E144 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks February 4, 1997 THE PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR IN- flects different utilization of health care serv- MONTHLY PAYMENT RATES TO MEDICARE-MANAGED CARE DISPENSABLE LEADERSHIP— ices. PLANS JANUARY 21, 1997 In 1996, Dr. John E. Wennberg, the director 1995 1996 1997 of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Stud- 1995 per- 1996 per- 1997 per- HON. MAJOR R. OWENS ies at Dartmouth Medical School, published Area/county pay- cent pay- cent pay- cent ``The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care.'' The ment in- ment in- ment in- OF NEW YORK crease crease crease atlas shows that the rates of hospital beds and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES physicians per 1,000 residents determines National average ... $400 5.9 $440 10.1 $466 5.9 Richmond, NY ...... 668 6.2 758 13.4 767 1.1 Tuesday, February 4, 1997 how much care Medicare beneficiaries use. Kern, CA ...... 439 5.8 478 8.9 512 7 Revising the highly variable AAPCC payment Hennepin, MN ...... 359 2 386 7.6 405 4.8 Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, President Clin- Tulare, CA ...... 333 2.9 360 7.9 390 8.4 ton's inaugural address was not a State of the formula will result in greater equity for Medi- Vernon, WI ...... 209 6.6 237 13.2 250 5.5 Union speech obligated to provide substance care beneficiaries regardless of where they for general proposals. Appropriately, the Presi- live, allowing choices among plans and more The payment rates also illustrate the overall dent used his second inaugural statement to equitable distribution of out-of-pocket costs instability and unpredictability of AAPCC'sÐ set a tone for the next 4 years, the prelude to and additional benefit packages. factors that discourage health plans from en- the 21st century. America is a great country Because of the need to correct the inequity tering new markets and remaining in other blessed by God with wealth far surpassing any in the AAPCC payment formula for millions of markets. Nation on the face of the Earth now, or in the Medicare beneficiaries, I strongly supported If there is a silver lining to HCFA's release past. The Roman Empire was a beggar entity changes to the formula during consideration of the 1997 risk-based managed care payment compared to the rich and powerful Americans. last session of the Medicare Preservation Act. rates, it was contained in Dr. Vladeck's re- God has granted us an opportunity unparalled Regrettably, congressional efforts to reform marks: ``The formula used to set HMO pay- in history. President Clinton called upon both the geographic disparity and inequities in the ment rates is flawed. It shortchanges rural leaders and ordinary citizens to measure up to AAPCC formula were denied by the stroke of areas and markets where care is delivered this splendid moment. The President called the President's veto pen. more efficiently, and may limit beneficiary upon all of us to abandon ancient hatreds and The legislation I am introducing today nar- choice.'' rows the AAPCC payment gap between rural obsessions with trivial issues. For a brief mo- Dr. Vladeck's comments indicate HCFA's and urban areas in a budget neutral fashion. ment in history we are the indispensable peo- understanding of the inequity in the current At a minimum, a county would receive 80 per- ple. Other nations have occupied this position AAPCC formula and the need for change if we cent of the national input-price-adjusted capi- before and failed the world. The American co- are to offer all Medicare beneficiaries true tation rate. This change helps reflect the true lossus should break the historic pattern of em- choices in the type and form of health care cost of doing business, taking into consider- pires devouring themselves. As we move into they want to receive. I see this as a signal that ation uncontrollable factors such as wage the 21st century we need indispensable lead- in the months ahead we can work in a biparti- rates or supply costs. The language also im- ers with global visions. We need profound de- san, pragmatic way to improve the AAPCC plements a 3-year average for the baseline cisions. payment formula. rather than 1 year. This change provides Mr. Speaker, correcting the AAPCC pay- INDISPENSABLE NATION greater representation of historical health care Under God, The indispensable nation, ment formula is vital. The 105th Congress has costs for an area. This bill is based on the the opportunity to make the formula more eq- Guardian of the pivotal generation, Most for- Physician Payment Review Commission's tunate of all the lands, For a brief moment, uitable. I look forward to working with you and The whole world we hold in our hands, ``1996 Annual Report to Congress.'' my colleagues on the Committee on Ways Internet sorcery computer magic, Tiny spir- When the Health Care Financing Adminis- and Means to make the needed changes to its make opportunity tragic, We are the in- tration [HCFA] released the 1997 payment the AAPCC payment formula. The longer we dispensable nation, Guardian of the pivotal rates for Medicare managed care plans, the continue to use the current formula, the longer agency told us that payments nationally to generation, Millionaires must rise to see the efficient health care markets will be penalized need, Or smother beneath their splendid Medicare-managed care plans would increase and rural areas will lag behind, leaving many greed, Capitalism is King, With potential to an average of 5.9 percent as of January 1, Medicare beneficiaries with fewer choices. be Pope, Banks hoard gold, That could fer- 1997Ðsignificantly lower than the 1996 na- f tilize universal hope, Jefferson Lincoln Roo- tional average increase of 10.1 percent. sevelt King, Make your star spangled legacy This is good news in terms of the solvency CURT FLOOD: AN UNCOMMON MAN sting, Dispatch your ghosts, To bring us of the Medicare trust fundÐwe need to slow global visions, Indispensable leaders, Need profound decisions, Internet sorcery com- the rate of growth of Medicare spending to stave off its imminent bankruptcy. The bad HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR. puter magic, Tiny spirits make opportunity OF MICHIGAN tragic, We are the indispensable nation, news is that this average increase reflects IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Guardian of the pivotal generation, With lib- wide variation in percentage increases from erty and justice for the world, Under God. county to county. Four counties: Valencia, Tuesday, February 4, 1997 f N.M.; and three New York State counties Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, 1 month ago, Bronx, Monroe and New York, actually will re- I introduced legislation repealing baseball's SUPPORT GREATER MEDICARE EQ- ceive negative growthÐreal decreases. Be- UITY AND FAIRNESS BY RE- antitrust exemption. The bill was designated cause the actual dollar variations are also ex- H.R. 21, in honor of Curt Flood's number FORMING THE AAPCC PAYMENT treme, many low-payment areas get a double FORMULA when he played for the St. Louis Cardinals. whammyÐlower percentage increases off a In an ear when the terms hero and courage lower base. are used all too frequently, Curt Flood stands HON. JIM RAMSTAD This situation continues a trend inherent in out as the genuine article, a true inspiration to OF CALIFORNIA the flawed payment formula. The following all Americans who care about economic and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES table illustrates the vast variation between social equality. I am attaching a letter from counties across the country. I believe it is im- Tuesday, February 4, 1997 President Clinton and several articles written portant to point out that even though the 1996 which describe his career and reiterate these Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to AAPCC payment increased an average of introduce legislation to respond to an issue of very points. 10.1 percent not all counties shared in the Most of us are well aware of the courage great importance to Medicare beneficiaries bounty of that increase. The same is also true Curt Flood displayed when he refused to ac- and health care providers in my district and for the 1997 AAPCC payments. cept being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. throughout the countryÐreforming the pay- Counties that typically lost ground were His letter to then Commissioner Kuhn cut di- ment for Medicare risk-based managed care those in efficient markets and rural counties rectly to the core of the issue: plans. with historically lower reimbursement rates. Currently, Medicare payments to risk-based After 12 years in the Major Leagues, I do Because of these lower payment rates and not feel that I am a piece of property to be health care plans are calculated on the basis lower annual increases, these regions will con- bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. I of Medicare spending in each county's fee-for- tinue to lack the ability to attract managed believe that any system which produces that service sectionÐmedical care outside of man- case options to their area or offer enhanced result violates my basic rights as a citizen aged care plans. The variation in the adjusted health care benefits often found in higher pay- and is inconsistent with the laws of the Unit- average per capita cost [AAPCC] formula re- ment communities. ed States and the several states. February 4, 1997 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E145 Although Curt Flood lost his legal battle lasting influence on the sport he loved so self-imposed exile. This week, Hank Aaron challenging baseball's antitrust exemption, the much. said simply, ‘‘Flood was crucified for taking public recognized the moral validity of his ar- We hope that the loving concern and sup- his stand.’’ port of your family and friends will sustain By 1976, free agency had arrived and the gumentsÐhe was not a piece of property. His you during this difficult time. You are in our justice of Flood’s stand against the reserve case paved the way for free agency in all pro- thoughts and prayers. clause was vindicated. But Flood stayed on fessional sports. A national poll taken in the Sincerely, the island of Majorca. Finally, two years wake of Flood v. Kuhn showed that fans op- BILL CLINTON. later, he put his toe back into baseball gin- posed the reserve clause, which bound play- gerly, as a radio announcer for the Oakland ers to teams for life, by an 8 to 1 margin. [From the Washington Post, Jan. 22, 1997] A’s for one season. He looked like a shy, And while thousands of athletes have sub- QUITE SIMPLY, A HERO hyper-sensitive ghost of himself. Though sequently benefited from free agency, Curt (By Thomas Boswell) only 41, he seemed far older. His wounds were Flood paid a heavy price for his decision to deep. His sense of isolation was almost pal- Every few years, Curt Flood would re- pable. take on the baseball owners. The 3-time all- appear. Maybe that was so we could compare Many in the game respected Flood’s pain, star and 7-time gold glove award winner his fast-aging and haggard face with the regarding him like a soldier who’d suffered played only 13 more games before being laughing ballplayer’s mug that he’d worn in shell shock in a necessary battle. Nobody, forced out of baseball. the 1960s, before he took baseball to the Su- however, had a name for his fragile condi- Less well known is the fortitude Curt Flood preme Court. tion. He hadn’t exactly become an eccentric. We won’t be able to read the cost of mak- displayed in fighting racial intolerance. At the But whenever you saw him at a ballpark, he ing history in that face any more. Flood died seemed raw-nerved and weighted down, like same time Jackie Robinson was breaking the of throat cancer Monday at 59. It was Martin color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Curt a man who’d seen something—seen it clearly Luther King Jr. Day. Of all the figures in and undeniably—and couldn’t begin to get Flood was facing the Jim Crow laws as the sports in the last generation, perhaps only over it. sole black man playing for the High Point, NC Flood could die on the anniversary of a mar- Finally, in 1994 Flood stood before the Hi-Toms. tyr’s death and have it seem a fitting memo- cameras again briefly during the players He alone was barred from gas station rest rial. strike. Ostensibly, he was part of a possible rooms. Only Curt Flood was forced to eat at For a few days perhaps we can remember new league called the United Baseball the difference between a real rebel—one who the kitchen door while his teammates were League. takes risks for the sake of a genuine cause— Really, he took the stage to give modern served in the dining room. And when he and our phony, look-at-me rebels who only played a doubleheader, he experienced only players some backbone. The message was stand for the cover shoot of their next auto- subliminal: This guy bucked the system for greater humiliation. As he explained to Ken biography. all of you. Maybe baseball put him on the Burns: Rebellion that’s worthy of the name isn’t rack and cracked him to a degree. So when After the end of the first game you take off about attitude. The rebel to whom our re- an owner sneers about breaking the union, your uniform and you throw it into a big spect and our heart goes out is the one, such have a little guts. The money in your bank pile. . . . [But the clubhouse manager] sent as Flood, who never in this world wanted account came out of this guy’s peace of my uniform to the colored cleaners which such a job. He just had the mixed fortune to mind. was probably 20 minutes away and there I sat see what was right and act on it, knowing Flood’s legacy remains a tangled one. You while all the other guys were on the field. the cost to himself. could say he did the groundwork so athletes [The crowd has] really been giving me hell ‘‘Baseball players have lost a true cham- could make more money than anybody de- all day long, and now I’m sitting there stark pion,’’ said players union head Donald Fehr serves. Flood laid the cornerstone of the naked waiting for my uniform to come back on Monday. ‘‘A man of quiet dignity, Curt Shaq Fu mansion, so to speak. Flood helped from the cleaners and the other guys were Flood conducted his life in a way that set an make a world where Brett Favre knows no- out on the field. So finally they get my uni- example for all who had the privilege to body will mock the Superman tattoo on his form back and I walk out on the field . . . know him. When it came time to take a biceps; self-infatuation is so routine, nobody boy you’d think that I had just burned the stand at great personal risk and sacrifice, he even notices anymore. Could Dennis Rodman American Flag. stood firm for what he believed was right.’’ be as ‘‘Bad As I Wanna Be’’ without his $7 Flood had the brains and the sense of jus- Curt Flood's talents and goodwill extended million salary? If you kick somebody, peel tice to understand that baseball’s employ- off a big stack of Grover Clevelands. No prob- well beyond baseball. He ran a foundation to ment system was basically unfair. However, benefit inner-city youngsters. An accomplished lem. Thanks, Curt. by temperament, he was completely unsuited Cynics will say that Flood stood for some- painter, his portrait of Martin Luther King to a public brawl that lasted for years. He thing so that those who followed him could hangs today in Corretta King's living room. was as distressed by conflict as Fehr is invig- afford to stand for nothing. In the end, we will remember Curt Flood for orated by it. And Flood’s torment always That, however, is not Flood’s fault. By having the courage to tell America what showed. helping athletes make market salaries for should have been plain and obvious all along. When he arrived in Washington in 1971 their services, he allows them to live on a after sitting out a season, he played only 13 Discrimination is wrong. PeopleÐeven ath- bigger scale. We hear about the jerks. But games for the Senators. You couldn’t tell if the fools are still in the minority. More ath- letesÐare not property. Baseball is a business his Gold Glove, all-star skills were just fad- and should be subject to the competition laws. letes are like Darrell Green of the Redskins, ing fast or whether the Flood case was eat- who was chosen this week as the NFL’s Man A few days before Curt Flood died, I wrote ing him inside. At RFK Stadium, some of us of the Year for his charity and community him, suggesting that if the legislation I intro- cheered. But enough booed to let Flood know work. duced in his honor was to pass into law, he that, for him, no place was home. On the For some of us, Flood should be a daily should come to the White House signing cere- road, he was vilified as a traitor who wanted tonic. Maybe he’ll shame us into using the mony. That can't happen now, but I know his to ruin the national pastime. language more precisely when we describe Back then, memories of Black Power sa- indomitable spirit will be with us as we con- our famous athletes. lutes were in the air. So Flood, thoughtful When we use ‘‘courage’’ to describe a quar- tinue his fight for equality and fairness. I know but never extreme, was pigeon-holed as radi- all MembersÐand indeed all professional ath- terback who takes a pain-killing shot, cal. All he said was that he was sick of being maybe we’ll blush. When we call someone letesÐjoin me in mourning this courageous treated—and traded—‘‘like a piece of meat.’’ who makes a jump shot at the buzzer a man. How could America sanction a system where ‘‘hero,’’ maybe we’ll be just a bit abashed. If THE WHITE HOUSE, a team owned a man for his whole career? that is heroism, what word have we reserved Washington, DC, January 24, 1997. After batting .200 in 35 at-bats, Flood fled. for people such as Flood? Mrs. CURT FLOOD, Hard as it may be to believe these days, And when we say losing the World Series is 4139 Cloverdale Ave., Flood didn’t want fame. He flinched when ‘‘tragic,’’ perhaps we’ll think of the last 28 Los Angeles, CA. talking about himself and even admitted years of Flood’s life—and the price he paid DEAR MRS. FLOOD: Hillary and I were sad- that he loathed the thought that he might be for following his conscience. Then, our per- dened to learn of your husband’s death, and hurting his sport. spective sharpened, maybe we’ll choose a we extend our deepest sympathy. For years, Flood disappeared from the pub- better word. Curt Flood was a man of extraordinary lic scene, often living in Europe. In 1972 ability, courage, and conviction. His achieve- Flood v. Kuhn, the Supreme Court upheld [From the New York Times, Jan. 21, 1997] ments on the field were matched only by the baseball’s right to antitrust immunity. REMEMBERING FLOOD, A MAN FOR ALL strength of his character. While there are no Flood had fought the law and, temporarily, SEASONS words to ease the pain of your loss, I hope the law won. you can take comfort in the knowledge that ‘‘You have to understand that if you do (By Murray Chass) Curt will be remembered by so many Ameri- what I did to baseball, you are a hated, ugly, In a recent letter to Frank Slocum, execu- cans as one of baseball’s finest players and a detestable person,’’ he said, explaining his tive director of the Baseball Assistance E146 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks February 4, 1997 Team (B.A.T.), Curt Flood wrote, ‘‘The 1996 ways identified as his lawyer, had planned to mitting an error and in 1966 went the entire holiday season brings mixed feelings of joy appear before the B.A.T. board tomorrow season without making a misplay. He even and sadness. Therefore, we’ll take the advice morning to express Flood’s appreciation for became a portrait artist of some talent who that mother Laura gave to me when I was a the assistance. Instead, Moss made plans to was commissioned to paint August A. Busch kid. She’d say ‘Start counting your bless- return to Los Angeles. Jr., the owner of the Cardinals, and his chil- ings, Squirtis, by the time you’ve finished, In his letter to Slocum, Flood also wrote, dren in oils. you won’t have time for anything else.’ ’’ ‘‘Say this: ‘Curt accomplished every goal At the peak of his career, though, the man Flood, who was 59, died yesterday after a that he set for himself, and simply moved with the flawless glove misjudged a line yearlong battle with throat cancer, and it is on.’ ’’ drive, cost the Cardinals the 1968 World Se- the players who came after him in the major He didn’t gain a victory 25 years ago, and ries and supplied a regrettable footnote to leagues who should count their blessings for in his career he didn’t achieve statistics that the 1968 World Series against Detroit. having had a man of his stature and dignity were good enough for the Hall of Fame. But The Tigers and Cardinals were tied at and courage precede them. when Flood’s name first appeared on the Hall three games apiece with Bob Gibson facing Professional athletes, for the most part, of Fame ballot, this voter marked an ‘X’ Mickey Lolich for the championship in St. live for their time. They generally don’t care next to it in a symbolic gesture. No one was Louis in Game 7. They were scoreless for six what happened before them and, worse, they ever more worthy of such recognition. often don’t know. Sadly, many baseball play- innings. Then in the Tiger seventh, Gibson retired the first two batters. But after two ers wouldn’t even be able to identify Flood, [From the New York Times, Jan. 21, 1997] wouldn’t even know that he was the forerun- singles, Jim Northrup followed with the hard CURT FLOOD IS DEAD AT 59; OUTFIELDER ner of Andy Messersmith, another name they drive to center. DEFIED BASEBALL wouldn’t recognize for the impact he had on Flood lost sight of the ball momentarily, their lives. (By Joseph Durso) took a couple of steps in toward home plate, But that day in Atlanta in the last month Curt Flood, the All-Star center fielder for reversed direction and slipped while the ball of 1994, the players in the meeting room of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960’s who be- carried over his head for a triple and two the players association executive board knew came a pioneering figure in the legal attack runs. The Tigers won, 4–1, and captured the about the man who was to speak to them. on baseball’s reserve clause that fore- Series. They saluted him with a standing ovation shadowed the era of free agents, died yester- After the game, Tim McCarver stood in the before he spoke. day in Los Angeles. He was 59. rubble of the Cardinals’ locker-room regret ‘‘It almost made me forget what I was Flood died at the U.C.L.A. Medical Center, going to say,’’ Flood said afterward. ‘‘It and called out, ‘‘Curt Flood, you’re beau- where he had been a patient in recent tiful. caught me a little short. I felt a lump in my months, after developing pneumonia. He had But a year later, the Cardinals slid into throat.’’ been suffering from throat cancer since last fourth place and Busch cleaned house. In one Flood was in the room that day in his ca- spring. pacity as vice president of the United Base- At bat and especially on the field, Flood blockbuster trade, he sent Flood, McCarver ball League, a venture that did not reach was an outstanding player for a dozen years and Joe Hoerner to Philadelphia for Richie fruition. Twenty-five years earlier, in 1969, with the St. Louis Cardinals, a center fielder Allen, Cookie Rojas and Jerry Johnson. But he appeared before another Players Associa- who won the Gold Glove for fielding excel- Flood sued for his freedom from a system tion executive board seeking support for the lence seven years in a row in the 1960’s and that ‘‘reserved’’ players to their teams and task he was about to undertake. The St. batted over .300 six times. that had won exemption from the antitrust Louis Cardinals, for whom he had played for But it was his stiff resolve regarding the laws as far back as 1922. 12 years, had traded him to the Philadelphia unfairness of baseball’s virtually enslave- The trial opened May 19, 1970 before Judge Phillies, and he didn’t want to go. ment of players and his courage in challeng- Irving Ben Cooper in the United States Court Richard Moss, who was the union’s general ing a system that perpetuated this condition House in lower Manhattan. The defendants counsel at the time, recalled yesterday that that carried Flood beyond baseball. included Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Flood came to him and Marvin Miller, the It all crystallized when the Cardinals trad- Kuhn, the presidents of the National and head of the union, and told them he wanted ed Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies after American Leagues and the Chief executive of to challenge the system that he said ‘‘treat- the 1969 season and Flood refuse to go. Rep- all 24 teams then in the big leagues. They ed people like they were pieces of property.’’ were being challenged by a 32-year-old out- ‘‘Marvin and I weren’t sure if he was seri- resented by Arthur J. Goldberg, former Asso- fielder who was making $90,000 a year but ous, if he had some other agenda,’’ Moss said. ciated Justice of the Supreme Court and was determined not to be traded without his ‘‘We arranged for him to come to the board United States Ambassador to the United Na- consent. When he was asked which team he meeting in Puerto Rico. The idea was to let tions, Flood triggered a legal war that shook wanted to play for, he testified, ‘‘The team him talk to the board and convince them baseball. that makes me the best offer.’’ that he was for real, that he really believed Flood actually lost the battle in Federal this and he was sincere.’’ District Court in New York when the judge The ‘‘reserve clause’’ in contracts was not With the board’s support, Flood took his suggested that the players and club owners toppled during the trial, but it came under challenge all the way to the United States negotiate the issue. But almost six years sustained attack. Marvin Miller, executive Supreme Court. He lost, but his effort even- later, he won the war when other baseball director of the players association, described tually emboldened other players, players successfully sued and broke from the how baseball contracts tied the player to his Messersmith in particular. Unfortunately, ‘‘reserve system,’’ which for almost a cen- club forever and said, ‘‘The player has no say besides losing the case, Flood saw his career tury had bound a player to his team year whatsoever in terms of what conditions he die. After sitting out the 1970 season, he after year. plays under, always bearing in mind he has played briefly for the Washington Senators As a result, before another generation had the one alternative: He may decide to find a in 1971. passed, salaries in all sports soared, teams different way to make a living.’’ He knew he wasn’t the same player he had sought salary caps to contain the damage to The Trial consumed 10 weeks, 2,000 pages of been, and he walked away from the only job their payrolls and large cities were required transcript and 56 exhibits. Judge Cooper sug- he had known. A pariah in an owner-domi- to pay small cities millions in compensation. gested that ‘‘reasonable men’’ could find a nated business, Flood was not welcome to The solitary figure who prompted this rev- solution outside court and ruled: ‘‘We are wear a baseball uniform. Instead, he drifted olution, Curtis Charles Flood, was born in convinced that the reserve clause can be from country to country, first to Majorca, Houston on Jan 18, 1938, but was raised in fashioned so as to find acceptance by player where he opened a bar and became an alco- Oakland. He was short and skinny, but he and club.’’ signed his first professional contract while holic, then back to the United States, then Flood, who sat out the 1970 season, did not still a senior at Oakland Technical High to Sweden, then back home again. think so. He signed with the Washington School. In recent years, Flood operated a youth Senators in 1971 for $110,000, but after two After two years in the minor leagues and center in Los Angeles. He enjoyed working months suddenly quit and flew to Europe. with children. He would have enjoyed work- briefly with the Cincinnati Reds, he was ing with young professional baseball players, traded in 1958 to St. Louis, where he played When the case was appealed to the Su- too, but he never had the opportunity. Nev- for the next 12 seasons and three times preme Court, the justices—in a 5–3 ruling— ertheless, he retained his dignity and, in the played in the World Series—against the New supported the District Court and the Court last year, his courage. York Yankees in 1964, the Boston Red Sox in of Appeals and left the ‘‘reserve clause’’ un- Yesterday, Joe Garagiola, president of 1967 and the Detroit Tigers in 1968. disturbed. But Curt Flood had set the stage B.A.T., recalled that he testified for baseball His talents were unquestioned. During a for the revolution that followed in 1976, and in Flood’s lawsuit. ‘‘I thought if the reserve career that lasted from 1956 to 1971, he batted generations of free agents poured through. clause went, baseball was going,’’ Garagiola 293, stole 85 bases, appeared in three World ‘‘Baseball players have lost a true cham- said. ‘‘I was so wrong I can’t begin to tell Series and reigned in center field for 12 years pion,’’ the players’ union head, Donald Fehr, you. It took a lot of guts for him to do what for the Cardinals. said yesterday. ‘‘When it came time to take he did.’’ During one span, he played in 226 consecu- a stand, at great personal risk and sacrifice, Garagiola’s organization had helped Flood tive games without committing an error and he proudly stood firm for what he believed in the last year, and Moss, whom Flood al- in 1966 went the entire season without com- was right.’’