The most important figure in Professional Baseball of the past 60 years is not in the Hall of Fame.
On February 28th the Veterans Committee elected no new members to the Hall of Fame. Not Ron Santo, not Jim Katt, and not Marvin Miller. But what is so important about Marvin Miller? I think, without exception, he is the most influential person in baseball of the last half century.
Most casual baseball fans probably have no idea who Marvin Miller is, honestly most hardcore fans probably only have cursory knowledge of the man. There is even fans (especially older ones) who have utter disdain for the man.
To put Miller's importance in perspective; Sports Illustrated named the 40 Most Influential People in Sports for the magazine's fortieth anniversary. This was in 1994 and it covered the 40 years of the magazine's existence.
Now there hasn't been a host of influential baseball people over the last 12 plus years to compete with Miller. So its pretty safe to assume that Miller's importance hasn't been overshadowed in the intervening years. SI ranks Miller Sixth of their list. Ahead of such luminaries like Mark McCormick, Bird and Magic, and Pete Rozzelle. Here's what SI's Tom Verducci said about Miller:
Miller, more than anyone else in the past 40 years, changed baseball's very
structure, and he did so with logic of someone not hidebound by the mythology and
blind patriotism of the game.
His first major act was to raise baseball's minimum salary from $6000 to $10,000. This was in 1968, in 1947 the minimum salary was $5,000. This is small potatoes compared to Miller's involvement with the reserve clause.
The reserve clause allowed clubs to control players even after their contracts expired. Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause when the Cardinals traded him after his contract expired. Flood lost his case in front of the Supreme Court, but it would be Miller leading Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith into arbitration that would destroy the reserve clause. This in effect ushered in the ear of player movement and free agency.
A lot of fans have a problem with Curt Flood and free agency. They remember the times when players had to work jobs in the off season and showed "loyalty" to the home town team. But many don't realize what the reserve clause meant to the players. How would you like it if your employer transferred you to another location when your contract expired, and you had to go. People would be livid. Outraged.
Marvin Miller turned the MLBPA into the strongest Union in professional sports. Unions in the NFL, NBA and especially the NHL (don't get me started on how bad this Union's leadership is) don't stand a chance in the face of their respective leagues. But it was Marvin Miller who ushered in a change for players in all of these leagues and showed them how to protect themselves and to maximize their earning potential.
So why isn't Marvin Miller in the Hall of Fame? I know that the Baseball Hall of Fame is notoriously hard to get into but it shouldn't be for Miller. The doors should have opened to him the moment he was eligible. If I had to guess, I would say there is animosity towards Miller among the writers. I mean baseball writers are, on at least some level, fans of the game. Fans resent free agency and the money the players make. And the writers are the type of people who recognize that it was Marvin Miller who stirred this revolution in sport. And they hate him for it.
Miller has garnered more support as of late probably because the committee expanded to include all living hall members. He fell 10 votes short this year. But here's the problem the veteran's committee only votes on non-players every four years. Miller is 90 plus years old and there won't be another vote until 2011.
BOOOOOoooo Hall of Fame!
On February 28th the Veterans Committee elected no new members to the Hall of Fame. Not Ron Santo, not Jim Katt, and not Marvin Miller. But what is so important about Marvin Miller? I think, without exception, he is the most influential person in baseball of the last half century.
Most casual baseball fans probably have no idea who Marvin Miller is, honestly most hardcore fans probably only have cursory knowledge of the man. There is even fans (especially older ones) who have utter disdain for the man.
To put Miller's importance in perspective; Sports Illustrated named the 40 Most Influential People in Sports for the magazine's fortieth anniversary. This was in 1994 and it covered the 40 years of the magazine's existence.
Now there hasn't been a host of influential baseball people over the last 12 plus years to compete with Miller. So its pretty safe to assume that Miller's importance hasn't been overshadowed in the intervening years. SI ranks Miller Sixth of their list. Ahead of such luminaries like Mark McCormick, Bird and Magic, and Pete Rozzelle. Here's what SI's Tom Verducci said about Miller:
Miller, more than anyone else in the past 40 years, changed baseball's very
structure, and he did so with logic of someone not hidebound by the mythology and
blind patriotism of the game.
His first major act was to raise baseball's minimum salary from $6000 to $10,000. This was in 1968, in 1947 the minimum salary was $5,000. This is small potatoes compared to Miller's involvement with the reserve clause.
The reserve clause allowed clubs to control players even after their contracts expired. Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause when the Cardinals traded him after his contract expired. Flood lost his case in front of the Supreme Court, but it would be Miller leading Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith into arbitration that would destroy the reserve clause. This in effect ushered in the ear of player movement and free agency.
A lot of fans have a problem with Curt Flood and free agency. They remember the times when players had to work jobs in the off season and showed "loyalty" to the home town team. But many don't realize what the reserve clause meant to the players. How would you like it if your employer transferred you to another location when your contract expired, and you had to go. People would be livid. Outraged.
Marvin Miller turned the MLBPA into the strongest Union in professional sports. Unions in the NFL, NBA and especially the NHL (don't get me started on how bad this Union's leadership is) don't stand a chance in the face of their respective leagues. But it was Marvin Miller who ushered in a change for players in all of these leagues and showed them how to protect themselves and to maximize their earning potential.
So why isn't Marvin Miller in the Hall of Fame? I know that the Baseball Hall of Fame is notoriously hard to get into but it shouldn't be for Miller. The doors should have opened to him the moment he was eligible. If I had to guess, I would say there is animosity towards Miller among the writers. I mean baseball writers are, on at least some level, fans of the game. Fans resent free agency and the money the players make. And the writers are the type of people who recognize that it was Marvin Miller who stirred this revolution in sport. And they hate him for it.
Miller has garnered more support as of late probably because the committee expanded to include all living hall members. He fell 10 votes short this year. But here's the problem the veteran's committee only votes on non-players every four years. Miller is 90 plus years old and there won't be another vote until 2011.
BOOOOOoooo Hall of Fame!
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