CURT FLOOD

No athlete ever made a greater sacrifice than Curtis Charles Flood. A few months before his 32nd birthday, and after playing 12 great seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Curt Flood was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, the doormats of the National League. Curt Flood simply said... "No." He sent a letter on December 19, 1969, to the Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

"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. I believe that any system that produces that result violates my basic right as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States." Curt Flood said, "No."

Flood was a big part of three pennant winners and two world champions. In 21 World Series games he scored or drove in 19 runs. On the day that he was traded, he had 1,853 hits-- he was 32 and at that pace he needed seven more seasons to reach the 300 hit milestone, which in all likelihood would have landed him in the Hall of Fame. He batted .300 in six separate years and posted a .293 career average. His seven Gold Gloves had been exceeded only by Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. He won six of those Gloves in a row from 1963-68. He played 226 consecutive games without an error. He was arguably the best defensive centerfielder of his day.

He had given up a Hall of Fame career for a principle. A principle that would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the players that would follow him, most of whom do not know his name or sacrifice. A principle that ultimately earned him not one dollar. Kevin Brown, Ken Griffey, Jr., Mo Vaughn and countless other players owe more than they know to Curt Flood. Curt Flood's intention was not about money, but about the right to go where he wanted to go. Flood was an outstanding player devoted to his craft. He sacrificed his own career in his prime for the sake of principle. How could you do any better than that?