Watch. Posed action on the mound of James "Catfish" Hunter of the New York Yankees, 1976. He exemplified class and dignity and he taught us how to win. Then, he underwent a 10-minute, non-surgical shoulder manipulation at the hands of Yankees team doctor Maurice Cowen. [4] He had won 161 games for the A's, 131 in seven seasons in Oakland and 30 in his first three seasons in Kansas City. Two weeks after he won his arbitration, Hunter became the highest-paid player in baseball and highest-paid pitcher in history when he signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $3.35 million. The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976 to 1978. Hunter wanted to make a decision by the next day, Dec. 31. In 1975, pitchers Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith played without contracts. Early speculation said that it might take as much as $1 million to lock him up. Union leader Marvin Miller, meanwhile, sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, seeking official recognition of Hunters free agency. I believe there was a higher offer, but no matter how much money offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you dont think about it.. He may not have fully understood how baseball had been changed forever because of Seitzs ruling, a year before Seitz essentially ended baseballs reserve clause, which had previously bound players to their teams until, and unless, they were released. Hunter was by that time among baseball's best. That last detail, it turned out, would prove to be instrumental in the years to come. 1974 December 31. Regal. Finley was on the hook for the outstanding $50,000, plus interest, for Hunters services in 1974, and because he had not fulfilled the players contract, it was theretofore terminated. CREATIVE. Audio Record for Costas Coast to Coast Radio Program: 1987 Hall of Fame Induction Day recording P_BL-2020-00146-005.mp3 A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. Catfish Hunter was also a competent hitter, with a career batting average of .226; in 1971 he hit .350 with 36 hits in 38 games. He placed a call to Yankees minority partner Ed Greenwald, a prominent tax attorney in Cleveland, and together they concluded that they could make it work. You started our success, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner told Hunter upon the pitchers induction to the Hall of Fame in 1987. Is Catfish Hunter in the Hall of Fame? As it all unfolded Hunter received a personal letter at his own PO box in Hertford that read, in part, I naturally feel that the arbitrator, in making his decision, exceeded his authority and jurisdiction. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. He was owed $100,000 total in 1974, with $50,000 to be paid to him directly from Finley and the remaining half to be issued in monthly payments on an insurance annuity. Heis often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent, and was a member of five World Series championship teams.[1]. I dont know much about this, Jerry. I bought the whole town of Ahoskie drinks last night, and it only cost me two dollars.. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. background-color:#ba3434; The Red Sox, Angels, Pirates and Mets had outside chances. That was the biggest thing that ever came to Ahoskie (N.C.).. And what about the farm loan? Show your love of the game and play a part in preserving past and ensuring the future of the Baseball Hall of Fame. By early August Finley was sufficiently concerned to urge Hunter to accept a straight payment of $50,000. His attorney back home in North Carolina, J. Carlton Cherry, had advised him to defer some of it. He won 21 games in each of the previous three seasons while losing only 23, giving him a fouryear record of 88 victories and 35 defeats. We need to calculate the future value of this. The following is excerpted fromDynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finleys Swingin As. Catfish Hunter joined the Yankees in 1975 after a contract breach made him a free agent following 10 seasons with the Athletics, including three as a teammate with Dave Hamilton (right). On the way I did a rough draft of the contract and he signed the draft three hours later. If you have corrections or additional information about this object, please email research@baseballhall.org to help improve our records. Catfish Hunter. It increases the club's chances of winning a pennant., Nor, Hunter said, would all the money dilute his desire to win. The signing, announced at a New Year's Eve news conference, took place at the Yankee offices in the Parks Administration Building in Flushing, Queens, where intricate negotiations wound up after Hunter and his lawyers flew here from North Carolina earlier in the day. By the end of the 1974 season, Jim "Catfish" Hunter was the ace on baseball's best team. That kind of financial outlay required the Yankees to squeeze every penny they could from the contract, and for tax purposes it made sense to put the deal on their 1974 books. Tenace spent the ensuing days humming If I Were a Rich Man around the clubhouse. What position did Catfish Hunter play? Ring in the new. Reserve your tickets, map your route, and work out all the details for your arrival in Cooperstown. For three weeks in December 1974, Cherrys firm became the most prominent entity on baseballs landscape, the result of the lawyers decision to avoid sending his client on a tour of interested parties and instead bring the parties to him. