The Bud Selig farewell tour may be coming to a ballpark near you - MLB

Bud Selig is retiring after the 2014 season and he tells Jayson Stark of ESPN that he has an idea: he wants to visit all 30 parks to say goodbye — and thank you — to behind the scenes folks and people like that:

“I want to talk to season-ticket holders and fans,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of people to thank.”

That idea came about, he said, in part because several clubs reached out to him after his announcement and asked to honor him, but also because [Mariano] Rivera’s farewell tour got Selig to thinking about ways to connect with people who love baseball.

“I like that,” Selig said. “I like talking to people. And … that’s what I want to do: [speak to] season-ticket holders, people who work at ballparks. I just like to walk around and talk to people. I love that. I did that when I ran the Brewers. And I enjoyed it. I miss that.

If it’s for him and it’s truly about thanking people that’d be pretty great. If it turns into teams giving him gifts and things in ceremonies I imagine it’ll grow a bit tiresome pretty quickly. And I imagine it might backfire.

Why? Because while it’s hard to argue that Selig hasn’t been an effective commissioner, being an effective commissioner is a narrow thing. He’s made money for owners and made the game successful, that cannot be denied. But I feel like the average fan still probably has scorn for Selig, justified or not. Maybe they hate interleague play. Maybe they still hold the 1994-95 strike against him. Maybe they have any number of beefs. Whether it’s his fault or not, people would probably use the opportunity to boo him or something because as Commissioner he’s, by definition, a lightning rod.

It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

NEW YORK – Minor league players reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball on Wednesday that will more than double player salaries, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not announced.

As part of the five-year deal, MLB agreed during the contract not to reduce minor league affiliates from the current 120.

The sides reached the deal two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws.

Union staff recommended approval and about 5,500 minor leaguers were expected to vote on Thursday. MLB teams must also vote to approve and are expected to do so over the next week.

Minimum salaries will rise from $4,800 to $19,800 at rookie ball, $11,000 to $26,200 at Low Class A, $11,000 to $27,300 at High Class A, $13,800 to $27,300 at Double A and $17,500 to $45,800 at Triple-A. Players will be paid in the offseason for the first time.

Most players will be guaranteed housing, and players at Double-A and Triple-A will be given a single room. Players below Double-A will have the option of exchanging club housing for a stipend. The domestic violence and drug policies will be covered by the union agreement. Players who sign for the first time at 19 or older can become minor league free agents after six seasons instead of seven.

Major leaguers have been covered by a labor contract since 1968 and the average salary has soared from $17,000 in 1967 to an average of $4.22 million last season. Full-season minor leaguers earned as little as $10,400 last year.

The Major League Baseball Players Association took over as the bargaining representative of the roughly 5,500 players with minor league contracts last September after a lightning 17-day organization drive.

Minor leaguers players will receive four weeks of retroactive spring training pay for this year. They will get $625 weekly for spring training and offseason training camp and $250 weekly for offseason workouts at home.

Beginning in 2024, teams can have a maximum of 165 players under contract during the season and 175 during the offseason, down from the current 190 and 180.

The union will take over group licensing rights for players.

Negotiating for players was led by Tony Clark, Bruce Meyer, Harry Marino, Ian Penny and Matt Nussbaum. MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem headed management’s bargainers.