FanHouse MarkMcgwire

Controversies Under Bud Selig

MLB commissioner Bud Selig is getting plenty of attention again, this time for saying that he'll consider suspending Alex Rodriguez and restoring Hank Aaron as the home run king in the wake of the sport's latest steroid bombshell. Click through the gallery to see some of his most controversial moments.

Elsa, Getty Images

Selig has drawn the most criticism for turning a blind eye to the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in the game during the 1990s and early 2000s. The widespread use of steroids and other drugs helped rewrite many of baseball's most hallowed records and brought the nation's pastime into the halls of the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions.

Scott J. Ferrell, Congressional Quarterly / Getty Images

Selig suspended Game 5 of the 2008 World Series in the middle of the sixth innning with the Rays and Phillies tied at 2-all. The teams played several innings in a downpour with Philadelphia leading. Though Selig claims he would not have allowed the Phillies to clinch the title in a rain-shortened game, he made the decision to halt play only when it could be suspended under MLB rules. (Read MLB Rule)

Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images

Under heavy pressure after a series of incorrect home run calls, Selig instituted instant replay this August on boundary plays -- those that involve home runs and the foul pole. Major League Baseball could be pressured to expand video replay further in the wake of a number of botched calls in this year's Fall Classic.

J. Meric, Getty Images

The suspension of Game 5 isn't the only controversial in-game call Selig has had to make as commissioner. He declared the 2002 All-Star Game, which took place in his hometown of Milwaukee, a tie after the managers ran out of pitchers.

Darren Hauck, AP

Two years after taking over as acting commissioner, Selig oversaw one of the darkest moments in baseball history -- the 1994 player strike which forced him to cancel the World Series that year.

Getty Images

Selig also spearheaded a realignment movement and the addition of a wild-card spot in each league, which added two divisions and doubled the number of teams in the postseason each year. The Florida Marlins were the first wild-card team to win the World Series in 1997, pictured, and while it has increased interest in the sport, some purists dislike the fact that a team that didn't win its division can capture baseball's ultimate prize.

Getty Images

In 1997, Selig helped introduce interleague play. While interleague matchups have likely helped drive some of the record attendance numbers in the last decade, it has also been received poorly by baseball purists.

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images