Bud Selig is 78 years old. Like many septuagenarians, it probably holds that he doesn’t understand modern technology quite as well as those of us on the sweet side of 30.
However, as the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Selig is inevitably in a position that requires a great deal of understanding of modern innovation. Between instant replay, PED testing and Internet video pirating, there are a lot of MLB-related issues that should require having a solid know-how of technology.
Likewise, it’s probably worth pointing out that email has been around in more or less its current form for 20 years now. So, it would be pretty stunning if someone like Selig had somehow managed to avoid dealing with the electronic messaging system on a professional level, at least.
On Monday, Selig spoke at a POLITICO Playbook event as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities. During the event, Selig admitted that he’s somehow managed to evade the Internet’s most basic tool.
“I’ve never sent an email and I never will,” said Selig, according to the SportsBusiness Journal’s Eric Fisher.
So, there you have it, MLB’s commissioner has somehow never sent an email. Actually, if Selig strictly uses paper mail, it makes his reported dodging of court papers relating to a lawsuit by the city of San Jose all the more bizarre.
Despite Selig’s refusal to use electronic mail, Fisher does clarify that the commissioner did recently get an iPhone. Perhaps Selig is having a hard time trying to use it, and that’s why he’s kept the A’s waiting so long as they try to resolve their long-term ballpark issues.
