CURT FLOOD - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED 03/29/1971 CO-SIGNED BY: CURT "CLANK" BLEFARY, CISCO CARLOS, BARRY MOORE, PETE WARD, GARY WASLEWSKI, RON KLIMKOWSKI - HFSID 292295

CURT FLOOD CO-SIGNED BY: CURT BLEFARY, CISCO CARLOS, BARRY MOORE, GARY WASLEWSKI, PETE WARD and RON KLIMKOWSKI
Flood and six other players signed this note at the start of his last year playing professionally.
Autograph Note signed: "Best Wishes Danny - March 29, 1971" and "Curt Blefary", "Curt Flood", "Gary Waslewski", "Barry Moore", "Pete Ward", "Cisco Carlos", "Ron Klimkowski" 5½x4 page. CURT FLOOD (1938-1997) played Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1969, and made a brief reappearance in 1971. Flood was a reliable hitter who topped .300 three times in an era when pitching dominated the game. But Flood's greatest talent was in centerfield, which he roamed for the St Louis Cardinals, beginning in 1958. One of the finest defensive players of any era, Flood had 223 consecutive games without an error, and made no errors at all in 1966. A three-time All-Star, he won seven consecutive Gold Glove awards. He played in all seven games of three World Series for the Cardinals: victories over the Yankees and Red Sox in 1964 and 1967, and a loss to the Tigers in 1968. He was one of only four Cardinals to appear on all three teams. After the 1969 season, the Cardinals traded Flood to the Phillies. Flood refused to go, and challenged the "reserve clause" which had long denied players the right to negotiate with multiple teams for the best offer. He sat out the 1970 season, taking his suit against Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn all the way to the Supreme Court. The Major League Players Association endorsed his suit, but not one active player was willing to appear in court on his behalf. With former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg as his lawyer, Flood lost by a 5-3 vote in the Supreme Court. He made a brief return to baseball with the Washington Senators in 1971, but his skills were gone, and he soon retired. Flood fought law suits and the Internal Revenue Service for the rest of his life. He twice tried to organize a new baseball league, but was unsuccessful. In 1975, an arbiter voided the reserve clause in cases involving two other players, and the era of free agency began. Flood had been five years ahead of his time. Outfielder/First Baseman CURT BLEFARY (1943-2001) played for the Baltimore Orioles (1965-1968), Houston Astros (1969), New York Yankees (1970-1971), Oakland A's (1971-1972) and San Diego Padres (1972). He was 1965 Rookie of the Year when he hit .260 with 22 HR and 70 RBI. GARY WASLEWSKI was a major league pitcher from 1967 to 1972. He was part of the Boston Red Sox during their unsuccessful World Series run in 1967, where he had the dubious distinction of having the least wins (two) of any pitcher at the start of the championship until 2006. Waslewski had a career ERA 3.44 with a win-loss record of 11-26 and five saves. CISCO CARLOS pitched in the majors from 1967 to 1970 with the Chicago White Sox and the Washington Senators. He ended his career with 119 strikeouts, a 3.72 ERA and a record of 11-18. Third Baseman PETE WARD played for nine seasons, most of them with the Chicago White Sox. He played his first season with the Baltimore Orioles and his last with the New York Yankees, leaving baseball having hit 98 home runs, 427 RBI's for a .254 batting average. Pitcher BARRY MOORE played from 1965 to 1970 for the Senators, Indians and White Sox. He pitched a one hit complete game shutout against the 1967 Twins, batters he faced that day included Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew. He ended his career with a record of 26-37 with a 4.16 ERA. Pitcher RON KLIMKOWSKI (1944-2009) played from 1969 until 1972 for the Yankees and the Athletics. He ended his career with a record of 8-12, 79 strikeouts and a 2.90 ERA.Multiple staple holes around edges. Lightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.