Decade: The Watergate Years (1970-1979)
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Team Decade Pages (Average Win Shares / Points per year in decade):		Top Team Builders In Decade:
AMERICAN LEAGUE:	NATIONAL LEAGUE:	1 - Gabe Paul (GM), Bill DeWitt (GM), Bob Howsam (GM), Sparky Anderson (Manager)- Reds
Baltimore Orioles - 118	Cincinnati Reds - 118	2 - Charlie Finley (Owner) - A's
Boston Red Sox - 111	Pittsburgh Pirates - 114	3 - Harry Dalton (GM), Frank Cashen (GM), Hank Peters (GM), Earl Weaver (Mgr) - Orioles
New York Yankees - 111	Los Angeles Dodgers - 113	4 - Ewing Kauffman (Owner), Cedric Tallis (GM), Joe Burke (GM), Whitey Herzog (M) - KC
Kansas City Royals - 106	Philadelphia Phillies - 101	5 - Gabe Paul (GM), George Steinbrenner (Owner)  - Yankees
Oakland A's - 104	St. Louis Cardinals - 99	6 - Joe Brown (GM) - Pirates
Minnesota Twins - 101	Houston Astros - 99	7 - Al Campanis (GM), Tom LaSorda (Manager) - Dodgers
Detroit Tigers - 98	San Francisco Giants - 98	8 - John Quinn (GM), Paul Owens (GM) - Phillies
Anaheim Angels - 97	Chicago Cubs - 98	9 - Dick O'Connell (GM), Tom Yawkey (Owner) - Red Sox
Chicago White Sox - 94	New York Mets - 94	10 - Bill Veeck Jr (Owner), Hank Greenberg (Owner) - White Sox
Texas Rangers - 93	Montreal Expos - 93
Cleveland Indians - 92	Atlanta Braves - 90
Milwaukee Brewers - 92	San Diego Padres - 82
Seattle Mariners - 77
Toronto Blue Jays - 68
Decade Highlights
□ Free Agency was the big story of the decade.
□  For decades major league baseball owners knew that they had an extremely unfair legal contractual arrangement with the players called the Reserve Clause. They made sure to keep a team
in the marginally viable, on a major league level, city of Washington DC in order to placate lawmakers to not overturn the Reserve Clause for decades. The Reserve Clause bound a player to a
team after his contract expired with that team. In other words, a player could not sign a contract with any other team even tho' his contract with the current team was over. On the face of it,
it was absurd. But it was reality. Ironically, altho' it had nothing to do with the final overturning of the Reserve Clause, baseball lost it's team in Washington in 1972 when the Senators moved
to Texas and became the Rangers. Karma.
The Reserve Clause was struck down in 1975. The process had started in 1966 when Marvin Miller, who had previously been an economist for the United Steel Workers Union, signed on as
Executive Director of the Major League Players Association. The players had Miller on their side of the table, the owners had Bowie Kuhn. Howitzers vs. Pea Shooters. After the Reserve Clause
had been struck down by an arbitration panel, Miller did one more brilliant thing. He set up the new labor agreement with the owners to allow only a small portion of players to be eligible for
free agency in any one year. That scarcity guaranteed that there would be demand for the free agent's services to keep their value high.
Since the Reserve Clause ended, the owners have tried many different ploys, several struck down by the courts, to try to get some of their mojo back. The thing is that over the past forty five
years, baseball, with the Reserve Clause out of the picture, has never been in better health financially. At the end of the day, it's been much ado about nothing.
As far as the immediate impact in the Seventies, free agency was a boon to the game. It gave the Hot Stove League over the winter an entirely new dimension. The interest and discussion as
to whether players were worth their contracts added a new exciting dimension to the game for fans which continues to this day. It's been win-win for baseball.
George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, became the Bogey Man who was out to buy championships. Free agency was THE topic of discussion in baseball. Interestingly, George wasn't
the biggest purveyor of the free agent market. That was Gene Autry. The difference was that Gene was beloved. George wasn't. Also, Gene was unsuccessful in his attempts to buy
championships. George was successful. Altho', even there, it was Gabe Paul's trades more than the free agent signings that put the Yankees over the top.
