Mike Veeck

Michael Veeck ( ; born March 5, 1951) is an American professional baseball executive and team owner. Veeck has worked as an executive in Major League Baseball and has owned a number of Minor League Baseball teams. Veeck is best known as the architect of Disco Demolition Night. He is the son of Bill Veeck, Hall of Fame baseball owner.

Early life Veeck was born on March 5, 1951, in Tucson, Arizona.

In 1990, the Goldklang Group hired Veeck as president of the Miami Miracle, a Minor League Baseball team. After two seasons, Veeck moved the team to Fort Myers, Florida. Veeck became president of the St. Paul Saints in 1993 and brought in Max Patkin and the San Diego Chicken for entertainment in their inaugural season. In July 2002, Veeck hosted "Nobody Night", where no fans were allowed in the park until the official attendance of zero was announced in the fifth inning. Veeck brought Minnie Miñoso out of retirement to play for the Saints on July 16, 2003, making him the first player to appear in professional games in seven different decades. On May 11, 2013, the Saints played a game with no umpires; instead, a "jury" of Little League Baseball players made the decisions. The Saints hosted the world's largest pillow fight on July 21, 2015, with 6,261 participants.

In 1998, Veeck returned to MLB when the Tampa Bay Rays hired him as their senior vice president of marketing and sales. He held the job for nine months. The Florida Marlins hired Veeck as a consultant in 2001, and in 2002, the Detroit Tigers hired him to be their senior vice president of marketing and communications and he held the job for three years.

Veeck was the subject of the 2023 Netflix documentary, The Saint of Second Chances, which documented his struggles with alcohol and his comeback to baseball after the failed Anti-Disco Night promotion. The documentary was narrated by Jeff Daniels and directed by Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg.

Personal life Veeck and his wife Libby have two children: son William "Night Train" Veeck and daughter Rebecca. His daughter Rebecca was diagnosed with Batten disease which eventually left her blind and prompted Veeck to raise awareness of the condition. Rebecca Veeck died in 2019, aged 27, from complications from her condition. In her honor, her father threw "Rebecca Fest" at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, home field of the Charleston RiverDogs, on what would have been her 28th birthday.