Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent passed away yesterday due to complications of bladder cancer, according to a report from George Vecsey of the New York Times earlier today. He was 86 years old. Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement about Vincent’s passing this afternoon in the aftermath of the report.
“Fay Vincent played a vital role in ensuring that the 1989 Bay Area World Series resumed responsibly following the earthquake prior to Game Three, and he oversaw the process that resulted in the 1993 National League expansion to Denver and Miami,” the statement reads. “Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of 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 took over as commissioner on September 13, 1989, in the aftermath of former commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti’s sudden death due to a heart attack. Vincent was deputy commissioner at the time and almost immediately faced a major crisis when, as Manfred’s statement referenced, the 1989 World Series between the Giants and Athletics was forced to halt due to a major earthquake that wreaked havoc on the Bay Area. The World Series was paused for a week while the surrounding area rebuilt, but resumed a week later under the guidance of Vincent.
That was far from the only important moment during Vincent’s brief tenure as commissioner, however. Vincent took over as commissioner ahead of a fractious time for baseball when relations between the Players Association and ownership were more hostile than ever before. Vincent presided over a lockout in 1990 that delayed the start of the season but ultimately did not involve cancelled games, but in avoiding the loss of games Vincent lost the faith of the owners, who viewed him as too pro-player as he tried to mend relations between the league and the players’ union after the collusion scandal of the 1980s. The league’s owners gathered in September of 1992 and gave Vincent an 18-9 vote of no-confidence, and he was fired shortly thereafter before being replaced with then-Brewers owner Bud Selig. Famously, the sport went on to suffer through a protracted players’ strike and cancelled World Series in 1994 amid Selig’s attempts to implement a salary cap.
“I don’t want to work for these guys,” Vincent said of the owners in an interview with Tyler Kepner of The Athletic when reflecting on his time as commissioner in November 2024. “I know that there’s going to be cheating, and I don’t want to be the policeman without community support. I mean, it’s hopeless.”
Aside from labor issues and his handling of the 1989 World Series, Vincent’s tenure included a number of other notable moments. He suspended Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for paying $40K in exchange for damaging information regarding outfielder Dave Winfield, though Steinbrenner was later reinstated in 1993. He also created and served as the chairman for a committee on historical accuracy that more strictly defined no-hitters and removed the asterisk from the AL home run record held by Roger Maris. Notably, Vincent was the one to circulate a 1991 memo reaffirming that players were banned from taking performance-enhancing drugs and other illegal substances. That memo, of course, was not enforced due largely to resistance from the players’ union and the owners’ disinterest in pursuing mandatory drug testing at the time.
Although Vincent’s tenure at the helm of MLB was relatively brief, he made a number of key decisions during that short time and benefited the game by ensuring the continuation of the 1989 World Series and avoiding cancelled games in 1990. MLBTR joins the rest of the baseball world in extending our condolences to Vincent’s friends and loved ones.
Respected Mr. Vincent. That was back when commissioners made a difference. Sad to hear of his passing. RIP
Here was a man (like Bart Giamati) who understood baseball as the people’s game and that there should be a balance between the needs of the owners, players and fans. Selig began The Fall and Rob Manfred has taken the Commissioner’s role to a new low.
May Fay RIP.
And yet, the commissioner always has and always will work exclusively for the owners, and commissioners who don’t remember that tend to have short tenures.
Pete – Well said. Fay will forever be the last real MLB commissioner.
RIP Mr. Vincent, thoughts and prayers to your loved ones.
People before me said all that is needed. He was principled and lost his job but not our respect for it. Do you think there would be pizza box bases and a ghost runner if he were still commissioner? Thank you for your contributions to a wonderful sport and rest sir.
What’s wrong with the larger bases? While the change wasn’t strictly necessary, it’s not a bad change.
Lanidra : 70 SB by Acuna and 50+ by Ohtani. That’s what’s wrong with the larger bases.
Exactly Avenger. Artificially changing the game. I was always upset with Henderson for stealing based when the team was up or down by five or more runs, trying to compare what he was doing to Lou Brock. Add in the stupid oven mitts that extend the player’s hand size and how do you determine the best base stealers 50 years from now? Why can’t players where gloves that protect but don’t extend?
