after his death, he was posthumously elected to the Baseball Reliquary, which honors players both for their on-field statistics and for their off-field character. The breakdown of Busch's relationship with Flood was compounded by the Cardinals' decision to terminate Harry Caray's announcer contract. These upheavals left Busch emotionally disturbed, with his son Adolphus Busch IV later writing, "[s]omething had occurred that made him question whether he should stay on as CEO of the company or retire". In 1975, his other son, August Busch III, began a boardroom coup to oust his increasingly erratic father from Anheuser-Busch. While August took over the brewing industry, he allowed Gussie to remain president of the Cardinals as long as he accepted his son's usurpation and publicly announced that he was retiring of his own accord. Busch died of pneumonia and congestive heart failure in September 1989. Move toward free agency in baseball Seitz decision Their loss in Flood signalled to the MLBPA that any serious revisions to the league's operations could not go through the courts. The original CBA between the league and Players Association had created an arbitration system for labor disputes. Miller used it to the players' advantage, encouraging them not to sign contracts and arbitrate their salary disputes. MLB's first official free agent was Catfish Hunter, who in 1974 took the Oakland Athletics to arbitration over a breach of contract. Arbitrator Peter Seitz declared Hunter's contract with the Athletics void, allowing him to sign with whatever team he wished. The $5.5 million contract he eventually signed with the Yankees was at the time the largest of any major league player. Also in 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Andy Messersmith, who had led the NL in wins that season, asked owner Walter O'Malley for both a raise and a no-trade clause added to his 1975 contract. O'Malley granted Messersmith the raise, but he could not offer a no-trade contract, arguing that it was against league rules. Messersmith refused to sign his contract until the clause was added, and the Dodgers renewed his previous contract without his consent. When O'Malley refused to include a no-trade clause again at the end of the 1975 season, Messersmith discussed his options with Miller. The union director connected him with Dave McNally, who had retired partway through the previous season after the Baltimore Orioles traded him to the Montreal Expos. If McNally ever chose to unretire from