Marvin Miller (2) (1917–2012)

This is Marvin Miller's fascinating account of the rise of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a.k.a. the major league players' union, and his own role in that rise as the union's executive director. Miller's book provides an insider's view of this history of player/owner relations, the development of the players' power to defend their rights and enhance their own earning power. The book also details clearly the causes and issues involved in each of the player strikes and owner show more lockouts over the years. The owners don't come off too well in this chronicle to put it mildly. Miller does not try to hid the fact that this is a subjective account, but he still makes a compelling case for the bone-headedness and greed of the owners and especially of Bowie Kuhn, who was commissioner during much of the early labor activities within the industry. Really, I now consider this a must-read for anyone interested in baseball on any level deeper than the on-the-field exploits of the players. Miller is also a decent writer and the narrative moves along nicely. show less