Ex-MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth once conspired to collude with owners to make profits at the cost of winning 

Former MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, who was elected to succeed Bowie Kuhn on March 3, 1984, conspired to collude with MLB team owners to make a profit at the cost of winning the World Series. Peter served from 1984 to 1989 and is best known for his role in the handling of the MLB's collusion scandal between 1985-87.

During his first owners' meeting as commissioner, Ueberroth addressed MLB club owners at a meeting in St. Louis and slammed them for being willing to lose millions of dollars in order to clinch a championship title.

“Let’s say I sat each of you down in front of a red button and a black button,” he said at one early meeting. “Push the red button and you’d win the World Series but lose $10 million. Push the black button and you would make $4 million and finish somewhere in the middle.”

He paused to look around. “The problem is, most of you would push the red one.”

Ueberroth chided them for checking their business sense at the door. “You are so damned dumb.”

With rare exceptions, MLB players who became free agents during the 1985, 1986, and 1987 offseasons could not negotiate fair contracts and join their chosen teams during this time.

Ueberroth was widely criticized for his handling of the collusion scandal, as he allowed the owners to get away with their actions without any serious repercussions.

MLB collusion cases reached a settlement in 1990 after Peter Ueberroth's tenure was over

Peter Ueberroth: UNDATED: MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth is shown in an undated photo. (Photo by V.J. Lovero/Getty Images)

In January 1988, an arbitrator ruled that the MLB owners had to pay $10.5 million to the players who suffered due to the restrictions imposed by Peter Ueberroth during his time as commissioner.

Ueberroth resigned before the start of the 1989 MLB season, and A. Bartlett Giamatti took over his role.

Ultimately, in November 1990, the two parties reached a settlement in which the owners agreed to pay the players a total of $280 million.