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. Blue plastic ballpoint pen and cap. Just a year ago, the Yankees went through a devastating experience with another former Finley employe. I did everything I could to live up to the contract, but he still has not paid the money, Hunter told him. (b) Suppose that the contracted payments had been made to the insurance company from April 16, 1974 through September 30, 1974, and that they accumulated at an annual effective interest rate of 6%. September 17, 1979 Closed now. Bitter feelings from that exchange stayed with the pitcher for a long time, and informed his future actions. But after making such fine history in Oakland -- in the Fall Classics and with four straight 20-win seasons -- Hunter made a different kind of history off the field in New York on New Years Eve, where the big news on that night wasnt just a ball dropping in Times Square. While playing for the Yankees, Catfish Huntercontinued to perform well. April 8, 1946 After a bidding war that included nearly every MLB team, the Yankees and Catfish Hunter ink a five-year/$3.75 million contract. Ultimately, though, New Yorks offer wasnt close enough to merit serious consideration. (Voted by BBWAA on 315/413 ballots) In 2004, the Oakland Athletics began the Catfish Hunter Award. In 1976, Hunter was also the subject of the Bobby Hollowell song "The Catfish Kid (Ballad of Jim Hunter)", which was performed by Big Tom White and released on a 45 RPM single. This was standard language found in every uniform player contract, placed there 40 years earlier by the owners themselves to provide a reasonable buffer against default claims. For the duration of the flight, Greenwald, yellow legal pad in hand, drafted an addendum to the standard players contract, conferring with Hunters team every step of the way. If you didn't know he was making that kind of money, you'd never guess it because he was humble, very reserved about being a star-type player almost a little bit shy. The images, titles, and descriptions are products of their time. Asked if Hunter's high salary would affect the morale of the other players, Paul said, The morale of the club is helped when you add a man of Hunter's status. (1968-74). Hunter eventually pitched in three World Series for the Yankees, after winning three straight championships with the As from 1972-74, before coming to New York. When Hunter asked, however, what would happen to the contract after he died, Kansas City GM Joe Burke told him that his demise would be the termination point. Hunters team claimed that Finley knew everything about the annuity arrangement from the beginning and willingly defaulted. The Yankees, meanwhile, were revitalized by their new addition. Finley gave Hunter the nickname "Catfish" in 1965 because he thought his 19-year-old pitcher needed a flashy nickname. The Yankees, trying to regain the glory that was theirs until the last decade, landed the 28yearold righthander, considered by many experts to be baseball's premier pitcher, with an assist from Clyde Kluttz, a club scout. Hollowell was best friends with the young Jim Hunter while they grew up together. The catfish fish (under the chicken) was fried to perfection and seasoned well. ", List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, "Catfish Hunter, Who Pitched in 6 World Series for A's and Yankees, Dies at 53", "Catfish Hunter Winter Leagues Statistics & History". The benefit to this arrangement was that instead of being in a high tax bracket in 1974, Hunter would be taxed later on, when he was effectively unemployed and on the hook for a smaller amount. The irony of Kluttz's presence is that if he had accepted an offer to join the newly created major league scouting bureau late last season, he wouldn't have been available to help the Yankees with Hunter. When Miller and MLB Players Association counsel Dick Moss read the contract, they agreed with Hunters interpretation and sent written notice to Finley about the violation. This was the pitcher who was the object of the affections and treasuries of teams that sent a constant stream of representatives to the tiny town of Hertford where Hunter has lived all of his life and the tiny town of Ahoskie where the law firm of Cherry, Cherry and Flythe has its offices. On New Year's Eve, it shouldn't matter if. 071B6200168 between THE STATE OF MICHIGAN and NAME & ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR / VENDOR VENDOR TELEPHONE CLIENT NETWORK SERVICES, INC. (CNSI) (301) 634-4600 702 King Farm Boulevard, 2nd Floor Rockville, MD 20850 Mr. B. Chatterjee, President [chatterjee@cns-inc.com](or) BUYER/CA Dale Reif Mr. Jaytee Kanwal, Chief Financial Officer (or) . Charlie said, Here's the money, Hunter recalled. They drove up to a little landing strip in Suffolk, Va., and we landed in New York at 5:30. 