Montgomery may be next MLB commissioner

Allan “Bud” Selig has been involved in baseball since the mid sixties when he tried valiantly to keep a baseball franchise in Milwaukee. In 1992 he became acting commissioner and in July 1999 the owners officially voted to give Selig the job on a permanent basis. In 2009 Selig’s contract will expire and he plans to retire, leaving no clear predecessor.

Baseball insiders like Andy MacPhail and Bob DuPuy have the inside track. MacPhail is the former owner of the Chicago Cubs and participated in the recently signed labor deal. Bob DuPuy is the current President and CEO of Major League Baseball. DuPuy doesn’t spend a lot of time in the public view but he is highly regarded in the baseball community as Selig’s right hand man.

Another man who has an inside track is Phillies President and owner David Montgomery. Montgomery is not terribly popular with Phillies fans. Personally I felt he should have fired Ed Wade years before he let him go. However, baseball insiders hold Montgomery in high regard because of his “evenhanded approach” and his experience on many different ownership committees.

If Montgomery were chosen by his peers to be the next commish then he could do a lot of good for the Phillies. Bud Selig has done a lot for Milwaukee Brewers and it would be nice to have someone who has that much power to watch over the Phillies.

Sources:
Who’s going to fill Selig’s shoes?
By Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com

Wikipedia Bud Selig Entry

Picture of Bud Selig from ESPN.com, picture of Dave Montgomery from sport-forum.com