Murphy: In a pivotal offseason for free agency, Marvin Miller’s legacy endures
From Dale Murphy at The Athletic on November 27, 2018:
In 1975, one year after being drafted, I spent spring training with the Atlanta Braves – not because I was ready for the major leagues (I wasn’t), but because, well, the Braves pitchers needed someone to throw to.
More than 40 years later, two memories stand out from this experience. One, as I was warming up the pitchers in the bullpen, I had a singular thought: If this is what I have to learn how to hit, I don’t know if I’m ever going to make it. Second, and more importantly, I met Marvin Miller, who, outside of Jackie Robinson, impacted baseball more than anyone in the history of the game.
Miller, who was executive director of the Players Association, met with me and some of the guys in centerfield, where I soon learned that I was part of a union.
I had no idea. In fact, I didn’t even know what a union was. I was just a 19-year-old kid from Oregon, and this was all new to me. But I listened and tried to learn.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/669485/2018/11/26/dale-murphy-in-a-pivotal-offseason-for-free-agency-marvin-millers-legacy-endures/
Related links:
- Read “Marvin Miller and the Birth of the MLBPA” (SABR Baseball Research Journal)
- Listen to our SABR Oral History interview with Marvin Miller from 2004
Originally published: November 27, 2018. Last Updated: November 27, 2018.