Take Me Out to the Courthouse · The Reserve Clause
The Year Without a Signature
Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp. v. Major League Baseball Players Ass'n (1976)
Charge: Suit to overturn an arbitration award that made two pitchers free agents (suit against the players' union)Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitDocket: The Reserve Clause
Did the arbitration panel have authority to decide grievances about baseball's reserve system?
The facts
Two pitchers played a full season without signing new contracts, under a clause letting their clubs renew them for one year. Their union filed grievances claiming that once that year ended, the pitchers were free. A three-member arbitration panel agreed and declared them free agents. The club owners went to court to undo the award, pointing to a line in the labor contract saying the agreement 'does not deal with' the reserve system, so the arbitrators had no power over it.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp. v. Major League Baseball Players Ass'n, 532 F.2d 615 (8th Cir. 1976)
Read more at openjurist.org. The source reveals the outcome.