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No one holds a grudge like baseball’s establishment. I was let down, but not shocked, to find out I was wrong. In all, Flood has been passed over 19 times.Īfter Brad Snyder’s 2006 Flood biography “A Well-Paid Slave,” the trendy hashtag #FloodToTheHall, the T-shirt campaign in 2021 and his widow, Judy Pace Flood, and son, Curt Flood Jr., going on record about what it would mean to them for Curt to enter the Hall, I thought the man would get his due, if only posthumously. He will not be eligible for election again until 2026, when the Golden Days committee meets for quorum at the MLB Winter Meetings. Despite another year for the committee to think through Flood’s case, he still was not selected. The Golden Days committee did not meet in 2020, due to the pandemic, but did in 2021. His accomplishments on the field and off warrant induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”

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He courageously sacrificed his career to take a stand for the rights of all players in professional sports, bringing the issue of free agency to the forefront of national discussion. The players’ associations released a joint statement pleading for his induction: “Curt Flood’s historic challenge of the reserve clause a half century ago transcended baseball. The letter was supported by players’ associations representing the MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and NFL. He and 101 Congressmen signed a letter in February 2020 urging the BBWAA to induct Flood to the Hall. Trone organized a bipartisan and bicameral coalition to foster Flood’s induction. It’s about time we all come together to recognize these distinctly American actions and induct Curt Flood into the Hall of Fame.” “Curt Flood changed the game of baseball when he courageously spoke truth to power in the name of what was right,” said Congressman David Trone, a Maryland Democrat. “Flood sacrificed his own career so players after him could have free agency, leaving one of the biggest impacts on the game to this day. In 2020, Flood even had congressional support. The Golden Days committee is responsible for selecting worthy candidates from between 19. Then, in 2021, he was considered by the Golden Days Era, one of four Era Committees that consider players who have been retired for more than 15 seasons. He was made a candidate for the Hall thrice more - in 2003, 20 - by the Veterans Committee. The threshold for admittance is 75%.įlood was removed from the ballot in 1996 and died in 1997.

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I just assumed that a quarter-century after his death, the most consequential figure in the history of sports labor law and one of the best players of his generation would have been a shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame.īut after appearing on the ballot for a full 15 seasons, Flood never received more than just over 15% of votes. I assumed Major League Baseball and, more importantly, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America would do right by Flood.

In 2019, Cole led the American League in ERA, strikeouts and colorful stories about the man he owes an unpayable professional debt. As John Buck would say, excuse my language, ‘Get your f-ing book reports ready, kids. “I hope everyone has that conversation about Curt Flood on the bus. “I just think it’s so important that players know the other sacrifices that players made in order to keep the integrity of the game where it is,” Cole said. So, on the occasion of signing of one of the richest contracts in baseball history, a white guy from Newport Beach, California, told anyone who would listen how much he admired a Black man from Oakland. I want everybody to know, because challenging the reserve clause was one of the first stepping stones to ultimately the system we have today, which I believe brings out the most competitive - you know, genuine competitiveness - that we have in baseball.”įlood is not only a man Cole has come to admire but also a historic figure to whom he owes a debt of gratitude. “‘Tell me about Curt Flood! Why is he so important?’ “One of his favorite things was he would call you up to the front of the bus after a few pops, and he would get in your face, and he would ask you, ‘Who’s Curt Flood?’” Cole recalled of Buck. 18, 2019, shortly after signing his nine-year, $324 million contract to pitch for the New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole stood at a podium at Yankee Stadium and thanked Curt Flood.Ĭole told the assembled media at his introductory news conference that he first learned who Flood was as a rookie while riding the team bus with then- Pirates teammate John Buck.

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Curt Flood fought for free agency, changed pro sports