Should Marvin Miller be in the HOF? (1 Viewer)

[Chase Stuart]

http://www.salon.com/news/sports/col/barra...ller/index.html

Red Barber, who gets my vote as the greatest broadcaster of all time, called Miller, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, "one of the two or three most important men in baseball history." Arthur Ashe felt Miller had done "more for the welfare of black athletes than anyone else." Bob Costas thinks that with the possible exception of Branch Rickey, "there is no nonplayer more deserving of the Hall of Fame." Even such former executives as Buzzy Bavasi endorse Miller's candidacy.

Miller, who founded the Major League Baseball Players Association, has no trouble lining up endorsements from players. Hank Aaron once wrote that "Marvin Miller should be in the Hall of Fame if the players have to break down the doors to get him in." Tom Seaver has called Miller's exclusion from the Hall "a national disgrace." Joe Morgan says, "They should vote him in and then apologize for making him wait so long."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Miller

Marvin Julian Miller (born April 14, 1917 in The Bronx, New York City) is the former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 - 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players' union was transformed into one of the strongest unions in the United States.

Miller, a labor economist, first started at the National War Labor Relations Board, and then moved on to the Machinist Union and the United Auto Workers. Finally, he worked his way up the United Steelworkers union to become its leading economist and negotiator. In the spring of 1966, Miller visited Spring Training camps in an effort to get selected as executive director of the MLBPA. He closely followed the joint holdout of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. He was elected head of the MLBPA in 1966.

Miller negotiated MLBPA's first collective bargaining agreement with the team owners in 1968. That agreement increased the minimum salary from $6,000 to $10,000, the first increase in two decades. In 1970, Miller was able to get arbitration included in of the collective bargaining agreement. Arbitration meant that disputes would be taken to an independent arbitrator to resolve the dispute. Previously disputes were taken to the Commissioner - hired by the owners - who often ruled in favor of the owners. Miller considered arbitration the greatest achievement of the early years of the baseball union.

In 1974, Miller used arbitration to resolve a dispute when Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley failed make an annuity payment as required by Catfish Hunter's contract. The arbitrator ruled that Finley had not met the terms of the contract so Hunter was free to negotiate a new contract with any team - making Hunter a free agent. When Hunter signed a 5-year, $3.5 million contract with the Yankees, the players saw the money that could be made when players were free to negotiate with any team.

In 1975, Miller led Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally to file a grievance arbitration; the ensuing Seitz decision effectively eradicated the reserve clause and ushered in free agency.

As an economist, Miller understood that too many free agents could actually drive down player salaries. Miller agreed to restricting free agency to players with more than six years of service, knowing that restricting the supply of labor would drive up salaries as owners bid for the few free agents.

Miller led the union through three strikes, the first in 1972 which lasted 13 days, in 1980 spring training, and again in 1981 which lasted 50 days, and two lockouts, in 1973 spring training and 1976 spring training.

Miller fell short of selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in both 2003 and 2007, although he finished among the leading candidates in voting for executives

 

[Eephus]

Absolutely. Miller has had a huge influence on modern baseball. Nice permatan too.

 

[Gaddis]

Hall voters these days seem not to have high regard for guys like Miller.

See: Buck O'Neill

 

[Chase Stuart]

Hall voters these days seem not to have high regard for guys like Miller.See: Buck O'Neill

Miller's a pretty unique character; what do "guys like Miller" mean?

 

[Eephus]

O'Neill had greater impact as an ambassador of the game than during his playing career. He played toward the end of the Negro Leagues when statistics are more available. He was an outstanding fielding 1B by all accounts and had some years where he hit for high average. So let's say his upside is Keith Hernandez, who won a MVP award but isn't a HoF. Buck also had some years where his production was more like Doug Mientkiewicz'. So he doesn't qualify as a player. As an outstanding person, a trailblazer and a guy who kept the memory of the Negro Leagues alive, maybe but his case isn't strong.

O'Neill would have been a sentimental choice but I think the electors made the right decision. He didn't seem to mind too much in his speech at Cooperstown last year. Miller is almost the anti-Buck. He's much more controversial. I'm sure there are many electors who didn't like his tactics or may complain about the end result on the game. But Miller changed the game, full stop. He's in the pantheon of off-field contributors along with guys like Rickey and Judge Landis.