Fay Vincent

Francis Thomas "Fay" Vincent, Jr. (born May 29, 1938 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is a former entertainment and sports executive who served as the commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13th, 1989 to September 7th, 1992. He is a graduate of Williams College, Class of 1960, which he attended on a full academic scholarship, and Yale Law School, Class of 1963.

Life after baseball

After stepping down from the commissioner's office, Vincent became a private investor and the president of the New England Collegiate League. Vincent would serve as the NECBL?s president from 1998 to 2003.

Related Topics:
1998 - 2003

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2001, when baseball owners voted to contract two clubs, Vincent criticized them for not consulting the players union. In 2002, Vincent wrote his autobiography entitled "The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine."http://www.empirepage.com/bookreview/review23.html

Related Topics:
2001 - 2002

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, during an interview Fox Sports Radio, Vincent shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers, who received a 20-game suspension for a tirade directed at two TV cameramen. Vincent believed that Rogers, who had a record of 9-4 with 2.45 ERA at the time of the incident, shouldn't have been allowed to play in the All-Star Game in Detroit. Vincent said "The All-Star game is a great honor. Again, if you are trying to send a message to players to think twice before you do something stupid, one way to do that is by sending the message that, and by the way, if there is an All-Star game, you're not going to get to play in that."

Related Topics:
2005 - Fox Sports Radio - Texas Rangers - Kenny Rogers - ERA - All-Star Game - Detroit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fay Vincent has also been critical of Major League Baseball's handling of the dreaded strike in 1994. Some observers feel that the Vincent's absence (or any other permanent commissioner at the time) could've been a decisive turns of finding a comprise agreement. Vincent believes that the strike turned out to be a lost cause since the end result was federal judge Sonia Sotomayor ruling that work had to resume under the previous collective bargaining agreement. Vincent has hinted that he believes that the strike was instigated by the owners (including his successor Bud Selig) who were frustrated by their diminishing power over the MLBPA. Vincent strongly believes that the cancellation of the World Series in 1994 (the first time that there wasn't a World Series played in 90 years) was a major mistake.

Related Topics:
Strike in 1994 - Sonia Sotomayor - Collective bargaining agreement - MLBPA - 1994

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~