Sonia Sotomayor, heroine of baseball
On August 12, 1994, the Major League Baseball Players went on strike. All attempts to resolve the differences between the players' union and the owners of the teams fell through. The season just stopped. There were no playoffs. There was no World Series. No Series?!?! "Many baseball fans lamented that while two World Wars, a Great Depression, an earthquake (1989), and other crises and disasters could not cancel a World Series, financial issues and greed by some could and did."
All through the winter talks between players and owners remained stalemated. There was talk of fielding replacement teams. President Clinton tried to set an ultimatum in the winter months, ordering the two sides to come to an agreement by February 6, 1995, about a week before pitchers and catchers were due to report to spring training. Even that didn't work; February 7 came with no resolution.
In March, with no spring training and the season scheduled to start in early AprilOn March 29, the players voted to return to work if a U.S. District Court judge supported the National Labor Relations Board's unfair labor practices complaint against the owners (which was filed on March 27). By a vote of 26-2, owners supported the use of replacement players. The strike ended when federal judge Sonia Sotomayor (who was later nominated to serve on the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama) issued a preliminary injunction against the owners on March 31. On Sunday, April 2, 1995, the day before the season was scheduled to start, the 232 day long strike was finally over. Judge Sotomayor's decision received support from a panel of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which denied the owners' request to stay the ruling.
Sonia Sotomayor saved baseball! Claude Lewis of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that by saving the season, Judge Sotomayor joined "the ranks of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams." Since she's of Puerto Rican descent, I think one could add Roberto Clemente to that list!
And I'm especially glad it was the 1995 season she saved. In April 1995 my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in November. Daddy was a huge baseball fan, and it would have made his last few months even harder if there were no baseball to watch on TV.
All through the winter talks between players and owners remained stalemated. There was talk of fielding replacement teams. President Clinton tried to set an ultimatum in the winter months, ordering the two sides to come to an agreement by February 6, 1995, about a week before pitchers and catchers were due to report to spring training. Even that didn't work; February 7 came with no resolution.
In March, with no spring training and the season scheduled to start in early AprilOn March 29, the players voted to return to work if a U.S. District Court judge supported the National Labor Relations Board's unfair labor practices complaint against the owners (which was filed on March 27). By a vote of 26-2, owners supported the use of replacement players. The strike ended when federal judge Sonia Sotomayor (who was later nominated to serve on the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama) issued a preliminary injunction against the owners on March 31. On Sunday, April 2, 1995, the day before the season was scheduled to start, the 232 day long strike was finally over. Judge Sotomayor's decision received support from a panel of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which denied the owners' request to stay the ruling.
Sonia Sotomayor saved baseball! Claude Lewis of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that by saving the season, Judge Sotomayor joined "the ranks of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams." Since she's of Puerto Rican descent, I think one could add Roberto Clemente to that list!
And I'm especially glad it was the 1995 season she saved. In April 1995 my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in November. Daddy was a huge baseball fan, and it would have made his last few months even harder if there were no baseball to watch on TV.