July 30, 2017

2017 NATIONAL HALL OF FAME legends of the game, and I'm proud to be part of INDUCTION OF your class and forever connected with you. And congratulations to my friend . JANE FORBES CLARK: I would like to We've known each other for a half a century, and again invite the to join me for our there's no one I or anyone in baseball hold in next presentation, and if you would turn your higher esteem. As countless people have said in attention to our video monitor for a short the past couple months, you've set the standard presentation about our third 2017 inductee, Bud we all strive to achieve. From a personal Selig. standpoint, I will be forever indebted to you for all (Video shown.) the assignments you accepted over the years. As chairman of the National Baseball Hall You have poured your heart into them, your of Fame, it is my honor, Bud, to welcome you to integrity, and your intelligence have enriched the Hall of Fame family and to ask Commissioner baseball for these past 50 years. Manfred to read the inscription on your plaque. To Commissioner , my friend, ROB MANFRED: Allan Huber Selig, Bud. my associate, for these past 27 years, I thank you. Commissioner from 1992 to 2015, the first seven I thank you for your wise counsel and for the great years in acting capacity before formally named by work that you did to help baseball reach the unanimous vote among all 30 owners in 1998. heights it enjoys today. As commissioner these Presided over an era of vast change to the game past two and a half years, your vision to grow the on the field while extending its breadth and depth game, engage more young people, extend the off of it. Fostered an unprecedented stretch of reach of our sport around the world will lead our labor peace, introduced three-division play, and great game to new heights. expanded the postseason. Under his leadership, And finally, to these Hall of Famers, I am umpiring was centralized and replay review was honored to be in your presence. On your established. Celebrated the national pastime's shoulders, this game became part of the fabric of pioneering diversity by universally retiring Jackie our country, and we are forever indebted to you. Robinson's , 42. Bridge builder and For so many years, I sat right behind devoted fan who returned baseball to where I stand now and watched as each new as Brewers' owner before serving as second member would stand here and deliver remarks with longest tenured commissioner. the kind of emotion that comes with great JANE FORBES CLARK: Ladies and happiness and fulfillment. Now as I stand here at gentlemen, Bud Selig. this moment, I am humbled. I am deeply honored BUD SELIG: Thank you, Jane, Jeff. to receive baseball's highest honor. I also want to take this opportunity to thank I stand here amongst many friends, Whitney and Jon and everybody else in the Hall of including the great Henry Aaron, my friend of 59 Fame staff. You have been remarkable. years, and I must say, one of the best, most decent The Hall of Fame is the soul of baseball and dignified people that I have ever known. I and reaffirms its beauty and timelessness. Thanks have become friends with Henry Aaron and other to your vision, your leadership, and your ability to members of the Milwaukee Braves in the late tell our stories in exhibits and words. The Hall of 1950s. I remember once when the team was Fame is a baseball treasure. leaving on a road trip, Frank Torre Congratulations to you, Tim, Pudge, and asked if I'd keep an eye on his little brother while Jeff. You've earned your place amongst the