1) We are making 4166.67 for 12 installments bimonthly and our investment is growing @6%. AKA James Augustus Hunter. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. They both knew it was folly. Catfish Hunter's 1974 baseball contract with the Oakland Athletics called for half of his $100,000 salary to be paid to a life insurance company of his choice for the purchase of a deferred annuity. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Turbow, Jason. It would have priced the pitchers services at below half his current value, never mind inflation. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [21] Hunter became known as baseball's "first big-money free agent".[2]. I hung up the phone, turned to my wife and said, We don't belong to anybody. I was scared. Andruw Jones Hall of Fame Classic Home Run Derby Autographed bat, Bob Feller Signing Contract with Hank Greenberg photograph, Babe Ruth and Jacob Ruppert at Contract Signing photograph, Philadelphia Phillies versus San Diego Padres scorecard, Chicago Cubs versus New York Yankees scorecard. Hertford and Ahoskie had never seen anything like it and now the Yankees hope Hunter will help them see the things they always used to seepennants. Jim "Catfish" Hunter helped the Yankees to three American League pennants and two World Series titles after leaving the Athletics following the 1974 season. As the room began to fill, the two sides were still finalizing details. From 1965 to 1979, he was a pitcher for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. Catfish was leaning toward San Diego, although Cherry was still championing the Royals. Jim (Catfish) Hunter signed a fiveyear contract estimated at $3.75million with the New York Yankees last night, ending the most celebrated bidding war in American sports history. The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Memorial is located in Hertford. This time they're confident Finley won't beat them, but, Paul added, The courts take precedence over everything. Starting with Catfish Hunter's landmark contract for the 1975 season, let's go back and find the pitchers who set the marks for highest total value contract. How . After further persuasion from Miller, Seitz spelled out a remedy in his ruling: Hunter would become the first free agent in baseballs modern era. Finley, he said, you pay it the way the contract reads, and everything will be just fine. Finley launched into histrionics, crying to MacPhail, What can I do? I bought the sports jacket I'm wearing now and left by jet at about 2 o'clock. Dont sign nothing else, Kluttz advised. After Finley refused to make payment on the annuity after discovering he had to pay $25,000 in taxes which was due immediately, the breach of contract dispute was brought before an arbitration hearing on November 26, 1974. Phone: 602.496.1460 A trip to Cooperstown has something for baseball fans and everyone else. How about my wife? asked Catfish. This was the highest ever at the time which also earned him immense fame. The Royals weighed in with $137,500 per year for six years, money for the farm, college tuition for Hunters kids, and a figure that nearly got the pitcher to sign on the spot$50,000 a year for life. . Catfish Hunter of the New York Yankees warms-up during spring training in March, 1975 in . It started with Catfish making $640,000 a year for five years. Although his contemporaries were earning much moreTom Seaver made $173,000 in 1974, and Steve Carlton $165,000Catfish had no way of knowing that. Cedarwood Cemetery, Hertford, NC, High School: Perquimans HS (Perquimans, NC), Debut: CREATIVE. Please email us if you have further information on the rights status of an image contrary to or in addition to the information in our records. All because the quiet man from Hertford, N.C., didnt legally belong to anybody after it was ruled that he could leave Charlie Finleys As and make his own choices about where he wanted to pitch next. The Owner immediately sought a court order overturning Seitzs ruling. I cannot believe that Catfish would do this to me, he said. But that is exactly what he did. Those three seasons, 1972-74, ended with the A's as World Champions each time. Hunter signed with the Yankees on a five-year, $3.25 million contract. Collections; . For more information or access to a high resolution reproduction (some fees may apply), contact: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Giamatti Research Center, research@baseballhall.org, 607-547-0330. Below