NEW YORK (AFP) ? Marvin Miller, the first head of the Major League Baseball Players Association who revolutionized sports with the creation of player free agency, died Tuesday at the age of 95.
?It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Marvin Miller,? said current MLBPA chief Michael Weiner in a statement on Tuesday.
Miller had been diagnosed with liver cancer in August.
?All players ? past, present and future ? owe a debt of gratitude to Marvin, and his influence transcends baseball.
?Marvin, without question, is largely responsible for ushering in the modern era of sports, which has resulted in tremendous benefits to players, owners and fans of all sports.?
Miller helped major league players form a union in the late 1960s and served as the union head until 1982.
He shepherded players through three strikes and two owner-imposed lockouts, in the process forging what is one of the strongest unions in the United States.
Until then, baseball team owners held complete sway over players with the ?reserve clause? that tied players to teams with contracts that provided for automatic renewal.
Miller led a committee of players that negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement with management in 1968, which raised the minimum salary in baseball from $6,000 ? the level at which it had been stuck for two decades ? to $10,000.
The average salary in major league baseball is now $3.4 million. Players also enjoy healthy pension and medical benefits thanks to the work of Miller and his successors.
Free agency ? the ability of players to opt to change teams when their contracts expired ? was launched in 1975 when pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally played out the option year of their contracts and challenged the ?reserve clause? before an arbitrator.
The arbitrator?s decision in favor of the players was later upheld in federal court.
Miller led the players through contentious strikes in 1972, 1980 and 1981, as well as lockouts in 1973 and ?76.
?Marvin Miller was a highly accomplished executive and a very influential figure in baseball history,? MLB commissioner Bud Selig in a statement.
?He made a distinct impact on this sport, which is reflected in the state of the game today, and surely the major league players of the last half-century have greatly benefited from his contributions.?
Labor issues continued in baseball under Miller?s successor Don Fehr, including a loss of the 1994 postseason.
However, the sport has enjoyed labor peace for almost 20 years as the NFL, NBA and NHL have battled through their own contentious contract disputes.
?Marvin possessed a combination of integrity, intelligence, eloquence, courage and grace that is simply unmatched in my experience,? said Fehr, now head of the NHL players? union whose members are currently locked out by their league.
?Without question, Marvin had more positive influence on Major League Baseball than any other person in the last half of the 20th century.?
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GameZoneNews/~3/ExwtCBhCqAg/
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