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he was gone. Yes, that's when I met . owners, worst of all, owners versus players. We We have been friends ever since. Joe, you turned were a game truly stuck in neutral. out okay, and he'd be proud. Success came from working together. The To see my guys here, , Rollie unprecedented success we've achieved over these Fingers, and of course , who would be past 25 years has come from ending the divide, here but is managing the Twins, brings back from building harmony, from working as one for the countless memories. good of the game. The role of the commissioner Robin, Rollie and Molly represented the has dramatically changed from its early days. You Brewers in so many ways, Robin of course have to build consensus. You have to persuade spending his whole career with the Brewers. You people to do what is good for the game. three were more than just players to me and the Baseball is an institution that has been in city of Milwaukee and the state of . You our culture like few others. Because of this fact, are forever etched in the minds of Brewer fans, baseball has been historically resistant to change. and you must say you are forever etched in the We needed a new economic system. Baseball's journey of my life. economics had not changed since the 1930s, but In many ways, baseball has been my life. I the forces operating within this system had been got into baseball 53 years ago for the simplest transformed. The perpetual reserve rule was reason of all: I wanted to bring Major League replaced by arbitration and later free agency. The Baseball back to my hometown. I made it my advent of cable injected new revenue into the mission, my quest, and I devoted five long years in game and increased disparity. The economic a relentless effort. We would try and we would fail. system from the 1930s could not handle these We would try and we would fail. And we would try changes, and it became an anachronism. We and we would fail. But we never quit. needed to restore hope and faith to fans of every And that day when the Brewers arrived, team, not just the ones who played in the larger March 31, 1970, will forever be one of the proudest cities. days of my life. I was able to do something I loved We went through a terribly painful period to every day with great passion. I loved the baseball institute a new economic system. The 1994 strike life. I loved living and dying with each game. I was the most painful experience of my life. I loved watching players come in as nervous rookies began to experience what Harry Truman meant and grow and mature to become winners in all when he said, "The buck stops here." I sorts of ways and to take their place on this stage. experienced that during the strike. I experienced it I loved getting to know everybody, the field again later when it became apparent that the managers, ticket managers, players, scouts, sports players' use of performance enhancing substances writers, and of course the fans. And by the way, I was undermining the integrity of the game. I can love that the Brewers flourish today under the great tell you that having the buck stop at your desk is care of . The Brewers and their not necessarily a good feeling, but it is a fans in Milwaukee and throughout the state of responsibility that comes with positions of Wisconsin are in very, very good hands. leadership. I not only learned every aspect of the Ultimately, we did bring about economic operation of a club, I learned about the myriad reformation, and it has benefitted the players, the issues confronting the game. In September of clubs, and the fans. Working together, we created 1992, after 23 years of running the Brewers, I was substantial revenue sharing amongst the clubs, asked to become chairman of Major League taxes designed to reduce payroll disparity, and Baseball's Executive Council, in effect, to be the debt rules designed to promote financial stability. interim or acting commissioner, yet I saw it only as As a result, every single Major League team has a temporary assignment I was sure would last only played October baseball since 2001, and hope and two to four months. faith have been restored. Baseball's issues in the '70s, '80s and We desperately needed a drug testing early '90s were troubling. We were a game program, and we had to work together to get it divided. Everywhere you turned there was rancor done. While the process was more difficult and and adversity. Big markets versus small markets, time-consuming than I would have liked. In the owners versus end, baseball and the Players Association

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developed a program that is the gold standard for great friends through the entire time, and I must sports and business alike. We needed labor say, he was incredibly cooperative during my peace, and we have made agreements that ensure tenure as commissioner. at least 27 years of labor peace through 2021. I I also miss one of the dearest friends I don't know that any of us could have foreseen ever had in baseball, the late Bart Giamatti. He such harmony after the decades of anger and had so much wisdom and passion for the game. discord that preceded these. He so often said that baseball is a metaphor for I cannot leave the topic of labor without life, and that is true. It is also true that baseball is saying a word about a special individual: Michael a social institution with social responsibility, and it Weiner. Michael was a man of principle, a man of is in that area where I am most proud of the role intellect, and a man of vision. The progress that baseball has played. we made in labor would not have been possible The beginning of World War II, President without him, and his death was certainly way too Franklin Delano Roosevelt urged Commissioner premature. Mountain Landis to keep playing baseball. He said I've long been inspired by the words of Americans would be working harder and longer George Bernard Shaw who wrote, "You see things than ever before, and that baseball would provide and you say why, but I dream things that never respite from the daily news of war. were and I say why not." And by working together, In that same way I'm proud of the role working in harmony we were able to grow the baseball played in our nation's recovery from the game with more innovations than we ever had. terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Our We are at the forefront of a technological players did magnificent work in assisting recovery revolution creating efforts and providing the families of victims with Advanced Media, or BAM for short. It's one of the whatever measure of comfort they could. greatest stories in American business. It has We did something beautifully American: dramatically improved the way our fans all over the We played baseball. We steered the conversation world can enjoy baseball. at least for a couple hours a day to games, These have been wonderful innovations pennant races, and an unforgettable for our fans. They would not have been possible with our nation's leader, the President of the United without the leadership of Bob Bowman at BAM, States, standing proudly and courageously on the and Tony Petitti at the MLB Network, nor could any mound in . of these accomplishments have taken place The World Series was a great American without the brilliant work, ideas and trust of people spectacle that had as much positive sociological in our office like Pat Countney, Dan Halem, Bob influence as anything I've seen in my lifetime. Starkey, and all of the dedicated people in the Baseball in its small way helped this country heal. offices of Major League Baseball. 2001 was a reaffirmation that baseball was a social I owe so much to so many friends, many of institution with social responsibility. The social whom are here today, many owners and responsibility is why we now honor Jackie executives that have made great contributions to Robinson every April 15, why we retired his jersey so many areas of our game and who are No. 42 in perpetuity, his breaking of baseball's responsible for the success that we have had. color line did not change the sport, it changed our I wish I could name you all, but you know country. how much your presence here today means to me. April 15, 1947, remains the single most I want to thank some people who are no longer important day in baseball history. with us: The late Tiger owner John Fetzer Jackie will live in our hearts forever, and was a mentor. He taught me early on that if you do Rachel and Sharon and David Robinson have what's in the best interest of the game, no matter carried Jackie's torch for the last half century. how painful, no matter how unpopular at the time, Their contributions to the all related parties will benefit, and the game will, as foundation have opened doors for hundreds of well. It has been a key to our game's success. young people to attend college, as you heard I also dearly loved Carl Pohlad, owner of yesterday from Rachel. the . And yes, as I stand here In an effort to continue Jackie's legacy, today, I miss . We never baseball has created programs like a diverse agreed on anything in 40 years, but we remain

