The online magazine Baseball Digest interviewed IBAF President Dr. Harvey Schiller, as his term at the top of the International Baseball Federation ends these days.
An Excerpt:
BBD: You have had a two year run as IBAF President. How would you describe your experience?
HS: I think it was terrific and rewarding. I had been out of the international sports community for a while and was glad to be able to use my contacts to help grow the game and bring new partners into the sport. The progress we made to unify various entities within the sport, the progress we made with anti-doping initiatives, the Beijing Olympics, the World Baseball Classic and the Baseball World Cup were all very gratifying. It was also very impressive to see the passion that so many around the world have for the sport, whether it is at the federation or volunteer level or at the highest professional level. It is truly a global game and a sport for all.
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The biggest disappointment was the Olympic re-instatement bid, but even in that process I think we learned a great deal about how to grow the sport even without the Olympics. The Olympics may not want baseball, but baseball will always embody the Olympic ideal.
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BBD: Why did you choose not to run again?HS: I felt it is time to do something different. We made a great deal of progress in two very short years and I would like to stay involved, but the time commitment was pulling me away from other duties. Many people don’t realize it is a volunteer position with fulltime hours. I don’t regret a minute, but it is time to move on and help in other ways than as president.
Read the full interview at BaseballDigest.com:
Part I: Changing of the Guard at the IBAF
Part II: Changing of the Guard at the IBAF