WHO'S NEWS
October 20, 2003
Bud Selig, Major League Baseball commissioner
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TFK: Some things about the World Series have changed since the first series in 1903, including the players' equipment and the size of the international audience. What, though, in your view, has stayed the same about the series?
Bud Selig: The World Series was created in 1903 to determine whether the American League or the National League was the most dominant in Major League Baseball.
While the number of teams in each league has increased, and innovations such as the Division Series and League Championship Series now serve as additional hurdles to reaching the Fall Classic, the competitive nature of the World Series and the sense of pride and accomplishment felt by the winning team and its fans has remained true to the spirit of the first World Series.
TFK: What is it about baseball that captures America's imagination? What do people love most about baseball?
Bud Selig: Major League Baseball is part of the social fabric of the great nation. For more than 130 years, the game of baseball has been played everywhere from farm fields to city streets. It has been played during times of peace and, more significantly, it has been played in times of national crisis as a way to bring people together.
I think people love baseball because it is the national pastime and - as this Postseason has demonstrated - can capture the hearts and minds of people of all ages.
TFK: What's the most exciting part of the World Series for you? What do you enjoy most about watching the October games unfold?
Bud Selig: The Major League Baseball season is a journey that begins when pitchers and catchers first report to spring training in February and lasts until the final out of the World Series. The two teams that make it to the World Series each year have to play more than 170 games to make it to the Fall Classic.
When I watch the World Series, I think about the skill and determination those teams displayed day in and day out for nearly seven months in order to reach the pinnacle event in Major League Baseball's season.
