Former MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Passes Away At Age Of 80

Former MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Dies At Age 80

Former MLB Commissioner BOWIE KUHN, who served in the role from ’69-84, died Thursday at the age of 80 in Jacksonville, and USA TODAY’s Hal Bodley notes Kuhn was commissioner during the first players’ strike in ’72 and “choreographed the first lockout by owners a year later.” In all, there were five work stoppages during his tenure. He was in office when free agency went into effect in ’76, and the league expanded MLB from 20 to 26 teams during his 15 years. He also introduced the DH in the AL, the first night World Series game and LCS. Attendance also increased from 23 million in ’68 to 44.6 million in ’82. He signed a $1.2B TV contract with NBC and ABC in ’83. But rifts with team owners, including GEORGE STEINBRENNER, RAY KROC and CHARLEY FINLEY “finally did him in” (USA TODAY, 3/16). ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said Kuhn’s legacy also “includes instituting initiatives to increase minority representation in baseball management. ... He also brought the game back to the fans by restoring fan voting for the All-Star Game.” Kuhn once said of his legacy, “I remember (a columnist) writing a piece in the Times, ‘Now we’ve got a fan commissioner,’ and that’s the way I thought of myself, always have” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 3/15). Kuhn once said, SI want it to be remembered that I was commissioner during a time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game and that it was a time in which no one could question the integrity of the game” (L.A. TIMES, 3/16).

LABOR RELATIONS: In L.A., Mike Kupper notes the late CURT FLOOD “forever will be linked to Kuhn.” Flood refused to report to the Phillies in ’69 after being traded by the Cardinals. He instead sent a letter to Kuhn demanding that he be declared a free agent. After Kuhn refused, Flood sued Kuhn and MLB, alleging violations of antitrust law. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of MLB, but three years later, the MLBPA won in arbitration, paving the way for free agency (L.A. TIMES, 3/16). In N.Y., Bill Madden writes Kuhn will “probably be most remembered as the commissioner who presided over the advent of free agency, salary arbitration and the accompanying higher salaries.” But the victories by MLBPA Exec Dir MARVIN MILLER “were largely the product of stubbornness, gross miscalculations and blind stupidity on the owners’ part” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/16). Miller said Kuhn “had a marvelous sense of humor. I can’t remember anyone writing about this. It was evident in all of our dealings, and it was something used very skillfully by him in moments where there was a lot of tension” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/16).

Turner One Of Several MLB Owners Disciplined Under Kuhn’s Tenure

RELATIONSHIP WITH OWNERS: On Long Island, Ken Davidoff notes Kuhn suspended Steinbrenner for two years, later shortening it to 15 months, after he pled guilty “to making illegal contributions” to President RICHARD NIXON’s ’72 re-election campaign. Steinbrenner said in a statement, “Even though we had our disagreements over the years, I never lost my respect toward his integrity” (NEWSDAY, 3/16). Kuhn also overruled player deals made by Finley “that he considered detrimental,” suspended former Braves Owner TED TURNER for contract tampering and fined Kroc $100,000 “for publicly coveting players from other teams” (L.A. TIMES, 3/16).

STANDING FIRM: NEWSDAY’s Ken Davidoff writes Kuhn “might be best known for forbidding Hall of Famers WILLIE MAYS and MICKEY MANTLE to work actively in baseball, because of their associations with Atlantic City casinos.” Shortly after taking over for him, PETER UEBERROTH “revoked those limitations” (NEWSDAY, 3/16). When the Braves were trying to hold HANK AARON out of their season-opening series in ’74 so he could break BABE RUTH’s career home-run record at home, Kuhn “ordered the Braves to play Aaron ... citing the need to protect the integrity of the game” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/16). In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette notes in ’82, Kuhn “had to deal with [MLB’s] first major drug scandal” after WILLIE WILSON and VIDA BLUE were among the first players to serve prison time for cocaine possession (TIMES-UNION, 3/16).

COMMISSIONERS REMEMBER KUHN: Ueberroth said, “Bowie was instrumental in expanding the visibility and popularity of the sport worldwide. He brought order to [MLB] and his many contributions to the growth of the game will serve as an enduring legacy” (L.A. TIMES, 3/16). MLB Commissioner BUD SELIG said, “He led our game through a great deal of change and controversy. Yet, Bowie laid the groundwork for the success we enjoy today” (MLB). Former Commissioner FAY VINCENT said of Kuhn’s legacy being linked to labor unrest, “Just as PETE ROSE is for me, that was the singular monumental development during that era. It’s unfair to blame Bowie. He worked for the owners” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/16).

REAX FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE: Red Sox President & CEO LARRY LUCCHINO said of Kuhn, “Baseball owes him an enormous debt of gratitude” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/16). Former MLB manager WHITEY HERZOG said, “He added a lot of prestige to the commissioner’s office, which was needed. ... He put everything in New York, and he went from a 10-man office to about 100” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/16). Twins broadcaster BURT BLYLEVEN, who served as a player rep during Kuhn’s tenure, said, “He meant a lot to baseball. He was the commissioner during the transition to free agency, and I thought he handled everything really well” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/16). Angels manager MIKE SCIOSCIA said, “The fact that baseball is in the shape it is right now and there finally is some working relationship between the [MLBPA] and MLB, I think, is the result of what the sport went through back then” (MLB.com, 3/15).

Steinbrenner Says He Never Lost Respect For Kuhn’s Integrity

COLUMNIST REAX: In N.Y., Richard Goldstein writes Kuhn “viewed himself as a lifelong fan determined to uphold the integrity of baseball, promote competitive balance and enhance the game’s marketing.” However, to his detractors, he was “often self-righteous, pompous and inconsistent in his rulings, and subservient to the owners who hired him” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/16). In S.F., Bruce Jenkins writes the “game underwent so many drastic changes during his reign [that] Kuhn had no chance at gaining unconditional respect.” But baseball “blossomed, financially and at the gate, under his leadership,” and it was considered “a more first-class operation at the time of his departure” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/16). MLB.com’s Tom Singer wrote Kuhn ruled over an “era of expansion, growth and television exposure.” He was a man “lacking charisma and media presence, prompting much of the public to view him as a large buffoon” (MLB.com, 3/15). In Denver, Troy Renck writes Kuhn’s legacy “always will be tied to money” (DENVER POST, 3/16). In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes while Kuhn “earned the ‘tumultuous’ [tag],” he also “did plenty of good in his tenure” (N.Y. POST, 3/16). ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian said there were “a lot of unpopular things that he did, but at least he had the courage of his conviction. ... The integrity of the game was more important than anything, and no individual and no team was bigger than the game” (ESPNews, 3/15).