MLB's near-free agency disaster holds big lessons for college sports

mike vacaro

MLB

open mic

by mike vacaro

Charlie Finley gave so much to so many people during his 20 years as a Baseball Inn owner. In Kansas City, he became a civic hero in 1964 for writing a personal check for $150,000 to bring the Beatles to town at the height of Beatlemania. He flirted year after year to move the Athletics out of town, quickly becoming one of the town's most maligned residents, and finally succeeded in 1968.

Under his direction, the Oakland Athletics formed one of the two or three greatest dynasties in sports history, winning three straight championships from 1972 to 1974. Then he let that glorious team fall apart bit by bit.

He was so generous to his players, such as giving $300 to anyone who wanted to grow a mustache, that photos of the 1970s A's team look like they could have slotted right into the 1870s. However, he was notorious for being a cheap player, and most players came to dislike him, and in the 1973 World Series, he tried to “fire” a player named Mike Andrews after he made a costly mistake. It is notorious for that.

It was Jim Hunter who described his old boss like most of his colleagues – it was Finley who gave him the name “Catfish.”

“Charlie was just a nuisance,” Kat said in 1979.

But Charlie had his ideas. Inspired by the DH, Finley invented the “designated runner,” and in 1974 and 1975 Herb Washington appeared in 105 games for the Athletics, stealing 29 bases but never appearing at bat. . He suggested the idea of ​​different colored baseballs. He dressed his team in uniforms that could be seen from the International Space Station.

And he almost became the only owner to outsmart Marvin Miller, the undefeated head of the Players Association. And that's why we brought up Finley this morning, even if it pertains to a completely different sport: college basketball.

Miller achieved his biggest victory on December 23, 1975, when arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that free agency became the law of baseball. The problem was how to enact it. Miller's plan, which is still in effect today, was for teams to retain rights through renewals and arbitration for a player's first six years, after which players were free to do whatever they wanted.

Finley hated the idea because he knew it would mean expending countless resources developing players who were good enough to be poached. But rather than quietly complain about the decision, Finley took a different path.

“Make them all free agents!” he declared, suggesting the game would take the idea of ​​free agency literally and require everyone to commit to one-year contracts that allow players to move every year if they wish.

Finlay's fellow owners were too arrogant to see the brilliance of Finlay's plan, but Miller certainly wasn't. He knew that yearly disruption would bring short-term gains for some players, but would be so terrible for the game that it could eventually force a revolution. .

He later told author John Hellyer in the book Lords of the Realm: That would have been an impossible box. You couldn't say you were against freedom. ”

So, Finley's plan fails, Miller's plan survives, and speaking of college basketball, the number of players in the transfer portal this week exceeded 1,000 and continues to rise. And anyone who cares about sports and has a conscience knows what Miller felt. You cannot freely disagree. And after decades of playing for free, college athletes definitely don't have that problem anymore.

But the oversupply of players year after year is creating something Miller has always feared. It benefits some, usually the best players and the best teams. This is not healthy at all for the game as a whole, nor for the player who left the team when the music stopped. Mr. Miller knew baseball's annual free agency was unsustainable. Indeed, the unlimited access policy to the transfer portal feels similar.

The answer lies somewhere between indentured servitude and complete freedom. College sports might be able to use someone like Marvin Miller to find a safe haven and avoid realizing Charlie Finley's wildest dreams.

Vac's Blow

I've always said, when there's a difficult and important job to do, the Chaminade Man is ready to get it done. Michael O'Connell will run the point and not only help NC State continue this great run on Sunday, but he will also be there to protect us from Duke sneaking into the Final Four.

Strat-O-Matic officials predicted that the Braves would beat the Astros by five games in the 2024 World Series. It was good news for the Yankees, who clinched the AL East title with a record of 99 wins and 63 losses, and 48 home runs and 113 RBIs were expected for Aaron Judge. 3rd place), it wasn't that great.

As everyone celebrates the retirement of Dwight Gooden's jersey number on April 14th, Doc will also remember one person who wasn't there: former Mets and Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. “Mel meant everything to me,” he says. “He cared about me as a person. He was there through the good times and the bad. I owe my career to him.”

I know that Lincoln conspiracy buffs like me can sometimes have a bit of a Trekkie vibe. Still, I think you'll enjoy every bit of Manhunt on Apple TV as much as I do.

hit back vac

Neil Ptashnik: A lifelong Jets fan, I'm 61 years old. The QB and offensive lineman are older than me in my football days. Why do teams keep putting lipstick on pigs?

back: I'm starting to think it might be difficult to thread loose-leaf paper through the Jets' “window of opportunity.”

henry conte: Thanks to Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery. If we can bring in Jim Spanarkel as a third, it will be a graduate basketball player.

back: Where can I register?

@aghease: In games like the Mets' season opener, you especially appreciate the pitch clock.

@MikeVacc: He drove me home in time for happy hour!

robert feuerstein: With the advent of the LIV Tour and the disappearance of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, golf has become almost invisible. Thanks to Scotty Scheffler for giving us a reason to watch.

back: Tiger Woods has been doing so relentlessly and reliably for so long that it's easy to forget how rarely even the best players are expected to perform at their best every week. Ta.