collective bargaining agreement with its players' association that lasts through 2010). AFL franchises, which cost less than $400,000 when Baker became commissioner, sold for $12 million last year.

"Only a unique individual could have taken us from there to here, especially with so many people hoping he'd fail," says Los Angeles Avengers owner Casey Wasserman. "When you don't have a Michael Vick to be the face of the league, it's huge to have someone like Dave Baker who can be your focal point." Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Baker, who persuaded him to buy the expansion Dallas Desperados in 2000, "is probably the most significant reason I feel good about our future in the AFL."

Interview the 50-year-old Baker at the league's New York offices, and he spends theand the sheer force of his personality. "He's made Arena Football meaningful," says Rick Burton, who runs the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. "There was a time when off-stream sports would not receive any coverage, but the Arena League has seeped into the national consciousness. They've got a fast-paced game with lots of scoring, crazy tackling and balls bouncing off the net, and ticket prices are affordable. What's not to like?" Baker's ability to draw in NFL owners such as Jones, the Washington Redskins' Daniel Snyder and the Detroit Lions' William Clay Ford helped rid the AFL of its renegade element, as coats and ties replaced shorts and Hawaiian shirts at league meetings. "I hate to say it," says Ramune Ambrozaitis, the SaberCats' managing general partner,