Commissioner John Rodriguez, Jr. makes retirement official
Torch passed to Dan DiVincenzo, former Arlington GM

Monday, April 3, 2017 – 10:56 a.m.

Asheville, NC – Making official an announcement made during the 2016 Winter Meetings, John Rodriguez, Jr. retired today as commissioner of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance and the League of the Rising Sun.

“The PEBA has experienced unparalleled growth over its first ten years,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “I am proud to have served some small part in this story of redemption for what I believe to be the world’s most beautiful, enduring sport.”

Mr. Rodriguez succeeded his father and league founder John Rodriguez, Sr. after the elder Rodriguez’s passing in 2011, but his involvement in the league stretches back much further.

“The work that my father poured into the league was inspiring and stretched back far before there was any product to show, and box scores to read. The PEBA begins its eleventh season today, but it has been a part of my family’s life even longer. (My brother) Chris and I became involved in 2004, over two years before the final MLB pitch was tossed. I cannot think of a more rewarding way to have spent the last thirteen years. At 71, though, it is time for me to begin a new phase of my life. My wife has been quite adamant on this point, and experience has taught me to trust her judgment – and to shut my mouth and nod my head when she has made up her mind.”

Both the PEBA and the LRS, which became a sister league of the PEBA in 2010, have flourished during Mr. Rodriguez’s tenure. Average attendance at PEBA games has risen by 16%, and total revenue has increased by 19%. Even more impressive is how the league has tapped into enthusiasm for the game in the Pacific East. LRS attendance has increased an amazing 32% during Mr. Rodriguez’s six years as commissioner, while revenue has seen a 30% boost. That ticket prices have remained relatively stable during this period makes the revenue gains even more extraordinary.

The popularity of the game has never been greater. 2016 marked the first time that a baseball championship drew a higher average share of viewers than a Super Bowl. Mr. Rodriguez has successfully leveraged the league’s popularity to transform the PEBA into a financial powerhouse. The PEBA has passed the NFL as the most profitable North American sports league, thanks in large part to new national and regional media deals that reflect the explosion of interest in baseball both in American and in Japan.

Players and personnel have benefited under Commissioner Rodriguez, as well. Salaries have steadily increased over the last six years as owners pass their profit to their employees. Mr. Rodriguez helped negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that has been universally hailed as a win-win deal for both owners and players.

“I have the utmost respect for John,” said Planetary Extreme Baseball Players’ Guild Executive Director Frank Parks. We’re in the midst of unprecedented labor harmony, and much of that is owed to his leadership during the 2014 CBA negotiations. I will miss working with him, and I wish him the best in this future endeavors.”

During the months since Mr. Rodriguez’s announcement, there have been a number of rumors propagated by disreputable media sources regarding Mr. Rodriguez’s reasons for stepping down as commissioner. Mr. Rodriguez felt it was important to clarify his reasons for retiring.

“While I appreciate the concerns expressed over my well-being, I want to assure you that I have never felt better and that this decision has absolutely nothing to do with health-related issues. Nor, for that matter, is there any validity to the more fanciful rumors that have been floating around the Internet. Shocking as the news may come to some, I am neither a zombie sympathizer nor fighting off a secret alien invasion – my 33-year career as a soldier came to an end in 1996, and I’m far too old to reenlist. This is something I’m doing for my family, pure and simple. Juggling the business of baseball has been the challenge of my life; now, being a husband and father will be my primary challenge, and a happy one, at that.”

Taking Mr. Rodriguez’s place is former Arlington Bureaucrats General Manager Dan DiVincenzo. Mr. DiVincenzo has been involved in baseball management for years and was one of the key figures in the negotiation of the 2014 CBA settlement. He is being succeeded as GM of the Bureaucrats by Ellis Holland.

“I have the utmost confidence in Dan,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “He has established himself as one of the premiere baseball minds since beginning his involvement with the league in 2009. Moreover, he is one of the finest men I have had the pleasure to know. It is no exaggeration to say that the 2014 CBA agreement could not have been achieved without his steadfast leadership. It is precisely those leadership skills that make him perfectly suited to lead the PEBA and the LRS into the next decade.”

Mr. Rodriguez leaves the game of baseball in the best shape it has ever been in, but he credits the fans, not himself. “Father never let the naysayers dispirit him. He dreamed of a brighter day for our national pastime and worked tirelessly to make it happen. But without the support of the fans, none of those efforts matter. It is the fans who make baseball the greatest sport in the world. Their enthusiasm inspires us to work harder. Their cheers fuel the dreams of the players of today and those of tomorrow. They build the narratives that lends context to what would otherwise be just a game. They make it much more than a game; they make it an expression of joy. I urge you to keep expressing yourselves so that your children and your children’s children can experience the same joy that we have been blessed with. Pass your passion on so that we can continue to share the collective treasure we call baseball.”