CURT FLOOD - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CO-SIGNED BY: VON HAYES, ENOS SLAUGHTER, TONY TAYLOR - HFSID 292067

CURT FLOOD, ENOS SLAUGHTER, VON HAYES and TONY TAYLOR
All four signed this souvenir baseball from this 1996 All-Star Game baseball
Baseball signed: "Enos Slaughter" (sweet spot), "Curt Flood", "Von Hayes", "Tony Taylor". All-Star Game Baseball (1996). 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. In 1938, ENOS SLAUGHTER (1916-2002), joined the St Louis Cardinals. A left-handed batter who hit .300 or better ten times, he led the National League with 52 doubles in 1939 and with 188 hits in 1942, and led in triples in 1942 and 1949. He captured the league RBI title with 130 in 1946. Slaughter was the leader of and top hitter (.318) on the 1942 World Championship Cardinals. He split the 1955 season between New York and Kansas City, leading the American League with 16 pinch hits. He was with the Yankees for their 1956, '57, and '58 pennants. Slaughter had 48 pinch at-bats in each of his last two seasons, leading the League in 1958. In 1985, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Outfielder VON HAYES (b. 1958) played in the Majors with the Indians, Phillies and Angels from 1981 to 1992, his career cut short by a broken arm suffered when he was hit by a pitch. In 1985, he became the first Major Leaguer ever to hit two home runs in the first inning of a game. He was an All-Star in 1989. With the Phillies in 1986, Hayes led the league in runs scored, doubles and extra base hits. He was an All-Star in 1989. Steady second baseman TONY TAYLOR (1935-2020) played in the Majors from 1958 through 1973, mostly with the Phillies but also with the Cubs and Tigers. An All-Star in 1960, he held the Phillies record for most games played at 2B until surpassed recently by Chase Utley. He is second all-time among Phillies in steals of home (6). Toned. Fine condition.