Commissioner W: A Collaborative MLB Timeline

Let’s give this a shot, since there seems to be at least a good deal of interest in a TL with George W. Bush taking over as MLB commissioner in place of Bud Selig. I’ll post the PoD and then anyone who wants to contribute can do so.

In addition to standard collab TL protocol, a couple of ground rules.

1. This is a baseball TL first and foremost. You can alter anything outside baseball you want as long as it’s plausible and flows with the TL but don’t make your alteration the overall theme of the TL. This includes wanks and screws - make it plausible and don’t be a dick.

2. The 1994 strike must be averted.

3. George W. Bush must step down or retire no sooner than January 20, 2009, and no killing him off before then.

OK, let’s start it off.

September 7, 1992: MLB Commissioner Francis “Fay” Vincent steps down after a no-confidence vote from the owners. Milwaukee Brewers owner Allan “Bud” Selig steps in on an interim basis.

September 10, 1992: Vincent steps in to promote deputy commissioner Steve Greenberg, son of MLB Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, as his replacement. Over the next several weeks, he is vocal about the installation of Greenberg.

October 24, 1992: The Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings to win the World Series, the first Canadian team to win the Series and the first time a team won the Series since 1919 without a permanent Commissioner.

October 26, 1992: Owners of the Brewers, White Sox, Cubs, Twins, Braves and Dodgers rally to install Bud Selig as permanent commissioner. Owners of the Yankees, Indians, Tigers, Marlins, Rockies and Giants form an opposition group behind Steve Greenberg.

October 29, 1992: A vote to elect Selig deadlocks at 13-13 with the Red Sox and Rangers abstaining. Red Sox ownership can not be reached for comment.

October 30, 1992: Rangers owner George W. Bush is asked why he abstained from the vote. He answers, “A yes vote is a vote for Selig. A no vote is a vote for Greenberg. I didn’t vote for either one.”

October 31, 1992: Steve Greenberg calls Bush to tell him he is no longer interested in the job, citing a divisive culture among owners. “These guys can’t agree on anything but screwing the players,” Bush later quotes Greenberg as saying. “You’re the only one who gets that, George. Do you think you can unite those owners?”

November 7, 1992: After deliberations, MLB owners vote 21-7 in favor of electing George W. Bush as Commissioner through the 1996 season.
 
January 1, 1993: Fearing a potential work stoppage, Commissioner Bush reopens the Collective Bargaining Agreement and brings the owners and MLBPA to the table for negotiations. Bush hopes the owners and player's association can agree on a salary cap in the wake of financial troubles plaguing several MLB teams.

January 10, 1993: Commissioner Bush meets with Miami-Dade County leaders to propose a retractable roof ballpark for the expansion Marlins, as Joe Robbie Stadium is intended to be only a temporary venue.
 
January 1, 1993: Fearing a potential work stoppage, Commissioner Bush reopens the Collective Bargaining Agreement and brings the owners and MLBPA to the table for negotiations. Bush hopes the owners and player's association can agree on a salary cap in the wake of financial troubles plaguing several MLB teams.

January 10, 1993: Commissioner Bush meets with Miami-Dade County leaders to propose a retractable roof ballpark for the expansion Marlins, as Joe Robbie Stadium is intended to be only a temporary venue.
ASB, Salary cap was a no go.
 
ASB, Salary cap was a no go.

It’s barely on the table at this point. In fact...

January 4, 1993: MLBPA head Donald Fehr repudiates Bush’s request for a salary cap, establishing that the players will not accept a cap under any circumstances.

January 5, 1993: Commissioner Bush proposes a salary floor, a minimum required amount that teams must spend on salaries, in addition to a cap. Fehr immediately repudiates this, but he praises the notion of a floor in the name of “competitive balance.” Bush answers back with, “We don’t want some teams spending peanuts while other teams spend like drunken sailors. It just doesn’t work.”

January 6, 1993: An unnamed source out of the MLBPA proposes a luxury tax on the highest payrolls. The unnamed source also suggests what he calls a “miser’s tax,” or a payment to the league equivalent to the amount a team fails to spend to meet the salary floor.
 
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