Bavasi Is Working Hard to Help Revive the Indians

CLEVELAND —  The light burning in the Cleveland Indians’ offices late into the night belongs to Peter Bavasi, the recently appointed 42-year-old president of the American League team.

“It’s not so much that I’m a workaholic. It’s just that I love doing what I’m doing,” said Bavasi, who replaced the retired Gabe Paul as the Indians’ top executive. “I feel very much at home in a stadium and a baseball office.

“Like Sparky Anderson said, ‘Getting paid to manage is like stealing.’ That doesn’t mean I’m going to give any of my salary back to Pat O’Neill (Indians’ board chairman) and I know Sparky isn’t, because he was one of our coaches in San Diego.”

Bavasi’s ascension in the world of baseball has been quick, spurred on by his strong baseball background.

His father, Buzzie Bavasi, was general manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1951 to 1967 and later helped guide the San Diego Padres and California Angels, and Peter Bavasi was general manager of a Dodgers’ minor league affiliate at age 23.

He moved on to become general manager of the Padres at age 30 and president of the Toronto Blue Jays--a franchise he helped build from the ground up--at age 35.

“I don’t know if I was destined to go into baseball,” Bavasi said. “But in my environment, it was difficult not to be attracted to the game and the personalities involved. My dad started making his living in baseball in 1938 and our house was always a gathering spot for players, coaches, scouts and executives.”

Bavasi worked in Toronto for six years, then left baseball for three years to work for a public relations firm and his own consulting business.

“My major interest in Toronto was building the franchise,” he said.