After over 50 years in baseball, Bud Selig may be preparing to step aside.
The longtime commissioner of Major League Baseball declined a request from a group of owners to stay in the position beyond the end of his contract in 2012, according to a report Saturday in the Chicago Tribune.
The report, citing sources, also said that Selig told the owners he intended to step down at that time.
Selig a former Milwaukee Brewers owner and team president became acting commissioner in 1992 and has been the official commissioner since 1998.
His eventful tenure has included such events as the 1994 strike, the introductions of the wild card playoff system and interleague play, and the ongoing probes into the issue of performance enhancing drugs in the sport. He was also instrumental in the development of the World Baseball Classic, which began in 2006.
The 75-year-old Selig signed a three-year contract extension in 2008.