you can see the analytics for Flathead catfish fishing in Michigan. I believe there was a higher offer, but no matter how much money offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you don't think about it.. After that, teams got creative. May 13, 1965 Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age31. Finley, unwilling to consider anybodys terms but his own, refused. When we started winning in Oakland, Cat was the father of those teams, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson said. You know Jim and he knows you. Hunter, a major leaguer for 10 years, tied for the most victories, in the majors last season with 25. After a dispute over a technicality in his contract with Oakland A's owner, Charles O. Finley, Hunter had become the first free agent in baseball's modern era. Hunter's statistics while he was with the Athletics were impressive: four consecutive years with at least 20 wins, and four World Series wins without a loss. Amanda responds by asking, "Who's he?" I was in my office for half a day and I was wearing a sweat shirt, related Greenwald, a leading tax attorney. "How a contract breach led Catfish Hunter to become baseball's first real free agent", "Catfish forever altered economics of sports", "Catfish selects Yankees, Pirates offer short $ $", "Hunter ruling stands but Finley to appeal", "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Complete Games", "Blue Jays Beat Yanks; Hunter on Disabled List", "Catfish Hunter still planning on retirement", "Hunter regains consciousness after fall", "Ace pitcher and baseball's first free-agent star", "Hunter Is Buried in the Town Where He Learned Baseball", "Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center & Jim "Catfish" Hunter Museum", The ALS Association Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catfish_Hunter&oldid=1136285306, May 13,1965,for theKansas City Athletics, September 17,1979,for theNew York Yankees, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 16:54. Data Provided By Later he offered a bevy of excuses, including that the paperwork was lost. He found Hunter chock-full of questions. [6] He became the American League's first perfect game pitcher since Charlie Robertson in 1922 (excluding Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series), as well as the franchise's first no-hit pitcher since Bill McCahan in 1947 with what were then the Philadelphia Athletics. One was that Finley, while poring over the contract, added revisions in his own handwritinginstructions to his payroll department to earmark payments to whomever Hunter designated. [16] New York was closer to his home in North Carolina and the team played on natural grass. Catfish Hunter Perfect Game cap. Still, he made it to the end of a contract that were remembering today, because that contract ought to be remembered. Catfish Hunter was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987. The first team to make an offer, the Cleveland Indians, opened with $2.4 million over 10 years. The total value of the pact sets a record for baseball. For this reason, he declined to choose a team; accordingly, his plaque depicts him with no logo on his cap. That was the day that Jim "Catfish" Hunter left the Oakland As after an arbitrator named Peter Seitz ruled that the As had violated Hunters contract by not paying him money he was owed. (Hunter died on September 9, 1999, so he would not have received a January 1, 2000 annuity payment.). What about the five grand he gave him for pitching a perfect game, or the cost of a new Cadillac for winning 21 in 1971? Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish Hunter, five . Telling the pitcher to lay low until the end of the season, the agent said that hed visit Cherry in North Carolina over the winter to work out details. See the article in its original context from. By the time they reached New York it was 10 pages long and barely legible, owing to a bumpy trip. They were talking about nearly $3.5 million over five years, and Paul needed help. Ring out the old. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Discover one-of-a-kind artifacts and get lost in sweeping exhibitions that explore pivotal moments in the game and its impact far beyond the field. He led the league in wins (23) for the second year in a row, and also led the league in innings pitched (328) and complete games (30) to finish second to Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Cy Young balloting. Hegrew up on a farm and excelled in a variety of sports at Perquimans County High School. Jim "Catfish" Hunter holds Yankee emblem after signing multi-million dollar contract. The courts agreed, refusing Finleys plea at two levels of the judiciary. (Hunter wished to have such an annuity in lieu of immediate salary for tax reasons. Peter Seitz, who declared Hunter free in a breach-of-contract . That was their signing of Dick Williams to manage the club