Bob Dylan wrote the song "Catfish" in 1975. 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? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. It didnt take long for the $1 million predictions to be blown from the water. According to Paul, the Yankees signed Hunter last night rather than wait until 1975 on the advice of Greenwald, their tax lawyer. 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. Be sure no one else knows, he warned. The money Hunter made when he signed that night at the Yankees old offices in the Parks Administration Building (in Flushing, Queens, of all places) seems quaint in comparison to the money modern free agents now make. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [24] He left the game with a bruised foot and was eventually placed on the 21-day disabled list with the injury, not pitching again until May5. . Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. That is exactly how Cherry wrote the addendum: $50,000 per year, to be paid at regular intervals through the season, and $50,000 disbursed to an entity of Hunters choosing. Hunter is mentioned in the 1976 film The Bad News Bears. By the time they reached New York it was 10 pages long and barely legible, owing to a bumpy trip. By the end of the 1974 season, Jim "Catfish" Hunter was the ace on baseball's best team. Pittsburgh offered $3.75 million for five years, plus, among other perks, limited partnership in five new Wal-Mart stores. You'll get a detailed solution from a subject matter expert that helps you learn core concepts. The first team to make an offer, the Cleveland Indians, opened with $2.4 million over 10 years. Catfish Hunter - Wikipedia You have breakfast with that boy tomorrow morning, she insisted. For the first time since the 1870s, a major league player was free to offer his services to the highest bidder. Catfish Hunter. He lost 12 games and had a 2,49 earnedrun average. Ring in the new. Hunter went 2-9 with a 5.31 ERA in 19 starts in 1979, before retiring at the age of 33. 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. Object number: B-1968-0141. Hunter probably didnt think he was changing the world because an arbitrator ruled in his favor. (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%. When Kluttz called his wife, Wayne, from the airport to tell her that he and Paul were homeward bound, she surprised him with instructions to stay put. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. Hunter's 200th win puts him in rare company - Baseball Hall of Fame Catfish Hunter weighed 190 lbs (86 kg) when playing. : It is my opinion that Hunter still belongs to the A's. Just like that, Major League Baseball had its first true free agent. More precisely, there were to be semi-monthly contributions in Hunter's name to the Jefferson Insurance Company with the first payment on April 16 and the final payment on September 30. I didn't realize the implications.. Even less palatable for Finley was the discovery that about $25,000 in taxes was due immediately, and he would be the one paying them. One thing Paul had working in his favor, however, was Yankees director of minor league scouting Clyde Kluttz. (1968-74). Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. They drove up to a little landing strip in Suffolk, Va., and we landed in New York at 5:30. The Yankees, meanwhile, were revitalized by their new addition. 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. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish". He was a man of loyalty. A trip to Cooperstown has something for baseball fans and everyone else. The votes of the first two membersMiller, on behalf of the players, and John Gaherin, the owners chief negotiatorcanceled each other out. One of the ironic parts of this story -- still such a huge story and turning point in baseball history -- is that even though it was the beginning of the way George Steinbrenner would also change baseball forever, Steinbrenner was suspended from the game at the time because of illegal contributions to the Richard Nixon presidential campaign (a felony for which he was eventually pardoned). As the room began to fill, the two sides were still finalizing details. How much did Catfish Hunter weigh when playing? After a contract violation on an annuity by Finley in 1974, Catfish Hunter won arbitration in December and he was allowed to leave the Athletics as a free agent. When Coach Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) is trying to get Amanda Wurlitzer (Tatum O'Neal) to pitch for his Little League team, Amanda makes a number of outlandish demands (such as imported jeans, modeling school and ballet lessons) as conditions for joining the team. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. 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. Catfish broke the news of his possible departure to Tenace, Bando and Rudi that night over dinner with their wives. So was Catfish Hunter.". It's 10 pages long in my handwriting and I'm the only one who can read my writing., As Hunter sat calmly behind a desk in a blue longsleeved sport shirt, blue and black checked slacks and a blue Yankee cap, Paul, his new boss, explained that as late as 8 o'clock there were some areas [in the agreement] that could've killed the whole thing.. That was drastic. Do you have a blog? 