Blue, Vida R.
Baseball
b. July 28, 1949, Mansfield, LA
After appearing in just 18 games during brief stints with the Oakland Athletics in 1969 and 1970, Blue suddenly became the ace of the team's pitching staff in 1971, compiling a 24-8 record and leading the AL with 8 shutouts and a 1.82 ERA. He won the Cy Young Award and was named the league's most valuable player for that performance.
Blue earned only $13,000 that year and he held out the following season for $90,000. He finally settled for less money and wasn't nearly as good a pitcher when he came back in 1972, winning just 6 games against 10 losses.
He never duplicated his 1971 numbers, though he was 20-9 in 1973 and 22-11 in 1975 and The Sporting News named him the NL's outstanding pitcher in 1978, when he had an 18-10 record for the San Francisco Giants.
The left-handed Blue had a live fastball, a good curve, and exceptional control in his best years. After players were granted free agency in the 1976 Basic Agreement, controversial Oakland owner Charles O. Finley attempted to sell three of his best players for a total of $3.5 million. Blue was to go to the New York Yankees, but Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voided the sale on the grounds that it would be bad for baseball.
Blue was traded to San Francisco in 1977. He spent the 1982 and 1983 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, missed all of 1984 with an injury, then returned to San Francisco for two final seasons.
He had a 209-161 record in 17 seasons, with 37 shutouts and a 3.28 ERA. Blue struck out 2,175 hitters and walked 1,185 in 3,343 innings.