Do you know who Curt Flood is?
When we think about Blacks in baseball, we often go to the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, who was indeed a force to be reckoned with. But Curt Flood is one of my heroes. He was fierce, loyal, obedient, outcasted and determined.
- F – Fierce
- L – Loyal
- O – Obedient
- O – Outcasted
- D – Determined
According to TIME Magazine, “In 1969, St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He didn’t want to go and eventually sued baseball, challenging its reserve clause, which gave owners absolute rights over players. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Flood lost, but his suit paved the way for modern free agency. He died in Jan. 20, 1997.”
Curt was also an artist and one of my favorites pieces of his is the painting of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a son, a husband, a father, an activist, a baseball player and one of my heroes. And he should be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
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C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.
