And Now You Know!: The Legend of the King

Spring is in the air and Grapefruits are aplenty. We are six weeks from the start of the MLB season and one of the best hitters of all time has yet to be signed. In case you were confused, I am referring to Manny Ramirez. In a time of economic woes teams are unwilling to open the wallet as easily as they once did. But where did all this greed come from? It was 122 years ago this week in which baseball opened it's wallet for the first time.

In the mid-1880s the average player salary was anywhere from $100-$1000. In 1887, the first annual Groundhog's day was observed, Thomas Stevens finished his bicycle trip around the world, Helen Keller was learning, and Michael Joseph Kelly was about to strike it rich with the Boston Beaneaters.

Michael Joseph, better known on the diamond as King Kelly, began his career a decade earlier playing with the Cincinatti Reds before Hall of Famer Cap Anson signed him to play for the Chicago White Stockings. Kelly was noted as being a heavy drinker and often his antics on the field, such as showing up drunk, and off the field, got him fined by baseball. (Note: Some stories floating around on the Internet include Kelly actually taking a beer out to right field with him and catching a ball in stride with mug in hand, and then there is a story about him always having a pet monkey on his shoulder in the clubhouse and a Japanese valet.)

Kelly expected more money for his play and "good behavior" but White Stockings manager Albert Spalding was done with the shenanigans despite the performance and sold Kelly to the Boston Beaneaters, but Kelly was set on how much he wanted to play for and wouldn't play for a penny less.

That number just so happened to be $10,000, over twice as much as any other player ever in baseball at the time. MLB had a salary cap at this time so the Beaneaters could only pay him the max $2,000/year but also paid him $3,000 up front for the right to use his image and likeness, something that had normally been free for teams once a player was a part of the organization. Thus became the first sports licensing agreement, and since he was sold for $10,00 and essentially another $5,000 with his contract and licensing, Kelly was known as the "$15,000 Beauty".

Kelly played three years for the Beaneaters and was the most popular player of his time. He put up great numbers in the dead ball error and loved stealing bases. Kelly though had a way of getting things done. In the late 1800s there was only one umpire on the baseball field at a time and Kelly took full advantage of this. The King would often skip bases when the umpire wasn't looking, literally running from first to third or even second to home at times. Kelly revolutionized the game, forcing teams to adjust to him such as shifting defenses and holding the runner on base and forced MLB to tweak rules such as not being allowed to pass your teammates on the base paths and adding extra umpires.

His play on the field was scoffed by opponents but enjoyed by the fans. It is believed that Kelly was one of the first players to begin signing autographs for fans. The stories pile up about the King and it is clear to see that he was a true entertainer and showman as well as a great ballplayer. Right after playing for Boston he went back to Cincinnati where the team was named after him (Cincinnati Kelly's Killers) for one season in the American Association. Kelly died shortly after he retired at the young age of 36. There was a song and movie named in his likeness called, "Slide Kelly, Slide!". He was eventually elected into the Hall of Fame despite accusations of cheating the game.

So that brings me back to Manny Ramirez, essentially pulling a "$15,000 Beauty". He has had his fair share of antics along the way but yet when he wants to play, he is one of the best hitters of all time. Manny can be a showman on the field as he will high five fans while making catches or disappear into the oblivion that is the Green Monster at Fenway only to magically reappear right before the next pitch.

For this reason alone, teams should pay Manny. Sure he will hit monster homeruns and maybe he will jog out a few ground balls, but he is a very marketable player to fans. Maybe Adam Dunn will hit more homeruns this season for $20 million less than what Manny signs for but Dunn is not Manny and he can't fill the seats quite like Manny does. (See Cleveland's record sell out streak, 1995-2001 and Boston's record-breaking sell out streak, 2003-present.)

And Now You Know! (And Knowing is Half the Battle)

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