His wife, Sue, had said all along there was no way her husband would walk away from the game.
In the end, she was right.
Owners voted 29-1 on Thursday at meetings in Paradise Valley, Ariz., to give Selig a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season.
Selig has held the position since 1992, first as interim commissioner and then as commissioner since 1998. He will turn 80 in July 2014.
If he stays until September 2016, he would surpass Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1920-44) as the longest-serving baseball commissioner.
“I’ve often said, and I believe this, for me personally in my life there’s no higher honor than being the commissioner of baseball,” Selig said.
Selig’s contract had been due to expire this Dec. 31 and he had talked of doing some teaching after leaving the job. But he said he began hearing lately from owners who wanted him to stay on.
“I started hearing a couple of weeks ago that there was a groundswell movement to do this,” he said. “ ‘You can’t leave now,’ I’d hear from various owners.”
He said he reached the decision after thinking about it over the holidays, although he acknowledged his wife had been right when she said all along that he wouldn’t be stepping down this year.
“In the end, doing what’s in the best interest of baseball – if this many people believe that and feel that – is something that I felt I should do,” he said.
Asked how he felt to have so many want him to stay on the job, Selig said, “You can’t pay a human being a better compliment than that. If they really believe that, I’m just grateful. Very, very grateful.”
Under his leadership, after years of turmoil, baseball has become the most stable of major North American professional sports, achieving labor peace following eight work stoppages from 1972-95.
Also, owners deferred a vote on the proposed transfer of the San Diego Padres from John Moores to Jeff Moorad, saying they need clarification on some financial information. Moores, upset that the sale was not approved, was the only “no” vote when the owners approved Selig’s extension.
Selig said he wants the Padres sale issues resolved “expeditiously.” Moorad said he respects the process and is working to resolve the concerns.
SHORT HOPS
Outfielder Carlos Gomez and left-hander Manny Parra agreed to one-year deals with the Milwaukee Brewers, avoiding salary arbitration. Gomez’s deal is worth $1,962,500, up from $1.5 million. Parra gets the same $1.2 million salary he made last season, which he missed because of back and elbow injuries. … Luke Scott’s one-year deal with Tampa Bay is worth $5 million, and includes a $6 million club option for 2013 or a $1 million buyout. … The Kansas City Royals will host South Korea’s Kia Tigers at their spring training complex in Surprise, Ariz., from Jan. 16-Feb. 19.
