Bud Selig Stepping Down As Commish in 2012

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Bud Selig will step down as Commissioner of Major League Baseball after the 2012 season. The 75-year-old commissiner said he plans on staying on the job for three more years, which takes him into the next labor agreement in 2011, which would be his final act as commissioner.

Selig has been commissioner since 1992, and has done a lot to help the game of baseball, such as introducing the Wild Card. I think this was the best thing Selig did because it made the season more competitive and more teams a chance of winning the World Series. Some purists may disagree, but I grew up with the Wild Card so I can't see it any other way.

Interleague play, more revenue sharing, and a disciplined drug testing program are also some of the highlights of his career.

However, Selig reigned as Commissioner during some controversy. He was the man in charge under one of the biggest scandals in MLB history during the Steriod Era. He will always be criticized for not noticing the problem sooner and not doing anything about it until people started asking questions in the late 90's early 00's. He was also the Commissioner when the MLBPA went on strike in 1994, and for the first time since 1904 the World Series was cancelled. Finally, making the All-Star Game determine home-field advantage in the World Series has also came with some controversy.

Overall, there were many ups and downs in Selig's career, and perhaps how the media portrays him the remaining three years will be how we remember him.