after he resigned as manager of the A's with one year to go on his contract. There was no indication what it was about. I told him, I don't want it that way. [37], Along with Billy Williams and Ray Dandridge, Hunter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1987. If it hadn't been for him, the Yankees would've had a little more trouble signing me.. Finley, however, was late in delivering the insurance payments, creating strife between owner and pitcher. Kluttz, who never earned more than $10,000 as a major league catcher, is a hunting companion of the pitcher in the offseason in North Carolina where both live. The land was important to Hunter, who as a local farmer possessed innate understanding of its value. [39] His number 27 was retired by the Oakland Athletics in a pre-game ceremony on June 9, 1991, the first in the franchise's 90 year history.[38][40]. The deal makes him the highest paid player in baseball . Kluttz was no fan of the urban environment, but there were places on the outskirts with space to breathe. In 1966 and 1967, he was named to the American League All-Star team. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Catfish Hunter was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987. (12 x $4,166.67 = $50,000.04. Miller had been following the dispute closely, and recognized that Finleys breach of contract represented a chance to take Hunters case to a neutral arbitrator. Do you think Im a free agent?, Jim, let me ask you this, said Kapstein. After a dispute over a technicality in his contract with Oakland A's owner, Charles O. Finley, Hunter had become the first free agent in baseball's modern era. Hunter, Jim, 1946-1999. An arbitration ruling had to possess serious discrepancies to be overturnedcapricious, arbitrary or dishonest conduct was how Kuhn described it, even as he noted that none of the above factored into Seitzs decision. He also won four times without losing in the World Series. Hunter was effectively pitching for half the money for which he signed. Lets get this out of the way, he told the pitcher. Furthermore, he was joining an organization that was hungry to regain its former glory. Object numberB-1975-0563 Jim (Catfish) Hunter signed a fiveyear contract estimated at $3.75million with the New York Yankees last night, ending the most celebrated bidding war in American sports history. Starting with Catfish Hunter's landmark contract for the 1975 season, let's go back and find the pitchers who set the marks for highest total value contract. After the designated hitter was adopted by the . Catfish Hunter signs free agent contract with New York Yankees, https://www.tiktok.com/@baseballhall?lang=en. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. That winter he sold 80 percent of the farm to a family friend for his initial $150,000 investment and sent the money to the Owner. In 2019, MLB's revenues were $10.7 billion, the average player's salary $4.43 million. Find the amount of the annual salary payments. Finleys bombardment peaked in August. when his unfortunate suspension was invoked, Paul said of Steinbrenner, he told men, any time you have an opportunity to buy the contract of a player for cash, I want you to go ahead whenever, in your judgment, it would be advantageous to the Yankees.. But baseball had changed forever, years after a brave man named Curt Flood had his career end when he challenged the reserve clause all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Feb. 11, 1974, Hunter agreed with Finley on a two-year deal at $100,000 peronly the second multiyear contract the Owner ever awarded. On Oct. 10, two days before the World Series was to start, Jerome Holtzman wrote a story about Hunters contract in the Chicago Sun-Times, based on a report he received from one of Hunters confidantsformer teammate Mike Hershbergerwhich included this bombshell: the best pitcher on the best team in the league was attempting to jump ship. The A's also won their third consecutive World Series. Catfish Hunter weighed 190 lbs (86 kg) when playing. Not long afterward, with Steinbrenner back in control of the Yankees and starting to throw money around, he signed Catfish Hunters old As teammate, Reggie Jackson, to a five-year contract with a total value of $3.5 million. Only a portion of NBHFM's collection is currently online and the information presented here is subject to updates and additions based on research and imaging activities. One thing Paul had working in his favor, however, was Yankees director of minor league scouting Clyde Kluttz. