Bud Selig Contract Extension Is Unanimous

Monday afternoon, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted:

Bud Selig’s two-year extension unanimously approved by #MLB owners.

Which is a peculiar thing to report, because there were reports more than a week ago, from MLB’s official Twitter feed no less, that this was a done deal then:

The MLB Club owners have voted to extend the contract of Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig through the 2014 season.

Here’s the explanation, or, at least, an explanation; Padres owner John Moores voted no last week:

Moores, upset that the Padres’ sale was not approved, voted no, a person in the room said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details were supposed to remain confidential.

Owners took a second vote, giving notice of the extension, but a vote that will not be effective for 10 days. The extension was approved 29-1, with Moores again voting against it.

It’s not certain exactly what changed between that vote and today, allowing the vote to be announced as "unanimous", but now Bud can say it’s so.

Bud Selig Contract Extension Is Official

In case you had delusions of a "mystery league" that was "laying in the weeds" and looking to "come over the top" with a bigger contract, you can put that to rest. The two-year extension is official. From the official MLB public relations Twitter feed:

The MLB Club owners have voted to extend the contract of Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig through the 2014 season.

The Twitter account continued with some quotes from Selig:

Selig: "I am very humbled by the request to stay on, and I look forward to building on the great momentum our game has seen in recent years."

Selig: "The focus is on the field, competitive balance is strong, & fans around the world are supporting our game in unprecedented fashion."

Selig: "I will use the $25 million dollar salary for each of the next two seasons to finally put that new roof on my house."

That last quote might be made up, but the salary isn't. Still, regardless of what you think about the Wild Cards, the interleague play, and the bizarro blackout and YouTube policies, it's hard to deny that baseball is in pretty great financial shape. Selig seems to have been amply awarded for being the custodian of that.

Bud Selig To Receive Contract Extension

Did you think Bud Selig was going to retire as baseball commissioner at the end of 2012, as he's been saying? Not so -- he's getting at least two more years.