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Wednesday, October 22, 1997

Greenville baseball fan volunteers to be commissioner

By ALICE REESE / Greenville Herald Banner

GREENVILLE, Texas -- Citing his concern about the future of America's pastime, Greenville resident T.J. Lindsey has applied for the top job in baseball. That's no kidding.

And, some of the major league teams are not questioning his sincerety.

While waiting to be discovered by Hollywood, the recent Austin Film Festival screenwriting semifinalist decided to pursue an alternate career as Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

"It was my love of baseball and its traditions that prompted me to run for baseball commissioner," says Lindsey, a 22-year-old recent SMU honors graduate who is currently working back in Greenville for a financial planner.

Frank Spindle, the employer, said he was unaware of T.J.'s aspirations until one of the major league teams called his office.

"He's an amazing young man," observed Spindle.

Lindsey traces his interest in the game back to the occasions when he saw Nolan Ryan, his all-time favorite player, pitch at Arlington Stadium. While a student at Greenville High School, Lindsey was the subject of a Herald Banner story about his $5 purchase of a Nolan Ryan rookie baseball card. He later became a high school columnist for the newspaper.

Despite his youth and lack of experience (his college major was Film), Lindsey's ambitious proposal has so far merited answers from no less than 10 Major League franchises.

Lindsey explained, "When the owners began talking about radical re-alignment earlier this summer, I was horrified. Didn't they realize what they'd be doing to the traditions and history of the game?"

He decided to submit his name to the Commissioner Search Committee because "no one else has come forth within baseball and said they wanted the job."

"My campaign was simple," he said. "Write a letter and send it all over the place." Copies of Lindsey's letter went to each of the teams in Major League Baseball.

In the letter to the Search Committee, he said, "Baseball needs a Commissioner who loves the game itself; someone who is unhindered by ties to any one specific team, and who instead works to promote baseball itself, someone who will respect, maintain and promote its history while working to improve and maintain its image in the eyes of its fans. I believe I meet these qualifications."

According to Lindsey, the San Diego Padres called and asked "if I was serious. After I said I was, they said they'd pass my letter along."

Next he received responses from the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kevin McClatchy of the Pirates advised, "I would say that getting some experience in the business world and also spending some time in baseball could help you in your dream to one day become Commissioner. Baseball is a terrific game with unmatched tradition, and it can use as many talented people as possible."

For the past six years the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, Allan H. "Bud" Selig, has served as interim Baseball Commissioner.

Selig replied to Lindsey's letter, "I appreciate your interest in the position of Baseball Commissioner. I will share your letter with the members of the Commissioner Search Committee and our search firm."

Drayton McLane, Jr., chairman of the Houston Astros made the following comments: "Thank you for your thoughtful letter and interest in applying for the MLB Commissioner position. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your resume and I am most impressed with your credentials.

"However, at the present time we feel Mr. Bud Selig is doing a remarkable job. There are definitely changes that need to be made and difficult projects lie ahead of us, but he has been through many trying times over the last couple of years and has been able to keep things rolling for MLB.

"We deeply appreciate your input and will keep your resume on file and contact you should we have an opening that best suits your experience. The Houston Astros organization is charging forward at a rapid pace and we're always keeping our eyes opened for a winner like you. Keep Charging!"

Richard L. Alderson, President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, responded to Lindsey's questions about Major League Baseball's realignment proposals. "Baseball has instituted changes such as interleague play, and these changes have helped revive interest in the game. Hopefully, baseball will be able to develop a plan for realignment that will keep the momentum of fan interest rolling in a positive direction," Alderson commented.

Tom Schieffer of the Texas Rangers also discussed realignment. "Thank you for expressing interest in the Commissioner of Major League Baseball position. I will forward your information to the appropriate people.

"With regard to realignment, we feel baseball would be much better off if we could play more regional rivalries and emphasize intra division games. Here at the Rangers, we think this would best be accomplished by aligning teams by time zones rather than in their current divisions."

Lindsey also received letters from the Kansas City Royals and the Anaheim Angels.

Who says you can't start at the top?

Disappointed that his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, didn't get into the World Series, aspiring MLB Commissioner Lindsey picks the Florida Marlins in 6 games over the Cleveland Indians.

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Distributed by The Associated Press