Synopses & Reviews
From the teamand#8217;s inception in 1903, the New York Yankees were a floundering group that played as second-class citizens to the New York Giants. With four winning seasons to date, the team was purchased in 1915 by Jacob Ruppert and his partner, Cap and#8220;Tiland#8221; Huston. Three years later, when Ruppert hired Miller Huggins as manager, the unlikely partnership of the two figures began, one that set into motion the Yankeesand#8217; run as the dominant baseball franchise of the 1920s and the rest of the twentieth century, capturing six American League pennants with Huggins at the helm and four more during Ruppertand#8217;s lifetime.
and#160;The Yankeesand#8217; success was driven by Ruppertand#8217;s executive style and enduring financial commitment, combined with Hugginsand#8217;s philosophy of continual improvement and personnel development. While Ruppert and Huggins had more than a little help from one of baseballand#8217;s greats, Babe Ruth, their close relationship has been overlooked in the Yankeesand#8217; rise to dominance. Though both were small of stature, the two men nonetheless became giants of the game with unassailable mutual trust and loyalty. The Colonel and Hug tells the story of how these two men transformed the Yankees. It also tells the larger story about baseball primarily in the tumultuous period from 1918 to 1929and#8212;with the end of the Deadball Era and the rise of the Lively Ball Era, a gambling scandal, and the collapse of baseballand#8217;s governing structureand#8212;and the significant role the Yankees played in it all. While the hitting of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig won many games for New York, Ruppert and Huggins institutionalized winning for the Yankees.
Review
"The authors have done good research and have written an entertaining book."—Charles Stephen, Lincoln Journal Star --Charles Stephen
Review
“1921 is an incredibly comprehensive look at a pivotal baseball seasonfor the sport, for New York, for an America finally distancing itself from war. Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz have created a mosaic of a year in baseball that is both illuminating and entertaining.”Frank Deford
Review
“Two decades into the twentieth century, much of baseball was still playing a turn-of-the-century game. 1921 represents one of the pivot points in baseball history, as the old style and its proponents, embodied by John McGraw and his Giants, began to give way to what would become the modern game, as embodied by Babe Ruth and his Yankees.”Bob Costas
Review
“This is Lyle Spatzs and Steve Steinbergs sweet spotnobody reports on this era better than they do, and the cast of characters from 1921 remains fun, combative, and ready for baseball to become big business.”Marty Appel, author of Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain and former Yankees PR director
Review
"This is a book that carefully and cogently tells the narrative of the United States and big league baseball on the cusp of change. Its Babe Ruth vs. John J. McGraw and their respective teams and a very interesting season and much more."Dr. Harvey Frommer on Sports
Review
"With vivid descriptions of Giants manager John McGraw, both teams, the city, and the broader era, this delightful reading by two experts on early 20th-century baseball is highly recommended."Margaret Heilbrun and Gilles Renaud, Library Journal -- Brian Doyle
Review
"As Steinberg states on his web site, "Time travel is possible." In
1921, he and Spatz will take you back to see this pivotal season for yourself."James Bailey,
Baseball America -- Margaret Heilbrun and Gilles Renaud - Library Journal
Review
"Spatz and Steinberg . . . are most adept at obtaining and presenting their findings in a manner that is both educational . . . and entertaining."Ron Kaplan, ForeWord -- James Bailey - Baseball America
Review
"[1921] is a handsomely presented, top-shelf physical product, with no stinting on any of the extras: wonderful photos aplenty, richly detailed endnotes and . . . the luxury of appendices providing box scores and statistical tables. . . . No detail has been overlooked, and no small effort spared."Steve Treder, Hardball Times -- Ron Kaplan - ForeWord
Review
"This carefully researched book is a good example of what baseball can teach about US culture and history."B. Tavakolian, Choice -- Steve Treder - Hardball Times
Review
"1921 is a well crafted and enjoyable read that is highly recommended."and#8212;Bill Lamb, SABR Black Sox Scandal Research Committee Newsletter
Review
"Of interest to any baseball fan who wants to know about the business side of the game's history."and#8212;Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Russell Buhite makes a significant contribution to the rapidly growing scholarly work on baseballand#8217;s past.and#8221;and#8212;Charles C. Alexander, author of Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Depression Era
Review
and#8220;Russell Buhite, a former Minor League baseball player and an accomplished historian, is well equipped to provide this entertaining, informative, insightful, and personal account of Branch Rickeyand#8217;s abortive Continental League.and#8221;and#8212;James Giglio, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Missouri State University and author of Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man
Review
