THE SIDELINES : Free Agency Judge Dies at 75
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Senior District Judge John Oliver of Kansas City, who upheld an arbitrator’s ruling in the 1970s that allowed free agency in baseball, has died at the age of 75, court officials said.
The judge, who had been hospitalized since collapsing at work last week, died of a massive blood clot about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in Trinity Lutheran Hospital at Kansas City.
One of Oliver’s most influential decisions was his upholding of a Dec. 24, 1975, ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz that allowed free agency in major league baseball.
The case grew out of a dispute pitchers Andy Messersmith of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave McNally of the Montreal Expos had against their clubs.
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