These election days have seen political terms bandied about such as socialism and the Bradley Effect. Essentially socialism is the distribution of money and goods by the government. It’s not something new, we have been going down that path for many years beginning with social security, which has allowed our aging a better life. Socialism flies in the face of the free market, but maybe it’s not all that bad, given recent events. Perhaps a little more socialism may help. Look at Sweden.

Another popular term has been the Bradley Effect: That voters on election night will vote against a black candidate just because he’s black, but don’t admit it before hand. Racism.

Baseball went through racism for a time, but has overcome it to a marvelous degree and there is very little Bradley or any other effect in the game. However, similar to slavery was the reserve clause in baseball years ago, baseball players were essentially indentured. It was in effect for more than 75 years until all-star outfielder Curt Flood filed a lawsuit in 1967. Even then, the Supreme Court upheld baseball’s reserve clause and it wasn’t until 1975 that it was overturned by an arbitrator.

The reserve clause held that a player was not free to seek baseball employment other than with his present team. That once you signed with the New York Yankees or any other club you could not play for another team unless traded to them. This was for the player’s entire career. Thus the player’s only recourse was either not play or hold out for more money. Meaning they would not report to the team until his salary was increased.

Joe DiMaggio hit .346, driving in 167 runs and finishing second in the American League MVP balloting in 1937. He made $15,000 and was offered $25,000 for 1938. DiMaggio refused, feeling he was worth $40,000 based on his work in 1937 and his drawing power at the gate. The Yankees refused to budge and held firm at $25,000. Joe DiMaggio decided to hold out.

The furies of hell descended on him and as Joe sulked in San Francisco, the country’s opinion swung against him. You have to remember at that time, public opinion was formed by newspapers and those that had access to the owners of the papers such as team owners. Rich and powerful they controlled much of baseball’s reporting media. Long before television and the Internet, what people knew was what they read in the paper. Reporters pretty much were subject to the approval of the teams and if they were negative in their writing they were granted little team access. Thus generally what the public heard was the owner’s side of an issue. Even today if you want to hear the party line, just listen to Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven’s telecasts.

I’m old enough to remember the displeasure of the newspapers when a local hero held out. “Who does he think he is? Holding out for 10 times the amount of an honest worker salary for playing a boy’s game! Not only that, he isn’t loyal to his home team and we all hope he comes to his senses soon.”

The owners held a tight grip on players. The reserve clause was a form of servitude and it lasted over a hundred years past the Emancipation Proclamation.

Curt Flood, the initiator of the suit to free the players, never played well again after sitting out a year and died a comparatively young man. But without him, the reserve clause might still be with us and players would not be able to sell their talents on the open market to team bidders.

While baseball players may well have been underpaid in the past, they may now be over paid. Socialism has not taken over the free market and it is alive and well, at least in the baseball world.