In terms of actual importance in Baseball, Curt Flood is in the top ten, if not the top five, in the game.

When Flood challenged the reserve clause in Baseball, objecting to a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies.  It led to a lawsuit, and Flood sat out for an extended period, ultimately ending his career.  It also led to Free Agency, and every time a baseball player signs a big contract, they should get down on their knees and thank the baseball gods for Curt Flood, who never financially benefited from what he stood for. 

As a player, Flood was a star with an excellent St. Louis Cardinals team in the 1960s that won the 1964 and 1967 World Series championships.  Flood was an outstanding defensive Outfielder who won seven Gold Gloves.  Offensively, Flood batted over .300 six times and led the National League in Hits in 1964.  The three-time All-Star was also first in Singles three times.

The trade mentioned above to Philadelphia happened in 1970 when he was 32.  He played only a few more games with the Washington Senators in 1971, but his career was over.  Flood left with 1,861 Hits, and one of the most important legacies in Baseball.

Vinny Lospinuso returns and disucsses prominent African-Americans who belong in the Pro Football and Baseball Halls of Fame.

The Chairman (Kirk Buchner) and Evan Nolan look at the two seperate classes for the PFHOF, Darren Sproles stating that he is a Hall of Famer, Congress looking to elect Curt Flood, and full teams in the HHOF.

While politics and sports don’t often mix, it does occur, especially when the topic of Halls of Fame come up.

102 members of the U.S. Congress have sent a letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame, extolling the candidacy of Curt Flood, who could be nominated by the Veteran’s “Golden Days” Committee this December.  

As a player, Flood was a three-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove recipient, and he would help the St. Louis Cardinals win two World Series Championships.  What made Flood more recognized is that in 1969 he challenged the reserve clause in Major League Baseball.

Flood had asked the Cardinals for a pay raise, which was denied.  At that time, players were completely under the control of their respective team, and Flood was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.  Flood refused to report.

With the backing of the Player’s Union, the case went to the Supreme Court, which Flood would lose 5-3.  Although Flood retired, the cause continued, and it was the catalyst that resulted in Free Agency becoming a part of the Majors in December of 1975.

Flood’s  areer was short because of his principles, although it was not like he did not receive prior consideration for the Hall of Fame.  He was on the ballot for fifteen years, and peaked at 15.1% in 1996, his final year on the ballot.

 What this means for Flood’s Cooperstown chances are anyone’s guess, but as always, we will be paying attention!  

Curt Flood was very highly regarded for his defensive skills as he was a seven time Gold Glove recipient (1963 to 1969) but slowly his offensive game increased to the point where he was a regular threat to lead the National League in Hits.  He would actually do that in 1964, the season that would see him go to his first All Star Game and World Series (the Cards won) and he would have six seasons where he would bat at least .300.  Flood would again help the Cardinals win the World Series in 1967 and he would have a fourth place finish in MVP voting in 1968.  He would collect 1,853 Hits for St. Louis.

With its second meeting under a revamped structure, the Baseball Hall of Fame veterans committee will convene to evaluate nine players and one executive whose impact was made primarily during the Modern Baseball era, defined as having occurred between 1970 and 1987, and perhaps elect someone to the Hall of Fame. Their ballot results will be announced on December 10 during the winter meetings.