□  The Designated Hitter was brought into the American League in 1973 in an attempt to stimulate the offense. There was a crisis in major league baseball, particularly in the American League,
because the game had lost it's balance. Pitching was dominating. Fans like offense and they were losing interest in the game. The National League wasn't affected nearly as much mainly
because most of the hitters that were around were there. You had the Big Red Machine, the Pirates, who were loaded with hitters, the Giants, who always had a talented group of outfielders
and good hitters sprinkled throughout. It turns out that the ship got righted during the decade and the DH wasn't the cause. The mound had been lowered and the umps had squeezed the
strike zone and all of a sudden hitting was back to the norms of the previous few decades. It really wasn't very clear why hitting went away and why it came back.
The DH has been a source of controversy since it's inception. It seemed like a good idea to me. When you get to the major league level, who wants to see guys hopelessly flailing away at
pitches - being automatic outs? I don't find the strategy of pitching around your seventh and eighth batters in the lineup so you can face the automatic out batting ninth as very compelling.
Yet there are those who believe it's incredibly fascinating. Should I pinch hit for the pitcher and take him or not and keep him in?  It's not an issue to fall on your sword about.
□  Balance between hitting and base running is also back to normal during the decade. Even the slugging Yankees have speed guys like Mickey Rivers and Willie Randolph in the lineup.
□  There is another round of expansion foisted on baseball by the courts. When the city of Seattle was abandoned in 1970 by the Pilots who moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers,
a lawsuit ensued. The suit resulted in a court imposed expansion to put a team in Seattle. The Mariners in 1977. Simultaneously a second Canadian team was established in Toronto, the Blue Jays.
The two teams were added to the American League, causing an unbalanced 14-12 setup. It was hard to keep addinng four teams at a time.
□  Altho' rumors were flying around about franchises moving all decade, mostly started by owners who wanted to extract more money from the cities they were currently in, there was only
one franchise move during the decade. Bob Short moved his team out of Washington and to Texas. It was for the usual short sighted, greeedy reasons, of getting the local taxpayers to pony
up a stadium, sweetheart land, TV and concessions deals, etc. from the people in the new city, this time being Arlington, Texas. At least this nonsense was starting to settle down.
□  The best teams in the National League during the decade are also exciting ones to watch. The Big Red Machine in Cincinnati bludgeoned the opposition with a hard hitting group of stars.
The Pirates were loaded with talented players who could hit. Los Angeles was also loaded with stars. By mid decade, Philadelphia would field a truly ouststanding team.
□  In the American League, the A's and Orioles were tremendous teams with great pitching and hitting. As the decade went on, the Yankees and the Royals moved to the head of the class.
The Red Sox were an interesting case. They only won one pennant, but they were in the mix as one of the better teams every year. They also had lots of big stars.
Baseball got back on track with the fans in the Seventies. A lot of it was the supremely talented and entertaining top teams in both leagues. They were fun to watch and competed with each
other at a high level. It also didn't hurt that the Yankee dynasty was back. For TV ratings and media interest, there's nothing like a New York team doing well. When it's the iconic Yankees,
everybody either loves or hates them, generating lots of interest everywhere.
□ There was a spate of stadium building in the Seventies and most of it was bad. The idea was multipurpose stadiums to accommodate not only baseball, but football, concerts, etc.
Efficiency. Unfortunately, with efficiency, you often lose charm. The stadiums became these round, equi-dimensional, cookie-cutter things. But they were efficient.
This ugly, soul-less, trend in ballparks actually started in the Sixties, but gained traction in the Seventies. A lot of these parks had astroturf - an abomination.