and#8220;Andy McCue has written the definitive biography of the fascinating and elusive Walter Oand#8217;Malley, the man who changed the way a country thinks about its national pastime. Wise and engaging. A must-read for every historian of the game.and#8221;and#8212;Michael Shapiro, author of The Last Good Season
Review
"This book goes beyond baseball, also giving readers an understanding of America itself after the turn of the century. An excellent choice."and#8212;Library Journal starred review
Review
and#8220;It took more than a century, but weand#8217;ve finally got the book we deserve about baseballand#8217;s most infamous batting race. Thanks to Rick Huhn, it was worth the wait.and#8221;and#8212;Rob Neyer, national baseball editor of the website Baseball Nation.com
Review
and#8220;With graceful writing and exhaustive research, Huhn gives life to one of baseballand#8217;s great untold stories.and#8221;and#8212;Jon Wertheim, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
Review
and#8220;This is the kind of baseball history we need more ofand#8212;a book grounded in a great story, shaped by intelligent assessments of the evidence, committed to accuracy and truth-telling, and presented in vigorous prose.and#8221;and#8212;Reed Browning, author of Cy Young: A Baseball Life
Review
and#8220;
The Chalmers Race seamlessly weaves its compelling stories and is a deftly told saga of a game-changing and living controversy.and#8221;and#8212;Gerald C. Wood, author of
Smoky Joe Wood: The Biography of a Baseball LegendReview
"Wood was a great ballplayer and an even more fascinating man. Excellent reading."and#8212;Wes Lukowsky, Booklist
Review
"[Smoky Joe Wood is] a thorough and lively account of the career of Joe Wood."and#8212;W. T. Lindley, CHOICE
Review
"Gerald C. Wood (no relation), author of this first full-scale biography of 'Smoky Joe' Wood, delivers an impeccably researched and poignant account of a great athlete and even greater man."and#8212;Mark Hodermarsky, Cleveland.com
Review
"Aand#160;stunning account of the life of the best baseball player not in the Hall of Fame."and#8212;John Vorperian, Southern New England Chapter, Society for American Baseball Research
Review
and#8220;If I could have been one twentieth-century sports figure, I would like to have been Smoky Joe Wood in 1912. All that talent and all that common sense combined in one package and all showcased in a baseball-mad city. And reinventing himself to become a .366and#8211;hitting outfielder wasnand#8217;t bad either.and#8221;and#8212;Bob Ryan, Boston Globe sports columnist and author of When Boston Won the World Series
Review
andldquo;A compelling, detailed and richly nuanced biography,
Mover and Shaker shows Oandrsquo;Malley as a shrewd and daring businessman who became a major force behind key changes in the sport. . . . The real insight of Mr. McCueandrsquo;s book is that Oandrsquo;Malley was a man who embraced risk and adapted well to new situations.andrdquo;andmdash;Paul Dickson,
Wall Street Journaland#160;
Review
"If you are interested in the details of baseball's backroom machinations during the 1940s to the 1970s; the blow by blow account of building Dodger Stadium and the true story of the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn, including a highly credible analysis of his motivation for moving his team and family across the country, then I highly recommend Moverand#160;and Shaker by Andy McCue."and#8212;Paul Hirsch, seamheads.com
Review
and#8220;The tale Macht offers is often riveting.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
Review
and#8220;[A] comprehensive and interesting portrait of one of baseballand#8217;s most successful managers. . . . A compelling look at a legend and an era.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;A mother lode of data, stories, perceptions about one of the legendary figures in the history of the national pastime. . . . If you are into baseball, get into this tome.and#8221;and#8212;Harvey Frommer on Sports
Review
and#8220;[Includes] many fascinating details of baseball from the 1880s to 1914.and#8221;and#8212;Boston Globe
Review
and#8220;Richly enjoyable.and#8221;and#8212;Roanoke Times
Review
and#8220;Masterful. . . . A must read for all historians of the national pastime, particularly those with an interest in Philadelphia sports.and#8221;and#8212;Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Review
and#8220;No other baseball manager is going to winand#8212;or loseand#8212;as many games as Connie Mack did in his fifty years managing the Philadelphia Athletics. A biography of Mack cannot help but be a history of baseball in the first half of the twentieth century, and this biography is a feast of interesting facts and judgments.and#8221;and#8212;George F. Will, syndicated columnist and author of Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball
Review
and#8220;As a catcher and manager, Connie Mack deserves much of the credit for writing and#8216;The Bookand#8217; on baseball strategy and the managing of men. How he did it all is told here for the first time.and#8221;and#8212;Roland Hemond, three-time winner of Major League Baseballand#8217;s Executive of the Year award
Review
"Macht has done such meticulous research that readers will discover the precise layout of Mack's office at Shibe Park as well as his home. . . . In 650 pages he has no ill word for Mack and continually reminds us of his greatness. He was a respected husband, father, leader, role model and humanitarianand#8212;maybe even a hero."and#8212;Kirkus Starred Review
