A Plea to the Hall

In 1992, Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber said the following of this man pictured at left, "[He], along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history." Bob Costas observed, "There is no non-player more deserving of the Hall of Fame." In 2000, Hank Aaron endorsed this person’s selection, saying "[He] should be in the Hall of Fame if the players have to break down the doors to get him in." So who is this monumental figure that time and time again has fallen victim to the Basball Hall-of-Fame’s veteran’s committee?

Marvin Julian Miller is the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, serving from 1966 – 1982. Under Miller’s direction, the players’ union was transformed into one of the strongest in the country. He successfully brokered the first Collective Bargaining Agreement in professional baseball, and in the process, raised the minimum salary for a player from $6,000 to $10,000. Arguably his most note-worthy accomplishment as the head of the MLBPA came in the inclusion of an arbitration clause in the newly founded CBA. Contract disputes that existed between players and owners had previously landed on the desk of the league commissioner (a man hired by the owners themselves), but now these cases were brought to impartial courts for a decision. All of this though, has not been enough for Miller to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Finishing with 63% of the votes (75% is needed for induction) in both 2003 and 2007, Miller’s candicacy took a gigantic hit when the system of voting changed dramatically. A group once made up by Hall-of-Famers, most of which players, had proven to be ineffective in their voting so the collection was reduced to 12 voting members, mostly made up of non-players. And more importantly, none with any idea of what Miller had done for their league and its players. It seems as though Miller as come to grips with his current situation. “[Enshrinement] would be nice,” Miller said, “but when you’re my age,
89 going on 90, questions of mortality have a greater priority than a
promised immortality.” At this point though, it’s not a question of immortality or deservedness. It’s simply respect; a lack of which Baseball as a whole has carried for the past decade. Whether regarding past or current players/personel. It’s simply a disgrace that Miller has fallen short so many times, and is likely to do so for a long time to come. At his age, it would be nice to see his mind to put to rest with the knowledge that the game paid back at least a little of what he put in.