SPORTS
Page 12 Thursday, August 4, 1983 The Michigan Daily
COMMISSIONER RESIGNS AFTER 15 YEARS
Kuhn calls it quits
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From AP and UPI
Bowie Kuhn abdicated baseball's
throne yesterday, giving up his futile
fight to keep the commissioner's job
and ending a bitter power struggle that
he said could have permanently
damaged the game.
Kuhn, with only 10 days left in office
after 15 years as baseball's fifth com-
missioner, told owners gathered to
replace him at their summer meeting
that he no longer would be a candidate
to succeed himself.
IT HAD become apparent before then
that he couldn't have won anyway, but
Kuhn said that had he and his suppor-.
ters continued their determined bid to
save his job, "the game would go
through a terrible ordeal ... and it
would make it more difficult to find a
new commissioner.
"The acrimony would clearly have;
continued," he said, "and I just didn't
see it asa good thing for baseball."
He was calm. He said he did not, and
appeared not to hold any animosity
toward anyone. He did, instead, have;
the appearance of a man resigned to ar
fate he did not relish.i
BY A vote of owners, Kuhn said he
would continue as commissioner until.
Dec. 31 or until a new commissioner,
can e elected, whichever comes first.
His second, seven-year term of office
was scheduled to end Aug. 12.
Kuhn called his decision "final,
irrevocable and emphatic." He said he.
would not reconsider even if, as Dec. 31
approached, his supporters continued
to urge him to fight for the job.
Kuhn's supporters praised him as a was fired by a different group of owners
good commissioner who had sacrificed in 1951 after a five-year reign. "I can
himself for the good of the game, and tell you one thing. This is a bad day for
said his successor would have a tough baseball."
time. Kuhn's opponents, who had refused
Bowie Kuhn Career Highlights
February 4, 1969 - Named as interim commissioner for six-month term,
succeeding Gen. William Eckert.
1969 - Elected to first term as Commissioner of Baseball.
1973 - Gives American League permission to implement designated hitter
1974 - Suspends New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for 15
months after Steinbrenner is convicted for illegal campaign contributions.
1976 - Permits first night games in the World Series.-
1976 - Presides over baseball's first free agent re-entry draft.
1976 - "In the best interests of baseball," voids the attempted sales of
Vida Blue, Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers by Oakland A's owner Charles O.
Finley.
1977 - Suspends Atlapta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year for tam-
pering with the contract of outfielder Gary Matthews.
1979 - Fines San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc $100,000 for tampering.
1979 - Bans Willie Mays from baseball for his contact with a gambling
casino in Atlantic City.
1983 - Signs record $1.2 billion contract for baseball television rights.
"IF I WAS in his place, I would have
said the same thing. Take this job and
shove it," said California Angels owner
Gene Autry.
"He's a fine man, well educated and
has done a good job in protecting the in-
tegrity of baseball," said former Com-
missioner A.B. "Happy" Chandler, who
compromise offers that would have
kept him in baseball, looked to the
search for a successor and said the time
had come to put the game on more of a
business footing.
IT WAS a long, often bitter struggle
launched by a minority of owners and
sought, for various reasons, to oust
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Kuhn from power. Seeing no chance for
Kuhn to win re-election, Kuhn suppor-
ters maneuvered to delay a vote last
summer at the owners' summer
meeting in San Diego. It was only a
delaying tactic, however, for when the
vote finally came last Nov. 1 in
Chicago, Kuhn was out.
Allan H. "Bud" Selig, chairman of
the search committee to elect a new
commissioner, said he would submit to
the 26 clubs within 30 to 60 days with "a
candidate or candidates" to succeed
Kuhn.
Selig, however, refused to reveal any
names on his list, although he said the
number was under five.
PETER Ueberroth, 46-year-old
president of the Los Angeles Olympic
Organizing Committee, is believed to
be one of the prime candidates, even
though he was previously stated that he
was not interested.
Other mentioned as candidates in-
clude William Simon, head of the U.S.
Olympic Committee; Jack Valenti,
head of the Motion Picture Association
of America; and A. Bartlett Giamatti,
president of Yale University.
Kuhn said he gave up the fight to con-
tinue as commissioner when it became
apparent that he could not win.
"I am a fighter and I will fight for
something I believe in as long as I think
it has a prayer of succeeding. I became
convinced this didn't have a prayer of
succeeding and my continuing would
not in any way be beneficial to the
game," he said.
Angels
down
Twins,
7=5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Rob Wilfong
doubled on the first pitch thrown by
reliever Ron Davis to score Brian
Downing and Fred Lynn, who reached
on walks, and give the California
Angels 7-5, 10-inning triumph over the
Minnesota Twins yesterday.
Bobby Grich's three-run home run
capped a five-run California outburst in
the third inning to earn the Angels to a
5-1 lead. The Twins finally tied it in the
ninth on Dave Engle's fourth hit of the
day, bringing home Darrell Brown, who
had singled for his fourth hit and ad-
vanced to second on a sacrifice.
Mike Walters, who pitched 5 2-3 in-
nings without giving up a hit took the
loss. Davis took over with one out in the
10th after Lynn walked.
Bruce Kison, the third California pit-
cher, went the last three innings to im-
prove his tecord to 10-5.
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Ployboy Magazine Photo
Kick sand in their faces
Wolverine guard, Stefan Humphries and Buckeye fullback Vaughn Broadnax take it easy on the beach of Bal Harbour,
Florida, for Playboy magazine's All-America weekend. The Big Ten stars are featured in the September issue of
Playboy.
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