That’s mostly because of the pickoff limit, not the larger bases.
Besides, there’s nothing unusual about those numbers compared to the ’80s and early ’90s.
Lanidrac, agreed on the pick off limit, another stupid rule. I understand shortening the time it takes to play a game but stop changing the fabric of the game. Molina in St Louis caused rain delays even when it was sunny. Limiting mound visits and pitch clock implementation have been good but most other rule changed have not.
I met Faye Vincent at a Cape Cod League game in 1992 when he was commissioner. I asked him a bit of a challenging question about the Rule IV draft. He looked at me with annoyance. Thats my Faye Vincent story. The end.
Maybe your timing wasn’t the best?
More deserving of the Hall of Fame than Bud Selig.
RIP.
I couldn’t agree more
Vincent was the last real commissioner, when the clause, “In The Best Interest of Baseball” still meant something. But once the owners decided it may be in the best interest of baseball but not theirs they kicked him down the stairs & they put in their puppet regime & changed the clause to, “In The Best Interest of Owners” The owner’s press release on Vincent’s passing that they told robby boy to sign & release is pathetic, plain & simple, plain & fu#*€*& simple. They should be ashamed of theirselves.
The “best interest” clause was never changed because “of the owners” is always what it meant, and no commissioner who interpreted it otherwise lasted long. Fay Vincent is Exhibit A.
And much more deserving than giamatti. Bill Veeck and White Sox fans still hate you, bart.
avenger – Why? I haven’t heard of anyone who even disliked him except a few Rose fans.
I’m gonna tell Bud you said that and he’ll have you banned from all MLB ballparks, offices, and other properties in an instant. Don’t you dare disrespect Allan H. “Bud” Selig again, kid
But deserves little more than disrespect.
I’m gonna tell him you said that when I see him this week. Sounds like it’s “over” for you, kid. Have fun not stepping foot in Great American Ballpark ever again!
Hey, I just call ’em like I see ’em. It’s not like I tried to rip a baseball out of Mookie Betts’ glove.
He outlived his arch nemesis…..Pete Rose
A+ post.
Left the game with his integrity intact….
This is a man who truly loved the institution of baseball. He tried to balance the interests of owners, layers, and fans to better the game for all. Contrast that with the stoolies who took over from him, Siegheil and Manfraud!
Tried, and failed — because this balance is impossible to achieve if you are employed by one of those interests.
Damn BlueSkies. I know you’ve been arguing with people on this website for years about Manfred but Mr Vincent just died. Let people remember and celebrate his legacy. Show some class and take your tongue off of Robbie’s boot.
Yeah you love sticking up for owners and their lapdogs but I disagree with you. I think Fay accomplished many of his goals and made the game better.
RIP Fay Vincent. Ignore the trolls
@Murray…It didn’t seem like Blueskies was “sticking up for owners,” but pointing out what the article stated. Vincent was the last commish who seemed to represent the fan and push back against owners.
The result was him being ousted.
Acknowledging some negative aspect of a person’s life (whether from their acts or acts done to them) does not necessarily disrespect in any form of eulogy/posthumous statement.
I never stick up for the owners. I stick up for truth and reality. This isn’t a popular position to take anymore, I know. But I’m still into it.
Interesting though. I wonder how many of the brave souls who post here have ever told the people who write their paychecks to go shove it, and expected to be asked back to work the next day.
@paddyo furnichuh. Thanks for getting it. Beats me why this is so hard for some to understand.
Lots of fans like to howl about Manfred as if he’s supposed to be working for them. But here he is, one of the longest tenured commissioners in the history of the game, and he is that because he delivers for his employers. Shocking!
Fay Vincent, sadly, was the exception that proved the rule. Fans liked him, but we all knew in our hearts that he couldn’t last because the only approval that mattered came from his employers, and once he crossed them, he was done. Double shocking.
Sadly the position of Commissioner is set up for failure. It is kind of like picking a Supreme Court justice, only much easier to remove. When one side has a clear stake in the decisions picking a true neutral 3rd party is nearly impossible.
