Stephen Greenberg

Last updated
Myrna Katz
​
(m. 1970)​
Stephen Greenberg
Deputy Commissioner of Baseball
In office
January 1, 1990 –April 13, 1993
Children2
Parents
Relatives
Education Hotchkiss School
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Baseball executive
  • Sports agent
  • Investment banker
Baseball career
Infielder / outfielder
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Men's Baseball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Baseball World Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1969 Santo Domingo Team

Stephen David Greenberg (born September 8, 1948) is an American former baseball executive who served as deputy Commissioner of Baseball and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball under commissioners Fay Vincent and Bud Selig. Greenberg is also the co-founder of Classic Sports Network which later known as ESPN Classic. He is the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Greenberg.

Contents

Early life

Greenberg's parents Hank and Caral Hank Greenberg and Caral Gimbel.jpg
Greenberg's parents Hank and Caral

Greenberg was born in New York City on September 8, 1948 to Caral ( née  Gimbel) and Hank Greenberg. He was one of three children, alongside his brother Glenn and sister Alva. [1]

His father was a former star baseball player with the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates who retired after the 1947 season and would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956. His mother was a member of the prominent Gimbel family and daughter of Bernard Gimbel. [2]

Stephen spent most is early life in Cleveland where his father worked as general manager. He attended Hotchkiss School, a boarding school in Connecticut. Greenberg intended to follow his father into baseball. In 1968, he was a part of the Falmouth Commodores championship team who beat the Harwich Mariners in a best-of-five series. [3] In an exciting Game 4 finale at Guv Fuller Field, with the score tied at 10–10 and the bases loaded for Falmouth in the bottom of the tenth, Greenberg drew a walk to force in the series-winning run. [4]

He attended Yale University where he played varsity baseball for four years while majoring in English. He also played varsity soccer where he played the position of goalkeeper. [5] In 1970, he was drafted by the Washington Senators in the 17th round and was the 398th overall pick. [6]

Greenberg played in the 1969 Amateur World Series as a member of the United States national baseball team. He batted .296 with 11 runs batted in as the team finished second behind Cuba. [7]

Player career

Greenberg spent five years in the minor leagues, mostly as a first and third baseman with occasional games as an outfielder. He began his career with the Geneva Senators of the New York-Pennsylvania League where hit .277 with six home runs in 50 games played in 1970. The following season he split his time between the Pittsfield Senators of the Eastern League and the Burlington Senators of the Carolina League, hitting .225 with five home runs on the year in 91 games. [8]

Despite his poor performance, he was promoted to Triple-A Denver Bears of the American Association in 1972. There, his hitting improved to .264 in 104 games with 12 home runs. In 1973 and 1974, he played for the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League, hitting .281 and .281 respectively. [8]

Feeling his playing career was going nowhere, Greenberg retired after 1974 despite showing a strong overall improvement. Over five years, he hit .269 with 43 home runs, 244 runs batted in, 431 hits (20 doubles and 15 triples), and an on-base percentage of .381 and 278 base on balls. As a fielder, Greenberg played 338 games at first, 101 games at third, and 53 in the outfield. [8]

Post-playing career

After retiring as a player, Greenberg attended UCLA School of Law, graduating in 1977. He went on to become a player representative for Major League players, representing over 50 players, including four-time NL batting champion and three-time All-Star Bill Madlock. [9]

Greenberg served as deputy commissioner of Major League Baseball, having been offered the job by MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent. He had been offered another role by Bart Giamatti, Vincent's predecessor, four days before his death. [9] [10] He also served under acting commissioner Bud Selig but resigned in 1993, feeling disillusioned by the animosity between the owners and MLB front offices and the players. [11] [12] His term ended on April 13, [13] and he was eventually succeeded by Paul Beeston. [14]

In 1995, Stephen co-founded Classic Sports Network with Brian Bedol, which was later purchased by ESPN and became ESPN Classic. He also was the chairman of College Sports Television (CSTV), the first cable network devoted exclusively to college sports. [15]

Greenberg was offered the role of Commissioner of Baseball when Bud Selig stepped down in 2015. [16] However, he has turned it down, preferring to remain at his then-job at Allen & Company where he helped facilitate six Major League team sales since joining the firm in 2000. [17] He was serving as the firm's managing director as recently as 2020. [18]

Greenberg has also served on the Board of Directors of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. [19]

Personal life

After graduating from Yale, Greenberg married Myrna Katz, a graduate of New York University, on May 31, 1970. [20] The couple have two daughters, Jennifer and Melanie, and four grandchildren. [19]

He is the brother-in-law of Linda Vester, his brother Glenn's third wife. [21]

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References

  1. ↑ Whitford, David (May 25, 2010). "The king of the sports deal". Fortune . Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ Greenberg, Hank; Berkow, Ira (1989). Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life . Triumph Books. ISBN   1892049236.
  3. ↑ Kostinas, George (August 10, 2007). "Al Irish a walking history of Falmouth baseball". The State Journal-Register .
  4. ↑ Richardson, Bob (August 26, 1968). "Falmouth Rallies, Wins Cape League Title, 11–10". Cape Cod Standard-Times. Hyannis, MA. p. 10.
  5. ↑ "Stephen Greenberg: 2009 George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award Recipient". Yale Bulldogs.
  6. ↑ "1970 Baseball Draft". Baseball Almanac.
  7. ↑ Span, Brian (September 17, 1969). "Greenberg All-Star". Yale Daily News .
  8. 1 2 3 "Stephen Greenberg Minor League Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. 1 2 Chass, Murray (November 2, 1989). "Vincent Appoints Greenberg as Deputy Commissioner". The New York Times .
  10. ↑ Newhan, Ross (November 28, 1988). "Greenberg Offers Unique Perspective". Los Angeles Times .
  11. ↑ Holtzman, Jerome (January 14, 1993). "Vincent's Deputy Also Takes Leave". Chicago Tribune .
  12. ↑ Newhan, Ross (January 14, 1993). "Deputy Commissioner Resigns: Greenberg says the job is no longer what it once was". Los Angeles Times .
  13. ↑ "Baseball: Greenberg Leaves". The New York Times . April 13, 1993.
  14. ↑ "Beeston named No. 2 in baseball". Tampa Bay Times . July 23, 1997. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Madkour, Abraham D. (March 30, 2015). "The life, times and work of dealmaker Steve Greenberg". Sports Business Journal .
  16. ↑ Nightengale, Bob (July 18, 2014). "Greenberg could follow Selig - but will he?". USA Today .
  17. ↑ "'Great candidate' for next MLB commissioner rejects interest". Sports Illustrated . July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Allen & Co.'s Steve Greenberg Discusses Impending Mets Sale". Sports Business Journal . September 16, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Stephen Greenberg". Jackie Robinson Foundation . Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Stephen D. Greenberg To Marry Myrna Katz". The New York Times . January 14, 1970. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Weddings; Linda Vester, Glenn Greenberg". The New York Times . May 6, 2001. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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