

- Sep 5, 2019
- 2 min
You’ve Got to Ac-Cen-Thu-Ate the Positive (*)
Longstanding baseball fans fondly remember Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro. The great knuckleballer had a strong motivation for making it as a pro, since the alternative was going to work in the coalfields like his father. When a Milwaukee Braves scout expressed interest in signing him, Phil’s dad stepped in to negotiate over the family’s kitchen table. The scout offered a contract for $275 a month contract and explained that the payment for signing would be $500. As Phil