Unser Chat » 22-plus years in charge

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. - Major League Baseball owners gathered Wednesday for their annual January meeting in the desert with one big item on the agenda — honouring Bud Selig in his final gathering with them as commissioner.About 250 people were expected at a dinner in his honour Wednesday night, held in a huge tent set up on the grounds of The Sanctuary resort on the south slopes of Camelback Mountain. A series of speakers were lined up to praise Selig, who at age 80 will end his 22-plus years in charge of the game when he is succeeded by Rob Manfred on Jan. 25.Among those speaking was former Sen. George Mitchell, who at Seligs request headed the independent investigation into the use by players of performance-enhancing drugs.Seligs daughter, Wendy, also spoke and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron introduced the commissioner.Hes been great for our game in growing the game, said Joe Torre, the longtime player and manager who now works for Selig as executive vice-president of baseball operations, just for his love of the sport and his respect for the sport.New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said there are three main parts to the legacy of Selig, who will become commissioner emeritus.He wasnt a small-market guy, not a big-market guy, Steinbrenner said. He did what he thought was best for baseball. Sometime that went a particular owners way, and sometimes it went against a particular owner.Steinbrenner mentioned two of Seligs major accomplishments.I think the drug policies have come a long way under him, Steinbrenner said. We have one of the best in the business now. And I think another thing youve got to look at is, when you run a company that deals with a union and for 20 years you dont have a work stoppage, thats a significant accomplishment. And I think thats going to be a big part of his legacy, the relative labour peace that weve had.Selig walked through the resort from a meeting room on Tuesday but did not stop to talk to reporters.Torre said he was 16 years old when he first met Selig, who owned a car dealership and had provided a car for Torres older brother, Frank, who played at the time for the Milwaukee Braves. Joe Torre said he bought his first car from Seligs company in 1960.Selig became a part-owner of the Braves but sold his interest when the team moved to Atlanta.Probably the toughest time in our relationship was me as a young kid, at 24 and 25, Torre said, when we were moving to Atlanta and had to stay (in Milwaukee) for the 65 season.Selig, Torre said, was bitter and unhappy but through the years maintained a relationship with stars of that team.Then it was no surprise when the (Seattle) Pilots relocated there, because he was determined to do that.The Pilots were awarded to Selig and his investors in bankruptcy court just before the 1970 season and the team was renamed the Brewers.Selig was still the Brewers principal owner when he helped lead the group that forced Commissioner Fay Vincents resignation in 1992. Selig was voted chairman of the executive council, becoming baseballs top official, and repeatedly said he wouldnt become commissioner. When he was elected commissioner in 1998, he transferred control of the team to daughter Wendy Selig-Prieb. Seligs family sold the Brewers to Mark Attanasio in 2005.When Selig first took over MLB, Torre thought hed have an inside track with the boss.My first World Series in 96 we got rained out the first game, so it eliminated the day off, Torre said, recalling when he managed the Yankees against Atlanta. I remember we started on a Sunday and a Monday and then I called him. I said Its not fair we dont get a day off. ... He told me sorry. Cheap Dave Winfield Jersey .The Williams siblings, with 25 Grand Slam titles between them, will have a couple of Madisons joining them, too.Madison Keys had a 6-4, 7-5 upset win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday night, and Madison Brengle beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U. 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What was the first big story that you broke?Every breaking story has meaning which is why trade deadline day and free agent frenzy have maintained both news and entertainment value. For me, breaking the Joe Thornton trade from Boston to the San Jose Sharks in 2005 was a big one. I had the trade from multiple sources, but still hesitated before posting. Many anxious minutes passed before the Sharks and Bruins confirmed the trade.2. What was your initial dream job?I called play by play for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the early 90s and loved feeling like I was part of the action. I moved on to call a number of IHL games for the Manitoba Moose and was also fortunate to do play by play for a few Ottawa Senators games as well while working my way up the network TV ladder. Hosting and news gathering ultimately led me down the path of evolving into a hockey insider, however, initially I believed play by play would become my role.3. Who has been your biggest professional role model?Very good question. Very difficult question to answer. Over the years I have worked with so many strong and very talented people. I know I wouldnt be doing what Im doing without Bob McKenzie, who is a trail blazer in our industry in terms of how the role of a Hockey Insider has grown over the years. Scott Morrison is another veteran newspaper man who successfully made the leap into network television and in the early days I learned a great deal from Scott in applying good journalism in everything I do. Mike Keenan and I also became good friends during one of his TV tours. His hard work and determination was very impactful. As I said, there are so many people who have helped me and still do today. TSNs strongest resource is its experienced staff. At every level of the industry and can proudly say Im surrounded by the best.4. What is your relationship like with Bob McKenzie?Bob and I are good friends. He has been my mentor and constant source of support. We work well together and share a common passion for minor hockey. Im not quite the crazy hockey dad Bob was, but I have my moments and its always good to be able to share one or two of the sketchy ones with someone you know has been there. The best thing about Bob, he always has my back.5. How has Twitter changed your job?Twitter has changed our business...largely for the better. Every hockey market has a trusting collection of beat reporters. We cant be in 30 NHL cities at the same time, however, Twitter allows us to monitor each club hour by hour which is hugely important in staying on top of things. Twitter also promotes immediate news breaking and is always the first method we use to break a story.6. Other than hockey, whats your next biggest hobby or interest?In the winterr, obviously I spend a lot of time crafting and working on our backyard rink.dddddddddddd. Its a labour of love, but I love the set-up, the maintenance and watching my kids enjoy themselves back there. In the summer - golf, time by the pool and travel mostly occupy my days.7. Which day is crazier for you - Trade Deadline or Free Ageny Frenzy?Trade deadline has a bigger feel and sense of urgency...certainly in the build up and days of coverage leading up to deadline day. Free Agent Frenzy is equally important and definitely tests our contact base, however, there seems to be more focus on the trade deadline.8. How much time do you spend on your phone each day?Too much! Depends on the time of year. Leading up to the deadline or free agent frenzy my phone is buzzing all the time. Im up every morning by 7am to prep for radio. Normally, I start firing off texts and emails by 8:15am and the day develops based on the call-backs and the storylines I happen to be chasing each day.9. What do you see as the biggest rule change in the next five years in the NHL?Additional video review. While I appreciate the reluctance to fully turn the game over to technology, because the world is so advanced, its seems wrong not to get it right all of the time. Pucks off mesh that lead to goals, goaltender interference, offside...plays that can be easily reviewed to determine goal vs. no goal will be in the next five years.10. Do people still reference "Dreger Face" and whats the story behind that?Yes, theres the odd mention of it. My colleague, Pierre LeBrun took a quick picture of a group of us inside NHL offices in New York during the lockout. I was sitting at the time and happened to glance up as he snapped the pic on his phone. He didnt look at the picture before tweeting it. Had he looked, I doubt he would have tweeted it since I clearly appeared to be in some satanic trance. All good fun...mostly created by Jay Onrait who immediately labeled the shot Dreger Face.11. Does anyone have a better backyard rink then you?Hahahahaha. Yes. Darcy Tucker and I jab each other on Twitter from time to time. However, I believe Darcy still employs an arena staff to help him.12. Finish this sentence: The thing about people from Alberta is ________?...honest and hardworking just like the fine people from Saskatchewan, my home province.13. Do you ever read or listen to criticism on social media?Rarely. I will respond to those I follow and will retweet charitable causes, etc, however, theres a lot of hate spewed on social media and I dont have time for that.14. Can you go BarDown?Yes. My son (Mason) and I play a game on the backyard rink. Hes getting really good at it, but the old man still might have the edge. 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