Former MLB commissioner Kuhn dies

One-time baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who survived repeated attacks by a combative players' union in the 1970s and 1980s, died Thursday.

He passed away in hospital at the age of 80 following a short illness, Kuhn's spokesman Bob Wirz said.

Kuhn lorded over baseball during 15 tumultuous years that saw players gain free agency and start the spiral of multimillion-dollar salaries.

When Kuhn took over as commissioner from William Eckert on Feb. 4, 1969, baseball just had completed its final season as a tradition-bound, 20-team sport with no playoffs, a reserve clause and an average salary of about $19,000 US.

During his tenure, the sport battled the rise of the NFL and a players' union that besieged Kuhn with lawsuits, grievances and work stoppages.

By the time he was succeeded by Peter Ueberroth on Oct. 1, 1984, the major leagues had 26 teams in four divisions, a designated hitter in the American League, the first night World Series games, colour-splashed uniforms, free agency and an average salary of nearly $330,000.

'A time of tremendous growth'

"I want it to be remembered that I was commissioner during a time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game," Kuhn said, "and that it was a time in which no one could question the integrity of the game."

People did question several of his major decisions, however.He didn't attend the game in 1974 when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth's career record.

And he banned Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle from association with their teams because of their liaisons with gambling casinos — Mays in 1979 and Mantle in 1983.

Many fans also remember him for his questionable choice to watch World Series games played at night in frigid weather without an overcoat.

Kuhn feuded with colourful personalities: owners Charlie Finley, Ted Turner, George Steinbrenner and Ray Kroc; former star players Mays, Mantle and Curt Flood, as well as union head Marvin Miller. Kuhn also presided over a 50-day strike that split the 1981 season in half.

Finley once called Kuhn "the village idiot."

A prim and proper lawyer who stood ramrod erect, Kuhn was thought of as a stuffed shirt by some.

"You've got to develop a sense of humour," Kuhn once said in an interview. "You have to be able to stand back and laugh. That's invaluable, or you're apt to go slightly balmy."