 4 p.m., he will give a talk in Davies Auditorium of Becton Center, 15 Prospect St. The tea is open to members of the Yale community; the general public should call (203) 432-0740 on the day of the event to determine seating availability. The talk is free and open to the public.

Selig was elected the ninth commissioner of baseball in 1998 by a vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners. Prior to that, he served a dual role as president of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club and chair of the Major League Executive Council. As chair of the Executive Council and then as commissioner, Selig has worked to make changes to the professional sport by consensus. These changes include interleague play; revenue sharing that has allowed the transfer of more than $100 million from high- to low-revenue clubs each year; three-division formats in the American and National Leagues; an extra tier of playoffs and the "Wild Card"; and consolidation of the administrative functions of the American and National League into the Commissioner's office.

Under Selig's leadership as Executive Council chair, new stadiums opened in Texas, Cleveland, Colorado, Atlanta, Arizona and Seattle. This year, new stadiums are opening in Detroit, San Francisco and Houston, and another new stadium is scheduled to open in Milwaukee in 2001.

Despite presiding over the game during a troubled period that included a 272-day player strike, Selig is guiding the game back to its pre-strike level of popularity. Attendance at Major League Baseball's 30 ballparks exceeded 70 million in 1999 for the second consecutive season, and labor peace with the Major League Baseball Players Association is assured through the year 2001.

A life-long baseball fan and native of Milwaukee, Selig followed the old Milwaukee Brewers minor league team and the Chicago Cubs while growing up. He became a Braves fan when the National League franchise moved to Milwaukee from Boston in 1953. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1956 and serving in the armed forces, Selig became the Braves' largest public stockholder. He sold his stock in 1965 when the team moved to Atlanta.

Upon learning of the Braves' intended move to Atlanta, Selig founded "Teams, Inc.," an organization dedicated to returning major league baseball to Milwaukee. The group, which later changed its name to "The Brewers," arranged for several Chicago White Sox games to be played in Milwaukee in 1968. After failing to purchase the White Sox in 1969, Selig's efforts were rewarded in 1970 when a Seattle bankruptcy court awarded the Seattle Pilots franchise to Selig and his investors.

The Brewers appeared in the 1982 World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The club won the "Organization of the Year" awards during Selig's tenure as club president, including the TOPPS "Organization of the Year" award in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1992. In addition, the Brewers won an unprecedented three-straight Baseball America awards from 1985 to 1987. Fellow major league baseball team owners named him chair of the Major League Executive Council in 1992.

Selig has won many honors for his role in baseball and for his work in the Milwaukee community. These include an Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded to outstanding citizens of the United States who have contributed to the country's national identity while preserving the distinct heritage and values of their ancestors; a Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Award from the Boys and Girls Club of America for service to benefit America's youth; United Press International's Major League Executive of the Year Award; the Anti-Defamation League's "World of Difference" Award; and a Sportsman of the Year Award from the United States Olympic Committee.

A member of numerous boards, Selig is a founder of Athletes for Youth and was instrumental in establishing the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Fund.

The Morgado Fellowship was established by the family of brothers Gregory and Matthew Morgado, who graduated from Yale College in 1996 and 1998, respectively. The fellowship is administered by Calhoun College, of which the two students were members.

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