Donald Fehr is no longer The Don of MLB Players

By TheNaturalMevs on June 22, 2009

It’s going to be a relatively short and sweet week here on Diamond Hoggers unless there’s something monumental that needs us to react to. Well today something monumental happened. Donald Fehr decided to step down as head of the MLB Players Association.

Mr. Fehr’s most memorable involvement of course came when he urged the players to go through with the 1994 strike that bloodied my 11 year old heart and ripped the fan base of America’s Pastime apart all in one.

Fehr, who turns 61 next month, said Monday he will retire no later than the end of March.

Subject to approval by the union’s executive board, he will be succeeded by union general counsel Michael Weiner, his longtime heir apparent. Weiner will head negotiations heading into the expiration of the current labor contract in December 2011.

“I have no hesitancy in recommending to the players that he be given the opportunity to do this job,” Fehr said.

Like him or not, the guy did his job. When he took over 26 years ago, the average MLB player made around $289,000 a year. By last year’s count the average MLB player now makes around $2.9 million per year. It’s not all in testament to Fehr, but he definitely had a hand in a lot of it.