 |
 |
Curtis Charles Flood
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield
Born: January 18, 1938, Houston, TX
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1956-1957; St. Louis Cardinals 1958-1969; Washington Senators 1971
Died: January 20, 1997, Los Angeles, CA (age 59)
Curt Flood was a three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner on the field, but it was his contributions off the field that changed Major League Baseball and they way players are treated, forever. Flood assumed the role of the Cardinals' every day center fielder in 1958, and he'd hold down that position for 12 seasons through 1969. Along the way, he accumulated his All-Star Game appearances and Gold Gloves and earned MVP votes in six straight seasons between 1963 and 1968. He tied for the league lead in hits with 211 in 1964 while helping the Cardinals to a World Series title. Flood went back to the World Series with St. Louis in 1967 and 1968, earning another ring in 1967. Strong defensively, Flood led all National League center fielders in putouts four times and in fielding percentage three times. Upon his retirement in 1971, his 1,683 career games in center field were third all-time to only Willie Mays (#250) and Richie Ashburn. Flood collected 1,861 hits over his 15-year career, batting .293 with 85 home runs.
Flood played a key role in ushering in the age of free agency when he refused to accept a trade to the Phillies following the 1969 season. Challenging the reserve clause under the guidance of players' union head Marvin Miller, Flood sued baseball and his case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor with Major League Baseball, but the wheels of change were set in motion culminating with the player's union and team owners agreeing to free agency in July 1976. Flood had sacrificed and shortened his career for the benefit of every player to come after him. Flood was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2015.
Building the Set
The Card / Cardinals Team Set
The same apartment building (?) behind Mike Shannon (#43) on his card shows up again behind Flood here. The cartoon on the back highlights Flood's 211 hits in 1964, which tied him for the league lead with Roberto Clemente (#160). Dick Allen (#460) and Billy Williams (#220) were tied for third place with 201 hits. This card is reprinted as part of the 2002 Topps Archives set.
1965 Season
Flood would win the third of his seven Gold Gloves as the Cardinals' regular center fielder. He'd appear in 156 games, batting .310 with 11 home runs and 83 RBIs - a career high. He and Tim McCarver (#294) were named team co-captains in 1965, a title the two would hold together through their final season in St. Louis in 1969. Flood, left fielder Lou Brock (#540) and first baseman Bill White (#190) were the top three offensive stars for the Cardinals.
Phillies Connection
On October 7, 1969, the Cardinals traded Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner and McCarver to the Phillies for Allen, Jerry Johnson and Cookie Rojas (#474). It was a blockbuster deal at the time, earning additional headlines once it was learned that Flood was going to refuse to report to the Phillies. He cited the team's poor record, their old stadium, belligerent and racist fans, and the principle of having to pick up his life and move to another city after 12 years in St. Louis as reasons for not reporting and ultimately suing Major League Baseball. He informed then Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in writing on Christmas Eve 1969 that he had decided not to report to the Phillies. Now short a player in the big trade, the Cardinals ultimately sent Willie Montanez and Jim Browning to Philadelphia. Flood, still technically under contract with the Phillies, was dealt to the Washington Senators on November 3, 1970 for Greg Goossen and Gene Martin. Having sat out all of 1970, Flood struggled with the Senators and appeared in only 13 games, batting .200. Despite never playing a game for the Phillies, Topps featured Flood on a Phillies card within its 1970 set.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #464
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1958-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Panini Golden Age #96
182 - Flood non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/19/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
November 6, 2021 from Cooperstown, NY (Seventh Inning Stretch) - Card #381
Needing a quick vacation and wanting to take our sons to Cooperstown for the first time, we took advantage of the annual NJEA Teacher Convention in which public schools are closed for a few days in early November. We loaded our car on Thursday morning with a loose plan of spending two days in Cooperstown and the surrounding area, shopping in the village, soaking in the Hall of Fame exhibits and eating a few good dinners. The 4 1/2 hour drive to Otsego County was scenic and enjoyable. Most of the day Friday was spent in the Hall of Fame and Saturday was dedicated largely to shopping in the many stores, mostly baseball related, located in the blocks surrounding the Hall.
We had spent a little bit of time in the multi-level Seventh Inning Stretch, located adjacent to Doubleday Field, on Friday. But on Saturday I wanted to dig in to their haphazard, loosely alphabetical, collection of baseball cards for sale on their second floor. I spent close to 45 minutes going through the boxes, and this Flood card was one of about a dozen cards I picked out among the glorious mess of cards covering all eras between early 20th Century the late 2010s. Flood was a good deal at $15. One card was added to my growing 1935 Diamond Stars set and I also couldn't resist picking out a few low-priced cards for our future 1959 and 1969 Topps sets.
The Card / Cardinals Team Set
The same apartment building (?) behind Mike Shannon (#43) on his card shows up again behind Flood here. The cartoon on the back highlights Flood's 211 hits in 1964, which tied him for the league lead with Roberto Clemente (#160). Dick Allen (#460) and Billy Williams (#220) were tied for third place with 201 hits. This card is reprinted as part of the 2002 Topps Archives set.
1965 Season
Flood would win the third of his seven Gold Gloves as the Cardinals' regular center fielder. He'd appear in 156 games, batting .310 with 11 home runs and 83 RBIs - a career high. He and Tim McCarver (#294) were named team co-captains in 1965, a title the two would hold together through their final season in St. Louis in 1969. Flood, left fielder Lou Brock (#540) and first baseman Bill White (#190) were the top three offensive stars for the Cardinals.
Phillies Connection
On October 7, 1969, the Cardinals traded Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner and McCarver to the Phillies for Allen, Jerry Johnson and Cookie Rojas (#474). It was a blockbuster deal at the time, earning additional headlines once it was learned that Flood was going to refuse to report to the Phillies. He cited the team's poor record, their old stadium, belligerent and racist fans, and the principle of having to pick up his life and move to another city after 12 years in St. Louis as reasons for not reporting and ultimately suing Major League Baseball. He informed then Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in writing on Christmas Eve 1969 that he had decided not to report to the Phillies. Now short a player in the big trade, the Cardinals ultimately sent Willie Montanez and Jim Browning to Philadelphia. Flood, still technically under contract with the Phillies, was dealt to the Washington Senators on November 3, 1970 for Greg Goossen and Gene Martin. Having sat out all of 1970, Flood struggled with the Senators and appeared in only 13 games, batting .200. Despite never playing a game for the Phillies, Topps featured Flood on a Phillies card within its 1970 set.
|
|
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #464
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14): 1958-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2014 Panini Golden Age #96
182 - Flood non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/19/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #414 Al Lopez MG - Chicago White Sox
Previous Card: #414 Al Lopez MG - Chicago White Sox
Next Card: #416 Jim Brewer - Los Angeles Dodgers
No comments:
Post a Comment