2007.1.33

• photography

Black and white head and shoulders portrait of Curt Flood wearing his St. Louis Cardinals baseball uniform. "Curt Flood" is typed onto bottom of photo. Photograph has been cut and colorized for reproduction purposes. Tribune captions affixed to back read, "CURT FLOOD Reserve Clause Foe" and "CURT FLOOD."

Curt FloodFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Flood (5/3/2007)Curtis Charles Flood (January 18, 1938 _ January 20, 1997) was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons from 1963-1969. He also batted over .300 six times, and led the NL in hits (211) in 1964. He retired with the third most games in center field (1683) in NL history, trailing only Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn.His major claim to fame is becoming one of the pivotal figures in the sport's labor history when he refused to accept a trade following the 1969 season, ultimately appealing his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although his legal challenge was unsuccessful, it brought about additional solidarity among players as they fought against baseball's reserve clause and sought free agency.

Used: Oakland Tribune