The latest episode of the Wisconsin Law in Action podcast features Elizabeth Manriquez, Head of Reference and Scholarly Communication at the UW Law Library, discussing her chapter in the book Attorneys in the Baseball Hall of Fame: A Collection of Biographical Essays.
Liz’s chapter focuses on Bowie Kent Kuhn, who served as the fifth commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1984. As she explains in the podcast, Kuhn was “one of the most polarizing figures in baseball history” yet has become “a somewhat forgotten member of history.”
From Legal Research to Baseball History
The path to this publication began with an article Liz wrote for the UW Law Library’s weekly newsletter about baseball and entertainment law resources. The piece caught the attention of the book’s editors, who invited her to contribute a chapter.
Liz brings a unique perspective to the project as both a lifelong baseball fan (“long-suffering Chicago White Sox fan”) and a legal research professional. “A lot of the work that I do is based in stats and collecting stats, and analyzing stats, which is something that is very baseball heavy as well,” she explains.
A Commissioner Defined by Controversy
Kuhn’s 15-year tenure as commissioner was marked by significant upheaval in baseball. He presided over the sport during fundamental changes including free agency, multiple labor disputes and strikes, and landmark cases like Curt Flood’s challenge to baseball’s antitrust exemption. He also was commissioner in 1978 when Melissa Ludtke sued to allow female reporters into locker rooms.
“One of the reasons he’s a polarizing figure is because he opposed the majority of these changes and lost repeatedly,” Liz observes. “Lots of things happened despite him.”
Perhaps most striking was Kuhn’s litigious nature as commissioner. Liz discovered “boxes and boxes” of lawsuits involving Kuhn. “He had noted feuds with various owners such as Charles O. Finley. He banned people all the time. It was definitely 15 years of turmoil, I would say.”
An Unexpected Third Act
One of Liz’s most surprising discoveries was Kuhn’s career after leaving baseball. He founded a law firm with Harvey Myerson, who had been involved with a previous firm that imploded due to billing controversies. “It surprised me that Bowie Kuhn, who was always characterized as being a stuffed shirt and very by the book, would hook up with somebody like Harvey Myerson,” Liz says. The venture ended badly, with the firm filing for bankruptcy and Kuhn facing over three million dollars in debt, while Myerson was later convicted of fraud.
About the Book
Attorneys in the Baseball Hall of Fame features chapters on various baseball figures who also had legal careers, from commissioners to managers to players. Other chapters include profiles of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Tony La Russa, and Hughie Jennings (authored by fellow law librarian Savannah Nolan).
“I think that just knowing that there’s this much overlap between the game of baseball and the practice of law and all the different venues that they intersect,” Liz reflects.
The book is available at the UW Law Library, and you can find more information about Liz’s work and scholarship on the UW Law School Digital Repository.
Listen to the full podcast episode at Wisconsin Law in Action.
Note: This post was developed with the assistance of Claude AI, reviewed for accuracy, and refined to align with WisBlawg’s editorial standards.