Catfish Hunter was diagnosed in September 1998 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurological disease that interferes with the signals the brain sends to the muscles. Over time, the muscles degenerate. The cause is unknown, and there is no cure.

Did you know that Catfish Hunter was the first free agent in modern times? The legal precedent set during this game-changing time are described below:

At the end of the 1974 season, Hunter (with help from the Major League Baseball Players' Association) discovered a breach of his contract. Hunter wanted long-term financial stability and his contract stipulated half of his 1974 salary was to be set aside in an annuity (an insurance trust). (Oakland Athletics Owner Charles O.) Finley failed to make the appropriate payments. Why? Because the stingy owner discovered that the deferred payment was not tax-deductible as a normal salary would be. Finley was willing to give Hunter a check for the amount, but Hunter, feeling aggrieved, claimed a breach of contract and sought free agency. The matter went to arbitration.

The arbitrator, Peter Seitz was a professional labor arbitrator. Trained as a lawyer, he decided  a number of labor - management disputes over his career. Well-read and well versed, he had a keen legal mind and a sense of fairness. (He would be the arbitrator who one year later would abolish baseball's "reserve" system once and for all).

Seitz found that the contract was breached and declared Hunter a free agent. As one of the top pitchers of the game, he was free to sign with any team he wished. When informed of the ruling, he said to his wife, "we don't belong to anybody." Over 20 teams sought his services and ultimately Hunter signed the baseball's first multi-million dollar contract. His five-year $3.25 million deal with the New York Yankees included a $1 million signing bonus, life insurance and deferred compensation and a $150,000 annual salary. A long way from his one-year $100,000 contract with Oakland.

Catfish Hunter discovered a dirty little secret: in a free market, certain owners will pay top dollar for top players. Charlie Finley discovered that a breach of contract could open up the floodgates.

Source: Mark's Sportslaw News (website).

Five (5) World Series rings, five (5) consecutive twenty-victory seasons, a Cy Young Award and a perfect game — which he commented on after the game saying, "I wasn't worried about a perfect game going into the ninth. It was like a dream. I never thought about it the whole time. If I'd thought about it I wouldn't have thrown a perfect game."