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Hunter was declared a free agent after Finley failed to make certain payments called for his in contract. [7] He made his major league debut in May, and earned his first win on July 27 in Fenway Park over the Boston Red Sox. On September 5, 2018, Hunter was inducted into the Oakland Athletics first Hall of Fame class, with wife, Helen, there to receive the honor. (a) Using an annual effective interest rate of 6% (a rate that figures in a six-year personal loan of $120,000 that Oakland's owner Charlie Finley had made to Hunter in 1969 and then promptly recalled), find the value of the specified payments to the insurance company at the scheduled time of the last payment. Just a few months later, however, the Owner purchased the Memphis Pros of the American Basketball Association, supplementing the hockey team he had already acquired, the NHLs California Golden Seals. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. Pen has two white stripes running down the length of the pen, one on each side. [6] Hunter made his professional baseball debut in the Florida Instructional League in 1964 but otherwise never played in the minor leagues. After the designated hitter was adopted by the American League in 1973, Hunter had only two plate appearances in his final seven seasons, with one base hit in 1973. If the arbitrator sided with Hunter, the star pitchers contract could be voided. [2][30], While with the Yankees, Hunter was a resident of Norwood, New Jersey, preferring to live outside of New York City. from the SABR BioProject, More Catfish Hunter Pages at Baseball Reference. [8] Twenty days later on December 16, arbitrator Peter Seitz decided in favor of Hunter, officially making him a free agent. But a free agent of Hunter's experience and status was unheard of. (Doug McWilliams/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) When the 1974 season opened, Finley made the standard payments every two weeks as agreed. It was clear he was not buying Finley's story, when Charlie said he knew nothing about this and claimed he did not understand the deferred payments.. That was drastic. I was probably the first player who broke it open for other players to be paid what they're worth, Hunter said. According to Paul, the Yankees signed Hunter last night rather than wait until 1975 on the advice of Greenwald, their tax lawyer. On the morning of the last day of the year Hunter drove to Ahoskie prepared to finalize a deal. "We don't belong to anybody", he told his wife.[2]. But the document in question was the only contract Hunter had. It seemed for a moment that the midnight deadline might come and go. The benefit to Finley was that he got to hold on to the money in the interim, earning interest on it all the while. He had just completed a stellar season, capturing the Cy Young Award after leading the American League in wins (25) and earned run average (2.49) and powering the Oakland Athletics to their third consecutive World Series title. Pen used by Jim "Catfish" Hunter to sign a five-year contract estimated at $3.75 million with the New York Yankees on December 31, 1974. On Oct. 4 the MLBPA sent a telegram to Finleys Chicago office, notifying the Owner of his default and informing him that because of the impending playoffs and World Series, the effective date of termination [of Hunters contract] shall be the day following the last game played by the Oakland Athletics in 1974., The ALCS began at the Coliseum the following day. 30 Facts About Catfish Hunter | FactSnippet. All rights reserved. Earlier reports said Hunter ing the deciding vote, took the action after Hunter charged that Charles O. Finley, owner of the Oakland A's, had breached his 1974 contract by not paying $50,000 of his $100,000 salary on a deferred payment basis to an insurance company by the stipulated time. (Age 33-162d) The difference with Hunters stipulation was that the Owner wouldnt have the money at allthe annuity would. Catfish Hunter left the Athletics via free agency following the 1974 season and signed with the Yankees. View Catfish Hunter's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). And the map shows spots in Michigan, where fishermen caught Flathead catfish. Support provided by Market New York through I LOVE NY/ New York States Division of Tourism as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards. My confidence grew as the hearing developed, Miller said. So the Yankees beat out the Pirates, Dodgers, Padres, Royals, Expos and Cleveland for Hunters services. in Hertford, NC One last time, Hunter was freed up in a different way. Jim "Catfish" Hunter, the Hall of Fame pitcher who ushered in baseball's era of big bucks for free agents, died today at age 53 after battling the disease named after another New York Yankees. In that instance, Finley was successful in foiling the Yankee effort. I cant see how anyone can say hes a free agent. The trouble with that logic was that Hunter, like any employee in any profession, was entitled to the terms of his contract, and accepting a check for which hed have to pay taxes was not within those terms. But it was huge money at the time, ending what the New York Times called the most celebrated bidding war in American history..
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