Until her late father, Curt Flood, is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Shelly Flood is swinging for the fences.
A guest of the St. Louis Cardinals on Jackie Robinson Day, Flood attended the game with friends and family, and continued to share here message that her dad should be a Hall of Famer.
“He deserves it. What are you waiting for,” she asked Hall of Fame voters in an interview with me.
“It’s up to the sportswriters. It’s up to the former players (in the Hall of Fame.) All we can do is say he is deserving of this.”
Flood, who says her father still has a St. Louis “fan base,” shared that many players and leadership of the basketball, soccer, and other sports halls of fame have shared their thoughts with Major League Baseball that Curt Flood should be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Following the 1969 season, Flood was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies, even though he was not under contract.
He legally challenged the “reserve clause,” ultimately losing his case at the U.S Supreme Court. It cost him the latter years of his baseball career, but it opened the door to free agency and the multi-million-dollar guaranteed contracts MLB players now sign.
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, which created opportunities for other Black players.
Flood accomplished something for all players, not just African American ones.
“If there was no Jackie Robinson, my dad would have never had a chance. If there were no Curt Flood, there would be no free agency. Until he is in the Hall of Fame, this hasn’t been recognized.”
I had the honor of being a part of a tribute to Curt Flood that aired in December 2024 on Fox2. I want to thank Shirley Washington for including me and also share something.
Washington’s excellence as a reporter and producer led the station to grant her enterprise the appropriate amount of airtime to properly recognize Curt Flood and the continuing effort of Shelly Flood and others to keep her father’s legacy alive.
“This is why I’m here,” said Flood.
“It’s important to show up and participate to make sure people understand what Curt Flood stood for and what Curt Flood accomplished.
Flood helped the Cardinals win two World Series titles (1964, 67) and played for the National League champion 1968 Cardinals.
Flood was a three-time All-Star and was a Gold Glove winner for seven consecutive seasons.
He led the National League (NL) in hits (211) in 1964 and in singles, 1963, 1964, and 1968. He led the NL in putouts as center fielder four times and in fielding percentage as center fielder three times.
There are many players in the Hall of Fame (Bill Mazeroski comes to mind) that did not accomplish nearly as much.
As for Flood’s future in the Hall of Fame, Shelly says “All we can do is wait.”
The Reid Roundup
Somewhat lost in baseball lore are the players that joined Jackie Robinson in the Major Leagues in 1947 after he broke the so-called “color barrier” on April 15, 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers….Larry Doby, who like Robinson is in the Hall of Fame, became the American League’s first Black player on July 5, 1947 with the Cleveland Indians…Hank Thompson played his first game for the St. Louis Browns on July 17, 1947. Two years later on July 5, 1949, he became the first Black player for the New York Giants…The Browns became the first MLB team with two Black players on July 19, 1947 when Willard Brown took the field for the AL franchise…On August 26, 1947, Dan Bankhead joined Robinson on the Dodgers’ roster and became MLB’s first Black pitcher…While the crosstown franchise STL Browns added two Black players in 1947, the St. Louis Cardinals did not field a Black player until April 13, 1954, when Tom Alston was in the starting lineup…For the record, Boston was the final MLB team to field a Black player. Elijah “Pumpsie” Green played his first game on July 17, 1959, for the Red Sox.
All of the HOF voters should read the book about Curt Flood titled “A Well-Paid Slave.” There is probably no better account of what Mr. Flood went through and what his efforts mean to present day players.