![]() “After 12 years in the major leagues, I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes,” Flood wrote. 24, 1969 letter that Flood sent to commissioner Kuhn that had triggered the backlash against him. “I think that’s what they were waiting for.” The Supreme Court decided not to give it to me, so they gave it to two white guys,” Flood had said. ![]() “All the groundwork was laid for the people who came after me. With head of the players union Marvin Miller leading the way, baseball’s reserve clause was finally struck down in 1975, clearing the way for free agency.Ī ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz in favor of players rights was made in the name of pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, a fact not lost on Flood, who believed racism may have played a role in his initial denial. The fight Flood started didn’t end, though. He then sensed it was time for him to leave the game, admitting what others warned him about, “You can’t buck the establishment,” he said. Supreme Court.įlood was later shipped to the Washington Senators, with whom the seven-time Gold Glove Award winner played for in just 13 games in 1971. But Flood’s appeal and fight quickly went all the way to the U.S. He also suffered personal and financial hardships along the way that reportedly led to his alcoholism and the splitting of his family.įlood and the players union had banded together to file a lawsuit against major league baseball that was first dismissed. (Oakland Tribune file photo)įlood’s battle against baseball’s reserve clause, which tied a player to the team drafting him throughout his career unless a team decided to trade or release him, essentially cost him his baseball career. Curt Flood, in 1971, when the Supreme Court agreed to hear his suit against professional baseball. While Flood’s protest helped start the cause that still benefits players today, it came at quite a cost for the former Oakland high school legend. Flood, who had just been dealt by the Cardinals to the Phillies after the 1969 season, became a pioneer by refusing to report to Philadelphia and demanding the commissioner make him a free agent. It was Flood and his two-paragraph letter to commissioner Bowie Kuhn a little more than 50 years ago that started baseball’s age of free agency. Flood passed away over 20 years ago.Curt Flood left an indelible mark on the game of baseball, just as those who saw him play in Oakland when he was a youngster always believed he would.īut instead of being remembered as a three-time All-Star, two-time world champion and arguably the game’s best defensive center fielder during his 15-year career, Flood’s name is synonymous with something else. If he isn’t voted in then, he’ll have to wait another five years before he’s eligible again. And even if he is inducted, then just like Miller, Curt Flood won’t be there to experience it. In 2021, Flood has a chance–via the Veteran’s Committee–to be voted into the Hall of Fame. ![]() 293 batting average, nearly 2000 hits, and an OPS of nearly. Just like Jackie Robinson before him, Flood had a huge social impact on the game. The question now is: Why not Curt Flood, too? He’s the player who sacrifices his playing career and future potential earnings. Flood should be in the Hall of Fame, too! But, sadly, Miller couldn’t witness his induction because he had passed in 2012. It was a stunning (but positive) reversal of the outcome from the previous seventeen years. In December of 2019, Marvin Miller was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Era Committee. No longer were they the property of a single club. The Supreme Court eventually heard the suit, and although Flood did not win the lawsuit, his action (with Miller’s) paved the path for athletes in all sports to get paid the salaries the market would bear. On January 16th, 1970, they filed a lawsuit against MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn. ![]() Curt Flood with Marvin Miller (Photo courtesy of Īfter months of contemplating what steps to take, Flood hired Miller, who was the player’s union’s head. ![]()
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