□ 1964 New York Mets Shea Stadium
□ 1966 Anaheim Stadium
□ 1966 Atlanta Fulton County Stadium
□ 1966 St. Louis Busch Stadium
□ 1968 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
□ 1969 San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium
□ 1970 Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium
□ 1970 Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium
□ 1971 Philadelphia Veterans Stadium
□ 1972 Texas Arlington Stadium
□ 1973 Kansas City Royals Stadium - an exception to the rule, nice ballbark
□ 1977 Montreal Olympic Stadium
□ 1977 Toronto Exhibition Stadium
□ 1977 Seattle Kingdome
□  Outside of baseball, the Viet Nam war ended, Watergate happened, it was the Disco era, long hair was in, altho' it was now getting styled for the Discos, there was a new type of movie
and TV show with anti-heroes as the stars. This spilled over into sports where, in baseball, the heroes with an attitude like Reggie Jackson were the biggest stars.
The burgeoning popularity of other sports was also beginning to take it's toll on baseball. No longer was baseball exclusively America's game. Football was getting huge
and other sports were increasingly gaining interest due to their exposure on TV, all at the expense of baseball.
Top Players In Decade Pages (Win shares / Points and WAR (in parentheses) for Decade ):
All Positions -  Top 50	Top Starting Pitchers	Top Catchers	Top 15 Outfielders
1 - Gaylord Perry Giants (59.28) - 133	1 - Gaylord Perry Giants (59.28) - 133	2 - Johnny Bench Reds (58.91) - 129	4 - Bobby Bonds Giants (49.17) - 126
2 - Johnny Bench Reds (58.91) - 129	3 - Jim Palmer Baltimore (54.51)  - 126	17 - Ted Simmons Cards (39.92) - 103	5 - Reggie Jackson Yankees (51.27) - 124
3 - Jim Palmer Baltimore (54.51)  - 126	6 - Tom Seaver Mets (67.25) - 122	18 - Thurman Munson Yankees (45.72) - 102	7 - Cesar Cedeno Houston (44.19) - 122
4 - Bobby Bonds Giants (49.17) - 126	9 - Steve Carlton Phillies (44.78) - 119	24 - Carlton Fisk Boston (35.81) - 91	12- Amos Otis KC (40.76) - 116
5 - Reggie Jackson Yankees (51.27) - 124	10 - Phil Niekro Braves (64.62) - 119	Gene Tenace A's (39.52) - 67	15 - Reggie Smith Boston (44.8) - 105
6 - Tom Seaver Mets (67.25) - 122	11 - Ferguson Jenkins Cubs (52.77) - 118		20 - Roy White Yankees (38.24) - 97
7 - Cesar Cedeno Houston (44.19) - 122	13 - Nolan Ryan Mets (41.78)- 108	Top First Basemen	22 - Garry Maddox Phillies (31.64) - 96
8 - Joe Morgan Reds (67) -121	16 - Don Sutton Dodgers (34.66) - 104	29 - George Scott Boston (29.26) - 87	23 - Carl Yastrzemski Boston (40.63) - 94
9 - Steve Carlton Phillies (44.78) - 119	19 - Catfish Hunter Yankees (28.25) - 102	36 - Willie Stargell Pirates (37.86) - 83	31 - Lou Brock Cards (14.06) - 85
10 - Phil Niekro Braves (64.62) - 119	21 - Vida Blue A's (35.53) - 97	39 - Tony Perez Reds (36.21) - 80	32 - Bobby Murcer Yankees (29.76) - 85
11 - Ferguson Jenkins Cubs (52.77) - 118	25 - Bert Blyleven Twins (58.18) - 91		35 - Rick Monday A's (18.95) - 83
12- Amos Otis KC (40.76) - 116	27 - Wilbur Wood Chicago (43.5) - 87	Top Second Basemen	40 - Al Oliver Pirates (31.98) - 80
