Dave Campbell - 1972

[Ytown Tribe fan]

Dave was on ESPN chat yesterday fielding questions. One poster asked him if he was ever part of a strike.

Dave answered that he was part of the first strike, a two week stoppage in 1972 which a lot of us remember well. Dave said that in 1972, the major league minimum salary was $10,000, there was no arbitration nor free agency and that 90% of major leaguers could get a "regular job" and make the same salary.

I wonder if that last part is true. I remember being upset because the Pirates were on strike and I knew that Clemente and Stargell were making way more money than my dad (I was 15 at the time), and thinking what miserable ingrates they were.

If what Dave said is true, it seems that the '72 stoppage was completely justified and the owners had it coming.

[SmedIndy]

In Ball Four, the minumum in 1969 was $9,000, I believe.

Bouton was fighting to make $22,500. A lot of money then, but he was a veteran. The rookies were making diddly-poo.

[moose]

Originally posted by SmedIndy
The rookies were making diddly-poo.

you forgot to enclose that in [jim mora] [/jm]

[sweaver]

Originally posted by Ytown Tribe fan
Dave answered that he was part of the first strike, a two week stoppage in 1972 which a lot of us remember well. Dave said that in 1972, the major league minimum salary was $10,000, there was no arbitration nor free agency and that 90% of major leaguers could get a "regular job" and make the same salary.

I wonder if that last part is true. I remember being upset because the Pirates were on strike and I knew that Clemente and Stargell were making way more money than my dad (I was 15 at the time), and thinking what miserable ingrates they were.

I'm sure it is true. Some guys, like Clemente and Stargell, and Pete Rose and Bob Gibson, were making six figures, but most major leaguers at the time were making in the neighborhood of $30-40,000. Good money then, but not necessarily more than they could have gotten otherwise.