congressional baseball - prologue summer 2011

8/3/2019 Congressional Baseball - Prologue Summer 2011

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By Adam Berenbak

In the summer of 1958, Dwight

Eisenhower was in the White House,

Purple People Eater was on the radio,and the New York Yankees were

on their way to another American

League pennant.

Howee, the bsebll seso ws biefy i-

p wh vl j h ,

iclui Ykees e Csey Steel

supest outele mickey mtle, wee clle

b h S Jiiy Ci b-

i i ply.

T hi w hl i i h

pplibiliy i lw iz

spts. Bsebll, exept ntitust lws since

li i 1922, w h h -

i .

Th h Hll w kw

hw lli ii h l,

he ws just s well knwn his etic nd lksy

yl ph i.

CONGREsSional

PLAY-BY-PLAY

ONBasebaLl

A Cliord K. Berryman cartoon depicts President Theodore Roosevelt

attempting to get a handle on the various Senate amendments to the

Hepburn Act o 1906.

24 Prologue Summer 2011


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a h ppl -

cessul te i bsebll, s well s po-

essiol i the spot o lost 50 yes,

Steel ws clle ely i the hei o

qii. Hi iji wy pki,

Sl, w h -

lih pwi i ippi

h bl S.

Whe Seto Estes Keue, chi

h bi, qi Sl

his views edin the tivtins pes-

il bbll lb wih p i

leisltio, Steels espose quickly wet

pi:

w hv h b wh-

, I wl y h hy

i Chi, w ll h pk. Ty hv

il. I will y

they e d t us in Knss City, but we

bk hi . w

h w ly pibly 27 . I

piiv h , I

il. I y bk 15 y

i I w k i h lb I wl

iv h y.

T bf Kv pli m. Sl,

I h I y qi l

h ll wih lh.

L, ml k h , Kv

i hi li qii. ml,

lwys oe to look o luh, coul ot

hlp b hi bli.

Wh k by Kv i h h y b-

sevtins with eeence t the pplicbility

o the titust lws to bsebll, mtle

eplied, my views e just but the se s

Cy. T i i bk

i lh.

RecoRds of congRessional

HeaRings aRe PaRt of

national aRcHives tReasuRes

recos o heis such s this e

exple o the uexpecte tesues co-

i i il , j

h wlh ii -

ented by Cness tht cn be und in the

il ahiv.

C h i i b-

bll, spot t the het o the aeic

expeiece, o lost cetuy, eo-

i h p pl i ai hi-

ty. Bsebll histy cn be dcuented nd

tced thuh its ppence in the ecds

C, pilly i hi b -

i wll h h H

the Sete. as oe tces this pth, the

esech lue o coessiol ecos is

The Senate Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee Hearing retained a copy o its telegraphed request to Casey Stengel to appear beore it in July o 1958.



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eiet i the ocuettio o iesti-

i, hi, lili v h y.

Te Cete o Leisltie achies, the

i h il ahiv pibl

h h C,

poies ccess to the aeic expeiece

thouh iety o teils subjects

vi l 250 y.

Coessiol ecos e copose ot

ly h il p

lili b l h ily wk H

S i bi.

meetin inutes, epts, executive cu-

ictios, leisltie les ke up the

bulk o the ecos. much wok oes ito

pepi ecoi the equet he-

i ivii, h p-

p i iil, phi, pblih

. T pvi wlh i-

i viy bj.

Whil h il py wh i i

the foos o the House the Sete p-

pes eully i the Congressional Record,

h hi hl hp bil lil-

i i vi i bi-

tees hve pduced illins pes detilin

h ih hiy h liliv p,

h hiy h y.

congRessional inteRest

in BaseBall

dates to late 19tH centuRy

Te eliest etio o bsebll i co

essiol ecos, o exple occue i

vi hi i h H S i

the ltte pt the 19th centuy. mst ten

h pk h il

pl p p i i iy, b

they lso illustte the coectio to ite-

h h

i h liliv bh.

W.a.a. Csey, chi o the ati

mply L h S w Yk

Bob Feller acknowledged receiving rom Paul Rand Dixon a copy o testimony given during the 1958 Senate Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee Hearings. Felle

had been the frst head o the Major League Baseball Players Association, and at the time o the hearings had been retired rom baseball or two years.


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pk h S Ci I

Coece i mch o 1888 bout bse-

bll toupes, cicus copies, theticl

pi h lik plii b

h ill illy ipl

il hi b. T ili

h will h i b-

bll i Coess. nieteeth-cetuy co-

essiol ecos ocuet es o

h p wii hip Cb v-

eet eployees iole i oizi

, bbll b .

a h Ui S h 20h -

y, h v b l wih h

bi bi h h piliz p

Civil W ppiy h iil v-

li. I w i h bbll i

i w bi.

wo leues h eee by 1901 s

cosolite mjo Leue, s othe

le iusties h coe ue e o

titust tils leisltio, bsebll ws

ls scutinized its wn nplistic ten-

ecies. Te st heis eicte solely

bbll b hi wy h

il .

