Bud Selig

Guide Note:

Bud Selig is the current Commissioner of Major League Baseball and the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: July 30, 1934, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2. School: University of Wisconsin
3. Cancelled 1994 World Series
4. Commissioner since 1992
5. Former owner of Milwaukee Brewers

A native of Milwaukee, Selig helped his father run the family car leasing business before becoming interested in professional baseball. After the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta in 1963, Milwaukee was left without a professional baseball team and Selig devoted himself to attracting another team to his hometown. In 1970, Selig purchased the Seattle Pilots and moved the franchise to Milwaukee, renaming the team the Brewers.

In 1994, Selig became the Acting Commissioner of Major League Baseball after former Commissioner Fay Vincent was forced to step down. That year, a player's strike resulted in the cancellation of the World Series, and Selig received much of the blame. In 1995, Selig presided over the alteration of baseball's structure to accommodate three divisions and a three-tiered playoff system. In recent years, Selig has come under criticism for presiding over baseball during what has become known as the late 1990s "Steroids Era", and not doing enough to stop the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Under Selig's direction, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was asked to provide a report on the use of such drugs in baseball; the Mitchell Report went public in 2007, naming dozens of current and former players believed to be involved in the distribution or possession of steroids or Human Growth Hormone.