Selig says this will be his last term

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NEW YORK, April 24 (UPI) -- Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday he does not plan to stay on the job after his current term expires in December 2006.

Named acting commissioner in September 1992 after owners accepted the resignation of Fay Vincent, Selig often has been the scapegoat for the sport's woes. He managed to broker labor peace last August, but he told a group of sports editors Thursday that he has decided this term will be his last.

The 67-year-old Selig has said he never intended to take the job permanently, but the announcement came as a surprise since he continues to implement change. This season, he has addressed the use of dietary supplements and is attempting to implement a plan that would give the winning league in the All-Star Game home-field advantage in the World Series.

Selig is credited with adding an extra round to the playoffs, implementing interleague play and the current three-division format. But his greatest success came last year, when he was able to avoid a potentially devastating work stoppage.

The commissioner also has taken heat for his battle with the umpires' union, the inability of small-market teams to compete and the cancellation of the 1994 postseason.