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business partners' program, which has funneled have imagined when we met back in 1958 that one tens of millions of dollars to minority and women- day I'd break 's record and you'd be the owned businesses. We've embraced the . Yes, this really is an responsibility of providing playing opportunities to overwhelming day in every way. diverse populations in under served areas through I will be forever grateful to my wife Sue for reviving baseball in the inner cities and MLB joining me on this journey for the past 40 years. Academies that we continue to open around the She has been an extraordinary partner and helpful country. in every way. And to my daughters Sari, Wendy The MLB Academies are a special point of and Lisa, along with those five granddaughters, pride. They not only provide great baseball and my new great grandson, a constant source of instruction, but they also have tutoring and love and joy. mentorship programs and making sure young I was blessed to have extraordinary people understand there are many careers in parents. It was my mother Marie who nurtured my baseball. We prepare them for front office love of baseball, a passionate fan, she took me to positions, broadcasting jobs, opportunities in every games in Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and area, from scouting to groundbreaking. Boston. It was a great way to grow up. We created the Selig Rule to diversify our My father Benjamin loved baseball, as game on the field and in the front office, and I was well. He taught me so much about business, about proud when other sports followed. I wanted to values, and about always trying to do the right thank also for the key role he has thing. If they were here today, I know they'd be played in this and many other areas. You did proud of this journey. remarkable work. As a kid, I read the newspapers, studied It is essential that everyone in our country box scores, memorized statistics, dreamed the and everyone in the world have the opportunity to dreams that little boys dream, and on my last night discover the joys of baseball. Our sociological as commissioner, I gave a speech at the New York impact has transcended our sport. We partnered Baseball Writers dinner, and I said, just really off with the entertainment industry foundation to the top of my head at the end, "What you've seen create Stand Up to Cancer. We created our here today are a little boy's dreams that came Welcome Back Veterans program, and we have true." Thank you for this magnificent honor. enjoyed a great relationship with Habitat For Humanity and many other philanthropies. The impact of baseball on our society from Jackie FastScripts by ASAP Sports Robinson to the Major Leagues who come from no less than 16 other countries today has been a remarkable absolute achievement, and we are very, very proud of that. Today I am enjoying a new chapter in my life. I've always dreamed of being a history professor, and after this long and wonderful detour in baseball, my dreams have come true. I now teach the history of baseball in American society since World War II, yet I never dreamed that I would play such a role in the history that I teach. I teach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, my alma mater, as well as Marquette Law School and Arizona State University. The students are smart, wonderful, curious, and infuse me with energy. And then at night I still find myself in front of a television set watching every baseball game I can. It really has been a remarkable journey. One day a few years ago, Henry Aaron and I were walking back to our hotel in Washington, D.C., and he said to me, who could

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