Bud Selig Honored With Statue Outside Brewers’ Stadium
February 8th, 2010 – Written By Huey
The Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday that they will be installing a statue outside Miller Park of Bud Selig, current commissioner of Major League Baseball. The piece will be revealed toward the conclusion of the 2010 MLB Season on August 24th.
Selig has a long history with the Brewers organization. He spearheaded a campaign which brought the former Seattle Pilots franchise to Milwaukee, and formed the current team that is on the ball-field today. In 1992, Selig took the position of acting commissioner, and then full-time commissioner in 1998. Selig left the controlling stake of the Brewers to his daughter. In 2005 however, the family sold the club.
“The Brewers and Miller Park are in this city because of the commissioner’s vision and dedicated efforts,” said Mark Attanasio, the man who purchased the the Brewers from the Selig family.
Selig is no stranger to a role in the erection of various statues. His foundation helped contribute the funds for a Hank Aaron statue and a Robin Yount statue that were created in time for opening day in 2001, when the new Miller Park was unveiled.
The statue for Selig is said to be around seven feet tall, and will be designed by the same maker who created the two statues which currently sit on the Miller Park property.
The embattled commissioner has seen arguably the most difficult times in Major League Baseball over the last decade. He has been a central figure in combating the “steroid era” that has plagued the reputation of baseball since the early 2000′s.
In 2005, Capitol Hill had a Congressional meeting to try and unveil the proliferation of steroids in baseball. The fact finding missions in the year following would lead to several of the games star players admitting to a habitual use of performance enhancers. These players included Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez Mark McGwire who is the latest in the string of admissions. McGwire was one of the players who appeared opposite Congress in 2005 and chose not to “talk about the past.”
The general consensus as the 2010 MLB season approaches is that Selig has cracked down on performance enhancing drugs and implemented policies that seemingly work better than they used to. He has moved the entire sport forward, and some will argue that he has saved the game from a fan backlash.
Spring training is just weeks away and the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees headline the favorites to repeat their title. Currently the Yankees sport 11/4 odds to claim the 2010 championship according to the MLB Betting Lines as Bodog Sportsbook. The 2009 NL champion Philadelphia Philles follow second in line as a top favorite to win, currently installed at 6/1.
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