RIP Mr. Vincent
LOL. No I never did that but I did argue with my boss once on a high valued case and it got out of hand. Conference room doors were closed but I learned afterwards some feared for my job. At the end, we shook hands and he bought me lunch. True story. I never intended it to go where it went but sometimes you get caught up in the moment. That boss? I today consider him my mentor…
It wasn’t just Fay. Bowie Kuhn did what was best for the sport disallowing sales of players and also did not continue.
well the commissioner is hired by teams ownerships and he is backed by them. the media and fans promote and back the union players. there….
I think you hit exactly on the problem Joe. Fans and players have no say in who the commissioner is. MLB should have its antitrust protection stripped or be required to let more than just the owners vote on the commissioner job. We let these teams rip off fans and taxpayers, we pay for their stadiums under threat of losing our teams. We should have some say in the process. A fan, player and owner vote could easily be done and probably would bring interest back into the game. You’re right on how it’s currently constructed but I don’t agree that it should be that way. Just my 2 cents
Love the screen name, Murray Rothbard! I went to Hillsdale College which featured the Ludwig von Mises library. I took two classes in Austrian economics, including the work of Rothbard.
There should be an Office of the Commissioner with a Commissioner representing the institution of baseball, an owners representative, and a union rep.
Murray, the fact that MLB hires its own CEO (and this might as well be the job title) has absolutely nothing to do with antitrust law protections. Every business does this.
Fans do have a say in baseball. It’s the same one they have with any other product. The say comes in whether they buy it or not. Either way, the owners of MLB will continue to hire their CEO based on their business interests.
JoeW,
“fans promote and back the union players”
I see much less of this than you apparently do. What I see is many fans upset every time a player wants to get paid market value, especially if that means leaving the team that drafted them – which very often is not their “hometown” team.
I understand supporting their team because players come and go, but they often turn their backs on players who used to be their favorites as soon as they go play for someone else.
Like Jerry Seinfeld said, we cheer for clothes.
youtu.be/we-L7w1K5Zo?feature=shared
Yep we show up to watch the players play, not to watch the owners own. Still, if the media is so pro-player, why do we know how much every player is paid right down to the dollar, while we know almost nothing about ownership profits? It’s almost like someone wants us to feel like the players are just a bunch of rich lazy entitled bums and the owners are the selfless heroes who bring us baseball out of the goodness of their hearts.
You are supposed to show up because you love the game. Rather than side with players versus owners how about siding with fans for a change? Maybe then games will be more affordable for the average family. Concerning yourself with the owner’s profits is foolish. Fans must put fans first. Clearly you are showing none with this entire comment thread.
Of all the nonsensical comments we’ve seen on this so far, this one takes the cake. It makes no sense at all. This wasn’t really a contest, but you won anyway.
Excellent choice of words BlueSkies you should be very proud of yourself replying with….uh, well, nothing. Sums up as much as you know about labour disputes, baseball and how the league operates. Hard to lose a “contest” when you cannot contest what I said. Pull out a dictionary you will find some fascinating stuff there.
The owners chose to fire Vincent for avoiding the worst strike in MLB history only to have it happen anyway under their own puppet. I wonder if those same owners (oddly, only Jerry Reinsdorf is still around from those days) were around today would they put up with Manfred’s shenanigans.
R.I.P. Fay
The only commissioner I respected while growing up with the sport. He deserved better.
LOL Dave Winfield debacle. Good work Fay. RIP.
You must have a hell of a memory that he was commissioner during that episode,you should be on Jeopardy.
Sports Jeopardy! Now you’re talking.
Is there sports version or are you making it up?
He hired a low life to get something against Winfield after Dave sued his ass for failure to pay guaranteed money. Fascinating.
It’s ironic after the Incident killing seagull in Toronto years later he signs with Jays and wins his only World Series in 1992.,
Maybe the most underappreciated man in baseball history? For such a short tenure as commissioner, he handled a lot of big issues and handled them all with class and integrity.
That 18-9 “no confidence” vote shows he wasn’t bought n paid for in owners back pocket. RIP
Sorry, I find humor in this statement. Bought and paid for by the people who, in fact, bought and paid for him?
His labor and talent was bought, but they didn’t pay enough for his integrity.
There is an extra step here Blue. You have fallen short.
I can’t think of a better endorsement of his tenure.
Likely the last impartial commissioner the game will have. RIP.