13 - Nolan Ryan Mets (41.78)- 108	30 - Rick Wise Phillies (25.39) - 86	8 - Joe Morgan Reds (67) -121	47 - Willie Davis Dodgers (26.15) - 77
14 - Rod Carew Twins (56.33) - 106	37 - Luis Tiant Boston (39.86) - 81	14 - Rod Carew Twins (56.33) - 106	50 - Bob Watson Houston (26.22) - 74
15 - Reggie Smith Boston (44.8) - 105	38 - Mickey Lolich Detroit (34.01) - 80	Davey Lopes Dodgers (30.54) - 64	Ken Singleton Mets (35.93) - 72
16 - Don Sutton Dodgers (34.66) - 104	42 - Jack Billingham Reds (9.85) - 79	Bobby Grich Baltimore (46.88) - 62	Don Baylor Anaheim (19.07) -   68
17 - Ted Simmons Cards (39.92) - 103	43 - Jerry Koosman Mets (35.05) - 78		George Foster Reds (31.99) - 66
18 - Thurman Munson Yankees (45.72) - 102	44 - Mike Torrez Cards (20.91) - 78	Top Shortstops	Darrell Evans Braves (32.92) - 65
19 - Catfish Hunter Yankees (28.25) - 102	45 - Miguel Cuellar Baltimore (12.5) - 77	26 - Bert Campaneris A's (36.08) - 90	Paul Blair Baltimore (19.4) -    63
20 - Roy White Yankees (38.24) - 97	46 - Tommy John Dodgers (27.9) - 77	28 - Dave Concepcion Reds (30.06) - 87	Dave Parker Pirates (32.39) - 60
21 - Vida Blue A's (35.53) - 97	49 - Ross Grimsley Baltimore (9.38) - 75	50 - Toby Harrah Texas (31.62) -- 74
22 - Garry Maddox Phillies (31.64) - 96	Andy Messersmith Anaheim (30.4) - 71	Mark Belanger Baltimore (33.31) - 68
23 - Carl Yastrzemski Boston (40.63) - 94	Rick Reuschel Cubs (40.91) - 71
24 - Carlton Fisk Boston (35.81) - 91	Jon Matlack Mets (33.52) - 64	Top Third Basemen
25 - Bert Blyleven Twins (58.18) - 91	Ken Holtzman A's (17.97) -    63	33 - Mike Schmidt Phillies (50.26) - 85
26 - Bert Campaneris A's (36.08) - 90	Steve Rogers Montreal (27.95) - 62	34 - Pete Rose Reds (50.61)- 84
27 - Wilbur Wood Chicago (43.5) - 87	Frank Tanana Anaheim (32.61) - 61	48 - Graig Nettles Yankees (54.47) - 76
28 - Dave Concepcion Reds (30.06) - 87	Randy Jones San Diego (19.85) -    60	George Brett KC (36.17) - 62
29 - George Scott Boston (29.26) - 87		Buddy Bell Cleveland (31.38) - 58
30 - Rick Wise Phillies (25.39) - 86	Relief Pitchers	Ron Cey Dodgers (35.63) - 55
31 - Lou Brock Cards (14.06) - 85	41 - Rollie Fingers A's (16.19)- 80	Sal Bando A's (48.97) - 52
32 - Bobby Murcer Yankees (29.76) - 85	Mike Marshall Dodgers (16.21) - 70
33 - Mike Schmidt Phillies (50.26) - 85	Sparky Lyle Yankees (18.18) - 65
34 - Pete Rose Reds (50.61)- 84	John Hiller Detroit (27.55) -    46
35 - Rick Monday A's (18.95) - 83	Tug McGraw Mets (11.89) -   45
36 - Willie Stargell Pirates (37.86) - 83	Goose Gossage Yankees (21.06) - 42
37 - Luis Tiant Boston (39.86) - 81	Dave Giusti Pirates (9.23) -   38
38 - Mickey Lolich Detroit (34.01) - 80	Bill Campbell Twins (12.78) -    32
39 - Tony Perez Reds (36.21) - 80	Kent Tekulve Pirates (10.09) -    30
40 - Al Oliver Pirates (31.98) - 80
41 - Rollie Fingers A's (16.19)- 80
42 - Jack Billingham Reds (9.85) - 79
43 - Jerry Koosman Mets (35.05) - 78
44 - Mike Torrez Cards (20.91) - 78
45 - Miguel Cuellar Baltimore (12.5) - 77
46 - Tommy John Dodgers (27.9) - 77
47 - Willie Davis Dodgers (26.15) - 77
48 - Graig Nettles Yankees (54.47) - 76
49 - Ross Grimsley Baltimore (9.38) - 75
50 - Toby Harrah Texas (31.62) -- 74
50 - Bob Watson Houston (26.22) - 74