Names Around Baseball

The Royals installed a single red seat among the blue seats at Kauffman Stadium in honor of late Negro Leagues player and coach BUCK O’NEIL. ESPN’s Joe Morgan reported a committee will choose a new person to sit in the seat each game by asking fans “to send in names of the people who have special accomplishments and who embody the spirit of Buck O’Neil.” O’Neil’s brother, WARREN, occupied the seat during the Royals’ opener yesterday against the Red Sox (ESPN, 4/2).

FLOOD INSURANCE: In a profile of late MLBer CURT FLOOD, whose legal challenge to MLB was the precursor to free agency, USA TODAY’s Sandy Grady writes he “began the revolution that gave 2007’s ballyard tycoons freedom and wealth.” While Flood, represented by MLBAM Exec Dir MARVIN MILLER, lost a Supreme Court judgment 5-3 in his fight for free agency, he “blew a hole in the wall through which veterans ANDY MESSERSMITH, DAVE MCNALLY and CATFISH HUNTER later marched” (USA TODAY, 4/3).

SOX: Red Sox P CURT SCHILLING was the featured guest on FSN’s “CMI: The Chris Myers Interview,” where he wore a T-shirt and hat for his 38studios.com game company. Schilling, on writing his own blog: “I didn’t really become aware of the sub-culture that blogs are until the last 6-8 months when I opened 38studios. Some of the employees at the company have blogs in the industry, and I started to look at them a little bit and I just thought, ‘Why not?’ After wearing the labels I’ve worn for 15 or 20 years –- some right, some wrong -– being able to eliminate the middleman in a lot of cases is not a bad thing” (FSN, 4/1)....Charity Wines and Charity Hop have teamed with Schilling, Red Sox LF MANNY RAMIREZ and P TIM WAKEFIELD on a line of wines called Schilling Schardonnay, Manny Being Merlot and CaberKnuckle. Each player’s charity will receive $1.25 per bottle sold at New England-area outlets and Fenway Park (Charity Wines).