RIP
He tried to stop steroid use by sending a memo to the owners. One of those owners, Selig, took over and let steroid use become the norm. Bud even would give conflicting stories about when he first learned of players using roids but it’s always while he was commissioner. Manfred and Selig are cheating slime balls who never cared about the game as much as increasing owner profits. Now Selig is in the HOF but the steroid users who made him wealthy are kept out.
Last commish who wasn’t a puppet of the owners.
not sure what it would take for the current system of commissioners just being owner proxies continuing forever. what do you all think it would take?
Players just need to stay unionized. Labor in all sectors in general. Ownership not like us….
What I wouldn’t do to get a union in my job in central, Florida. Our ownership changes the rules in the middle of the game every other month. We got extra money for working Sundays. Ownership ‘grandfathered’ it out. We had bonuses for inventory being accurate. They gave us petty raises to pacify us and got rid of the bonuses for inventory being accurate. More production and less hours to meet it in, as well as fewer employees while profits are up by 10% from last year. Our stock goes down after we make profits like that because ‘well, our competitors stock went down’. It’s a joke, and we just keep letting the ownership and corporate line their pockets because most of the groups of employees don’t have the guts to stand up to management and talk about getting a union ship vote started. The rich are rich for a reason. They have all of the power.
And also,, RIP Mr. Vincent. I was only 9 when they booted you out, but I wish I could’ve enjoyed the game when you ran it. The last great commissioner. To hell with Manfraud and $elig.
The last MLB Commish who had a moment’s thought about the fans or the integrity of the game. By last, I mean “last” because the Owners will never hire anyone like him again.
It’s a difficult job. In most cases, the plusses of each MLB commissioner have outweighed the minuses. The only bad commissioner in MLB history was the first one, Kennesaw Mountain Landis.
You must be on crack or were in a coma during $elig and Manfrauds tenure.
The game has grown under those guys $$$. They’ve brought the game on the cusp of the most significant growth in its history with the international market.
‘
Landis fought like heck to keep the game all-white. He’s the only MLB commissioner is Hell.
Some folks don’t ever let facts get in the way of their whining.
Bowie Kuhn?
I really wonder what Giamatti might have done had he not passed. He was an interesting character. RIP Fay Vincent, you did your best.
No mention of lifetime ban of Pete Rose for gambling…surprised it was excluded
Giamatti was person that did that not Fay Vincent,
Thanks for the clarification. Long time ago guess I got confused
Very true. I do think Fay, though, was in the camp of those who think the stress of the Rose case contributed to the death of Bart.
RIp Fay, he treated the game with respect, and was a credit to the industry.
Not a lifetime ban. Rose remains permanently ineligible, which is fine with me.
Baseball has lost a good man. RIP, Mr. Vincent.
Fay Vincent was the last true commissioner. Baseball went to hell after he was removed for owners “yes” men.
Fay Vincent, the last honest baseball commissioner. RIP
“I know that there’s going to be cheating, and I don’t want to be the policeman without community support. I mean, it’s hopeless.”
That right there says everything. Bart and Fay stood for the integrity of the game.
You want to know why pitchers are trying to throw 100 MPH and blowing out their arms like birthday candles?
Bug Sellout and PED’s.
Fay did his job for the benefit of the game.
RIP Commissioner Vincent.
The last true Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent RIP
RIP Fay Vincent. It took some steel balls to ban Ol’ King George in 1990.
Bart Giamatti was one who banned Pete Rose
RIP Fay…..
Faye Vincent was a good and fair commissioner. Unlike Bowie Kuhn who absolutely favored the Yankees.
Kuhn was nothing more than Manfred version negative one. And yes, he definitely ruled with an uneven hand.
Extremely and openly biased against Charlie Finley and biased in the favor of George Steinbrenner.
Honest guys finish last
Fay Vincent helped saved MLB after Pete Rose pretty much killed Bart Giamatti. RIP Fay.
Nothing can kill mlb baseball it’s too good of a game,
Decent man. A true fan. He should not have been dumped by the greedy oligarchs.
I don’t agree with everything that Vincent did but he was no company man.
R.I.P the last real MLB Commissioner
We could use a guy like FV.
He wouldn’t go for no “Manfred Mann” on second in the 10th.