Harvard Grad Assumes National League Post

As hundreds of aspiring baseball rookies strive to make the team this spring, one Harvard man has already made it to The Show.

Leonard S. Coleman, Jr., a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government and the Graduate School of Education, was unanimously elected president of the National League last Tuesday.

Coleman, who has worked as a missionary in Africa, as a member of the New Jersey state government and as a finance banker for Kidder, Peabody & Co., served as the head of major league baseball's marketing staff for the last two years.

"Finance is great, politics is great, but there is only one baseball," Coleman said.

Coleman, 45, replaced former league president Bill White as the highest ranking Black official in American professional sports. White was scheduled to leave office last April, but agreed to stay on until crises in baseball management were resolved.

Coleman said baseball's racial history has been a mixed one. He said the years of segregation in baseball before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1948 demonstrated blatant racism, but noted that Robinson began playing seven years before Brown v. Board of Education and 16 years before the Civil Rights Act.

"Baseball reflects the best and worst of this country," he said.

Coleman, who got a masters degree from the Kennedy School in 1975 and one from the Graduate School of Education in 1976, said his years at Harvard "taught me to be able to adapt to different situations."

He said he "had a good time" here, adding that he would occasionally have "a few beers at the college grille."

Coleman was also a big baseball fan while hewas here. "We used to go to Fenway all the time,"he said.

Baseball executives contacted yesterday saidthey are excited about Coleman's election.

"He has had a very impressive two years inbaseball," said Allan H. "Bud" Selig, actingcommissioner of major league baseball andpresident of the Milwaukee Brewers. "He has donemarvelous work for us."

Selig, who was contacted yesterday in Arizona,said Coleman has been a pioneer during the pasttwo years in taking baseball to minoritycommunities and in getting baseball involved incharity.

Atlanta Braves Chairperson William C.Bartholomay, a member of the search committeewhich selected Coleman, said "he will do atremendous job."

Bartholomay said in a telephone interview fromChicago yesterday that Coleman's qualificationsincluded his previous involvement in baseballadministration, his "outstanding" marketingachievements over the past two years, his love ofthe game and his nature as "a high energy youngman who can grow within the job."

"Plus, he went to Harvard," joked Bartholomay."He had all of the qualifications we were lookingfor."

Coleman said he was friendly with severalHarvard officials, including Dean of StudentsArchie C. Epps and Thomson Professor of GovernmentMartin L. Kilson, Jr., who occasionally had himover for dinner.

Kilson said Coleman was in his Ethnic Groups inAmerican Political Culture class. He said Colemanwas a "fine man" and a "good, disciplinedstudent."

"He laughs at you and with you at the sametime," Kilson said, "which is a marvelous thingfor the National League President to be able todo."

Selig said that, just as baseball executivesare excited about the new NL president, fans havereason to be excited for the 1994 baseball season.

"Baseball will have a great year," he said."The three-division format will be very exciting."

Selig did say, however, that baseball, "needs anew economic system to survive."

He said now that the owners have agreed toshare revenues among themselves, the players mustagree to a salary cap at a percentage of grossrevenues.

Selig would not speculate on whether theplayers would agree, but he assures fans, "therewill be no lockout this year.

Coleman was also a big baseball fan while hewas here. "We used to go to Fenway all the time,"he said.

Baseball executives contacted yesterday saidthey are excited about Coleman's election.

"He has had a very impressive two years inbaseball," said Allan H. "Bud" Selig, actingcommissioner of major league baseball andpresident of the Milwaukee Brewers. "He has donemarvelous work for us."

Selig, who was contacted yesterday in Arizona,said Coleman has been a pioneer during the pasttwo years in taking baseball to minoritycommunities and in getting baseball involved incharity.

Atlanta Braves Chairperson William C.Bartholomay, a member of the search committeewhich selected Coleman, said "he will do atremendous job."

Bartholomay said in a telephone interview fromChicago yesterday that Coleman's qualificationsincluded his previous involvement in baseballadministration, his "outstanding" marketingachievements over the past two years, his love ofthe game and his nature as "a high energy youngman who can grow within the job."

"Plus, he went to Harvard," joked Bartholomay."He had all of the qualifications we were lookingfor."

Coleman said he was friendly with severalHarvard officials, including Dean of StudentsArchie C. Epps and Thomson Professor of GovernmentMartin L. Kilson, Jr., who occasionally had himover for dinner.

Kilson said Coleman was in his Ethnic Groups inAmerican Political Culture class. He said Colemanwas a "fine man" and a "good, disciplinedstudent."

"He laughs at you and with you at the sametime," Kilson said, "which is a marvelous thingfor the National League President to be able todo."

Selig said that, just as baseball executivesare excited about the new NL president, fans havereason to be excited for the 1994 baseball season.

"Baseball will have a great year," he said."The three-division format will be very exciting."

Selig did say, however, that baseball, "needs anew economic system to survive."

He said now that the owners have agreed toshare revenues among themselves, the players mustagree to a salary cap at a percentage of grossrevenues.

Selig would not speculate on whether theplayers would agree, but he assures fans, "therewill be no lockout this year.