Cil i i bbll i-

i b h piy

hi b i h

x 70 y. Lb i, h h ll-

iy h v l i pil -

(whih i ply i h

y b y), wll i

investitins wee the st cn tpics.

laBoR-ManageMent issues

Begin to take centeR stage

I July 1958, hei o the tte o

i- lw xpi by

th oze o the ets o the e e-

tue ecetly etie Jckie robiso. I

pi i i h li h

Correspondence between Bowie Kuhn, commissioner o Major League Baseball, and Representative B. F

Sisk regarding the statements o Marvin Miller, head o the Major League Baseball Players Association, beor

the Select Committee on Proessional Sports. The hearings were held roughly a year ater an independent

arbitrator sided with the MLB Players Association, striking down the reserve clause and opening up ree

agency in baseball or the frst time.

In this Cliord K. Berryman cartoon, Uncle Sam

ignores bricks, representing the 1908 election

scandal involving Senator Joseph B. Foraker and

Standard Oil Vice President John D. Archbold, in avor

o the positive news o the Washington Nationals

second straight victory over the Cleveland Naps.

Prologue 29Congressional Play-by-Play on Baseball


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epesentin bsebll, rbinsn ued the p-

pi ii wh pp-

ly p[] h ply p[]

the owes, epeset[s] ll o bsebll

shuld be selected by bth plyes nd wnes.

a h pbiliy h i,

chises be to oe to ieet

cities, the issues o txes ei publicly

ce stius ce to the oeot.

With the dvent televisin, nd then cble

teleisio, both the House the Sete

bece iteeste i copulsoy licesi

i ii.

as eeue icese, the plyes

i, lb ip wll

pyih illl ppy i,

especilly sscited with televisin (nd nw

I) b, k .

Becuse o the equet ocus o lbo

copestio issues, two ues who

ppee beoe Coess oe equetly

h h bbll w ii-

Bwi Kh li ply i

chie mi mille. Te epic bttle ouht

bw h w , whih pill v

int heins bee the Huse Cittee n

the Judiciy in the 1970s nd 1980s, esulted

i h v y h kyk-

i li h i w y.

Tuhut the ecds bsebll heins

b C, hll

o es. Plyes such s y Cobb, mickey

ml, S mil, J gil hv

testied bee Cness n viety tpics,

ne nchisin t sickle-cell nei t

ivil ih iiii i p-

il p. a i w h hi

i whih bi xp hi viw h

h ii h h S -

iply bi llw

Stenel t ble n quite se tie with-

v i l h bj h.

Seel oe plyes, coches, ow-

es, coissioes he ee u o

Cness. only ew hve been elected, st

otbly Hll o e oe Seto

Ji Bi Kky h

Coli repesettie Wile vie

B mizll.

etHics in tHe national PastiMe

BecoMe suBject of HeaRings

as bsebll took hol ot oly s

aeicn institutin but ls s ecnized

pi il iiy, C b

i i i-

iy hi i h . Ivii

ito the ipct o expsio i the 1950s

1960, wll h 1994 ply ik,

bh C l li hil

spects o the e. dui the ltte pt

h 20h y, C kl

toubli subjects such s the cotiui

poble o ce isciitio i poes-

sinl spts, du nd tbcc use, vilence,

h ip h i .

T h hi, il

restoi ith i aeics Pstie, oc-

mh 17, 2005, wh vl

h bi w ll b h

House Coittee o goeet reo

t nlyze the win pble plyes use

o peoce-ehci us. Te he-

is iole such sts s mk mcgwie,

Sy Sos, rel Pleio, Cut

Schilli (ppei to oice his oppositio

i ). alhh h ply

i pjy b C,

ppul pinin suested tht ew the st-

ies they tld wee believble, nd the heins

wi .

Th ly w ply hv v b

vi lyi C, h i

ivii hv pv b h l

Coess hs coe to puishi those i

bbll wh i liv p h hih -

qi ii p.

I 2011, Cl w i -

i hil i h h h li

h H Ci vih

goeet reo i ebuy o 2008.

l h , Cl ly

will be invibly sscited with the steid

.

Bbll hiy b hh i

pp i h hi b C.

Investitin st the vudevillin nd ypsy-

like ntue pessinl bsebll, Cness

incesed its scutiny s the 20th centuy ush-

i j i .

as bsebll ew ito aeic isti-

i, C ivi hw h

infuenced the bic sciety, tteptin t

lvl v l h

l vi h ppl.

Te ecos o these iestitios

hi, hl i h C Liliv

achives, denstte hw bsebll is ne

h y bj ai hiy h

b pbly h i h

C. P

scipts o House Sete heis c

b i h Ui S H

repesenttives (recd gup 233) nd recds

h Ui S S ( gp 46) h

il ahiv Bili i Whi, d.C.

ote on Sources

To learn more about

Bbll i ll

h il ahiv,

www.archives.gov/publications/

prologue2006/spring/.

Jki bi i il ahiv

, www.archives.gov/publications/

prologue/1997/summer/.

Pi kli d. vl ivi h

lih ii pil bbll

i Wl W II, www.archives.gov/

publications/prologue/2002/spring/.

Adam Berenbak is chies

hii i h il ahiv

Cete o Leisltie achies. He

ee ste o liby sciece

eee with ocus i chies o noth Coli

Cetl Uiesity ws 2008 k Pey

Steele Ite t the ntiol Bsebll Hll o e

m a. Bl gii h C i

Coopestow, new Yok. He hs peiously woke

i bh i pbli liby pil lli.

Author


congressional baseball - prologue summer 2011

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