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. Hunter was afraid his career might be over in the summer of 1978, because of shoulder problems. [23] Hunter was also a competent hitter, with a career batting average of .226; in 1971 he hit .350 with 36 hits in 38 games. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. How . A contract to play for the As in 1975, he said, would be arriving shortly. 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. Hunters case was brought before arbitrator Peter Seitz in December, and Finley claimed to be confused by the terms of Hunters contract. Collections; . Catfish Hunter Contract pen - Works - eMuseum So the Yankees beat out the Pirates, Dodgers, Padres, Royals, Expos and Cleveland for Hunters services. Catfish Hunter Dead At 53 - CBS News If the arbitrator sided with Hunter, the star pitchers contract could be voided. Find the amount of the annual salary payments. 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. Although Cherry provided specific directions for the annuity depositto be paid to the Jefferson Insurance Company of North Carolina, starting midseasonthe Owner did not put a penny toward it. I love this place, said Catfishs old pitching coach in Oakland, Bill Posedale, in town representing his new employer, the San Diego Padres. Round your answers to the nearest cent.) 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. Read more. To be a Yankee is a thought in everyones head and mine, Hunter said. There was no questioning, however, that Catfish meant every word he said. Posed action on the mound of James "Catfish" Hunter of the New York Yankees, 1976. CREATIVE. Jim "Catfish" Hunter holds Yankee emblem after signing multi-million dollar contract. Hunter was effectively pitching for half the money for which he signed. You were the first to teach us how to win.. See the article in its original context from. In You, Me and Dupree, Catfish Hunter is mentioned by Owen Wilson's character, Dupree, convincing an Asian orchestra student that he can pitch: "First, call me Dupree 'cause I'm your teammate. The conflict was leaking out to the press by the time Finley, under pressure from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, finally offered Hunter the insurance payments in a lump sum. According to the union, Hunter could proclaim himself a free agent as of Sept. 26, but he did not want to distract from Oaklands playoff push. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Audio Record for Costas Coast to Coast Radio Program: 1987 Hall of Fame Induction Day recording P_BL-2020-00146-005.mp3 Catfish Hunter was baseball's first free agent - MLB In 1976, Hunter won 17 games, led the Yankees in complete games and innings pitched, and was again named to the All-Star team. It was from Finley. Tuesday and Wednesday in office Clover Consulting has a large client in Lansing, MI that is seeking an experienced Project Manager. Couldnt be worse than Finley, Kluttz reasoned, plus hes just as serious about winning. 1968 May 08. Dont sign nothing else, Kluttz advised. But on Dec. 31, 1974 the future Hall of Famer traded in his bright yellow As uniform for Yankee pinstripes, after a dispute over a technicality in his contract with As owner Charles O. Finley. I dont know much about this, Jerry. The most recent challenge to the reserve clause, made by St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, had been denied by the U.S. Supreme Court two years before. 12,369th in major league history) The deal makes him the highest paid player in baseball . [2][30], While with the Yankees, Hunter was a resident of Norwood, New Jersey, preferring to live outside of New York City. Before seeing Cherry, however, he stopped at the Tomahawk Motel to meet Kluttz for a cup of coffee. [21] Hunter became known as baseball's "first big-money free agent".[2]. 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. 30 Facts About Catfish Hunter | FactSnippet inHertford,NC, Buried: 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976 to 1978. Pen has a silver clip near the top with "Regal / 39c / Carbide Ball Fine." Hunter was declared a free agent after Finley failed to make certain payments called for his in contract. [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. Bowie Kuhn said it was like giving a life sentence to a pickpocket, and imposed a moratorium on other teams negotiating with Hunter. 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? As soon as the season ended Hunter raced home to arrange for a second loan to cover the first, but gave up when a boundary-line dispute delayed the proceedings. Catfish Hunter Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com }, Cronkite School at ASU That was where the old scout shot the final arrow in his quiver. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Never complained or made excuses - just an under-rated big time pitcher. And the map shows spots in Michigan, where fishermen caught Flathead catfish. September 9, 1999 Upon landing in New York at 6:00 p.m., the group sped to Pauls office, where they pored over the details, point by point. I tried not to think the worst of him, but it was impossible.. By the end of the 1974 season, Jim Catfish Hunter was the ace on baseballs best team. 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.