December 4, 2016

Two to the Hall

The veterans committee voted two executives into the Hall of Fame:

Former commissioner Bud Selig, who oversaw baseball’s great growth along with some of its darkest moments, and longtime general manager John Schuerholz were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Schuerholz was picked by all 16 voters on a veterans committee at the winter meetings in suburban Washington. Selig was listed 15 times.

It took 12 votes for election. Former player and manager Lou Piniella was third with seven.

Schuerholz was masterful at tweaking the Braves every year to keep them at the top of the division. He found a weak link and replaced him with a better player at that position. He allowed free agents to leave, saving the team money, and often had a good, young player like Chipper Jones or David Justice ready to step in. His election is well deserved.

I am not a huge fan of Selig, but he certainly left his mark on the game. Unlike former stewards of the game, he embraced new technology, and MLBAM turned into a pot of gold for the owners. He was always working to improve minority hiring in the game, rather than just paying lip service to diversity. When he retired, he left the game in much better financial shape than when he started, with many years of labor peace. He certainly deserved the honor.

1 thought on “Two to the Hall

  1. dan zielinski

    The bar has been lowered. Selig played a huge role in the collusion case years ago, he oversaw the steroids issue, turning his attention from Sosa, McGuire, etc. and allowed McCourt to buy Dodgers with a parking lot as collateral. Absurd!

    ReplyReply

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