Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
June 30, 2004
Vincent on Failure

Matt Barr sends this link to Fay Vincent's commencement address at Canisius College. He speaks of learning from failure, and has this to say about his time as commissioner:


Failure of Persuasion: Sadly, my tenure as baseball commissioner ended in failure. I failed because I couldn’t persuade the owners or the players to avoid war. The owners were determined to try to break the union and the players union refused to recognize its role in helping to build and improve the institution of baseball.

My failure resulted, in part, in a five-year series of battles that produced very little change. That warfare hurt the game in ways that have harmed all baseball constituents.

And I am sorry, very much so, that I failed. I wish I had possessed the skills that were necessary to avoid what took place.

And so, while people tend to be gentle with me on the topic, the fact is I failed. But I am consoled that the fans have stuck with me and most have thanked me for what I tried to do. If I failed, at least I tried to do what I thought was right.


We'd be so much better off if he had succeeded. He also quotes the shortest commencement speech of all time:

And so I end with a reference to my great hero, Mr. Churchill who at the very end of his life was honored at Oxford by being asked to speak at the commencement there. And he gave the shortest speech of his life and, I believe, the shortest commencement speech ever.

After he was praised effusively in the introduction and after the thunderous applause had finally dimmed, he stood silently before the expectant audience. He stood a long time, not saying a word. The audience waited, expectantly for the supreme orator of our age to begin. And it waited. And it waited.

Finally, in that voice that continues to resonate down to our generation, he bellowed out,
“Never, Never, Never, Never, Never …give up.” And he sat down!


Posted by David Pinto at 04:53 PM | Commissioner | TrackBack (0)