On February 1, Fay Vincent, former MLB Commissioner, died at 86. His greatness will be long remembered.
Born Francis Thomas Vincent Jr., Vincent attended Yale Law School and earned a J.D. in 1963. He then worked as an official for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In the late 1970s, he became the chairman of Columbia Pictures and the senior vice chairman of Coca-Cola in 1982.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Mr. Vincent served the game during many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our National Pastime throughout his life. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fay’s family and friends.”
Vincent served as the MLB deputy commissioner when his longtime friend Bart Giamatti was the commissioner. He became commissioner after Giamatti died suddenly in 1989. Issues and controversy marked Vincent’s three-year tenure. For example, Vincent played a pivotal role in the Pete Rose betting scandal, which led to Rose’s lifetime ban from the game.
In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake shook California just before Game 3 of the World Series began against the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. Many voices called for the Series to be canceled, but Vincent instructed the Series to go on. In 1990, Vincent suspended George Steinbrenner, the irascible New York Yankees owner, for his financial involvement with a well-known gambler. Vincent reinstated Steinbrenner two years later.
In 1992, MLB owners asked Bud Selig, a fellow owner (Milwaukee Brewers), to succeed Vincent. The move gave the owners more say and control over the game. Pivoting to other roles, Vincent then served as president of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (1998-2003) and wrote an autobiography, The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine (2007).
In 1993, Vincent said.
I don’t think people should worry about baseball. It has its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows, but it will be around. It is a perfectly designed game.
That said, Vincent warned about MLB’s business relationship with sports gambling: “Gambling always leads to corruption.”
Complicated and strong-willed, Vincent believed strongly in accountability and held the respect of many fans and baseball people, both then and now.
