San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson has emerged as a leading candidate for the vacating gig to be Pac-10 Commissioner, Sports Business Journal is reporting. Current commissioner Tom Hansen will retire in July.The Pac-10's search has been surprisingly slow and filled with odd names of more-favored candidates passing on the opportunity like the NCAA's Greg Shaheen and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Like the recent election, there's a broad feeling that the Pac-10 needs an energizing "change" candidate. Is Alderson really that guy?
I commend Hansen on his tenure, retaining the Pac-10's relationship with the Rose Bowl, maintaining academic standards, and tenaciously expanding the league's championship chops in lesser revenue sports. He's been a quiet, don't rock the boat type presence, with a classic bureaucrat's profile. Check his bio, its a smorgasbord of committee posts and various offices mostly related to the Pac-10 and NCAA.
However, he will leave with a staggering 26 years at the same post atop the conference.
Regrettably, the Pac-10's national profile in football and basketball has shrunk the last few years with little relief in sight. Thus, Spencer Stuart, the search firm coordinating the conference's search, lists "major responsibilities" as bowl tie-ins and TV contracts. In that regard Hansen has dropped the ball partnering with Fox Sports instead of ESPN and providing the conference only one New Year's Day bowl -- the Rose Bowl which is a longstanding partner.
Time for change.
Getting back to Alderson, its hard to tell if he's that guy. He's 61, had a so-so run at his present stay as Padres' CEO, has clearly been outshined by successor Billy Beane as Athletics' general manager and has no college football experience.
The positive is that he's a west coast guy, having spent a good deal of time with two mid-market western teams in the Athletics and Padres. He also has an Ivy pedigree with degrees from Dartmouth and Harvard. The SEC's wildly successful commissioner Mike Slive also has a Harvard background. Hey, we'll take what we can get here.
Writing as a USC alum with interest in Pac-10 issues, filling the conference post is a very, very important matter. Some major changes need to be made and the conference could really use a more aggressive but disciplined public face that will be that bull in a china shop behind closed doors and secure the conference better visibility and public image. It wouldn't hurt to hold firm against the annoying spectre of playoff encroachment in college football.
