Fay Vincent
Fay Vincent
Francis Thomas "Fay" Vincent, Jr.is a former entertainment lawyer and sports executive who served as the eighth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13, 1989 to September 7, 1992...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionLawyer
Date of Birth29 May 1938
CountryUnited States of America
federal mistake people players powers protected thinking whatever
The players are protected under the federal statutes. That's a mistake a lot of people have made, thinking the commissioner can do whatever he wants. His powers over the players are very limited.
attention player sought
I think it would have been a lot better for him to say, I did it and I'm sorry, McGwire was never one to show a lot of emotion on the field, not a player who sought attention and craved to be thought of as a nice guy.
baseball high issue moral players task
I think the investigation is the right step. I don't think the issue is punishment, I think it's: 'Shouldn't the players be called to task for cheating, even if there is no punishment?' I think baseball has to recapture the moral high ground.
almost asking clause deal explain irrelevant labor people players protected
A lot of people are asking why doesn't Selig just invoke the 'best interests' clause and deal with this. I try to explain to them that the 'best interest' clause is irrelevant in labor because of all the players protected (federal law). ... He has almost no discretion. He's pretty limited.
cloud percent period players puts recent using
Recent indications are up to 50 percent of the players in the 90s were using steroids. It puts a real cloud over that period in baseball.
baseball ground high moral nightmare rose sorts
The thing that makes this different from the Rose investigation is the scope. This could take (Mitchell) into all sorts of nooks and crannies. This will be a nightmare for everybody, but baseball has to get the moral high ground back.
clause difficult federal interest judge mean minutes people position suggest three union
It doesn't mean (Selig) shouldn't investigate, but it's going to be a very difficult position for him. If people suggest that he could use the 'best interest of baseball' clause to suspend Bonds, I think it would take the union about three minutes before a federal judge to get that enjoined.
george headed hire john mario maybe needs somebody
I think he should hire somebody like John Dowd or set up a committee. He needs to do that, maybe headed by Mario Cuomo or George Mitchell, somebody of that ilk.
agreements among best hear improvement labor roll support telling time trying
I think he (Selig) is probably better able to get support among owners, ... But they're trying to roll back 25 years of labor agreements in one round. I was telling them the best you can do is incremental improvement -Ê it's going to take a long time to straighten out this. They didn't want to hear that.
confidence good mitchell people strong
I think Mitchell will be good. He's been around baseball. He's a strong person, and people can have confidence in him that he'll do a good job.
absolutely buck committee credit elect friend great
Buck O'Neil has been a great credit to baseball. He's a friend of all of ours. He has credentials that are absolutely wonderful. (But) the committee did not elect Buck O'Neil.
ballots buck impossible nobody reasons regard
Nobody has more regard for Buck than I do. We're old friends. So I'm disappointed he wasn't elected. Yet, the ballots were secret. I have no idea who voted, and it's impossible to know what their reasons were.
admit bet deal understanding unless
My understanding is that there won't be a deal unless he admits he bet on baseball. I thought for years he would never admit it. Now, I don't know.
congress defensive disaster leads mistake step talk union
One of the first things to do is talk to Bonds. Will he cooperate? If he doesn't, I think that leads to disaster for Bonds. The union would make a big mistake by being too defensive here. Congress could step in.