Review
"Between 1914 and 1931, Mack's teams went from the penthouse to the cellar of the American League, and back to the penthouse, as he sold off one group of accomplished players and brought together another, which included such greats as Lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Al Simmons. It is a fascinating story. . . . This book will please anyone who likes the hits, runs, and errors of baseball."and#8212;R. W. Roberts, Choice
Review
"Like the man he continues to so capably chronicle, Norman Macht is astute, authoritative, and meticulous. If you want to learn about twentieth-century baseball, you'll have to read this book."and#8212;Bob Edmonds, McCormick Messenger
Review
"For any fan of baseball or historyand#8212;or ideally bothand#8212;it's worth devoting a few hours to Connie Mack, The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915and#8211;1931."and#8212;Glenn Miller, Florida Weekly
Review
andquot;If you are a fan of the early days of baseball or just want to learn more about them, I'd highly recommend picking up this book. It was extremely enjoyable to sit and read and will increase your knowledge of that time period immensely.andquot;andmdash;Daniel Shoptaw, Cardinal70.com
Review
"[Connie Mack is] a major addition to the study of the game and its longest-serving icon."and#8212;Rick Huhn, NINE
Review
and#8220;Armour and Levitt have given the reader an inside look into the different cultures and challenges facing professional sports executives. Their management styles might differ, but the objective never changes: and#8216;Be a consistent winner.and#8217;and#8221;and#8212;Pat Gillick
Review
and#8220;A rare combination of a must-have reference book and engaging storytelling by distinguished baseball historians Armour and Levitt.and#8221;and#8212;Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for American Baseball Research and author of
Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseballand#160;
Review
and#8220;A great source of well-researched front office stories. . . . Armour and Levitt give an insiderand#8217;s look at the teamsand#8217; efforts to innovate in this highly competitive industry.and#8221;and#8212;Sig Mejdal, director of Decision Sciences for the Houston Astros
Review
and#8220;If Moneyball is the tale of how a modern front office works, In Pursuit of Pennants is the prequel that ably sets the stage.and#8221;and#8212;Jonah Keri, author of the bestselling The Extra 2% and Up, Up, and Away
Review
andquot;As readers will discover in Gerald Wood's insightful and thorough portrait of the Red Sox hurler, Indians outfielder, Yale coach, and baseball ambassador, the appreciation for Smoky Joe Wood should come not from individual achievements but from the sum of all the parts of the man's life.andquot;andmdash;Ron Kates,
NINEReview
and#8220;Miller Huggins and Jacob Ruppert are two of baseballand#8217;s all-time great characters, and they finally get the treatment they deserve in this highly entertaining, meticulously researched book. You donand#8217;t have to be a Yankees fan to enjoy this wonderful story from baseballand#8217;s golden age.and#8221;and#8212;Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
Review
and#8220;The foundation of the legendary New York Yankees that we know today was arguably built on the shoulders of three men: Ruth, Ruppert, and Huggins. While Babe Ruthand#8217;s exploits have been well documented over the years, we now finally have the definitive story of Yankees owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert and his diminutive giant of a manager, Miller Huggins. . . . A and#8216;must-readand#8217; for any fan of the history of this great game.and#8221;and#8212;Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for Baseball Research and professor of sports business management at Columbia University
Review
and#8220;Everyone thinks that it was Babe Ruth who turned the suffering Yankees of New York into the Crusaders of Baseball. The Babe helped, surely, but it was two invisible charactersand#8212;the teamand#8217;s owner, Jacob Ruppert, and the manager, Miller Hugginsand#8212;who played major roles in the Yankees' everlasting turnaround. Our blessings to Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz for finally bringing Ruppert and Huggins to new generations of fans.and#8221;and#8212;Al Silverman, former editor of Sport Magazine and editor and publisher at Viking/Penguin
Review
"The very best history includes a compelling story replete with seminal characters, provides thorough research (including extensive footnotes and bibliography) and combines a masterful understanding of the era with a vivid style. When a century-old subject continues to inspire debate and controversy, there's no doubt that the reading public anxiously awaits the definitive treatment from just the right author. Rick Huhn is that author, and The Chalmers Race is that subject."and#8212;Spitball
Review
"A well-researched, entertaining read."and#8212;Bob D'Angelo, Tampa Tribune
Review
and#8220;One of the best and most important baseball books of the year, and one thatand#8217;s been a long time comin.and#8217;and#8221;and#8212;Allen Barra,
Dallas Morning Newsand#160;
Review
and#8220;Outstanding. . . . I really canand#8217;t recommend Mover and Shaker highly enough.and#8221;and#8212;Rob Neyer, FoxSports.com
and#160;
Review
and#8220;McCue covers this with an expertand#8217;s hand . . . in this highly readable account of perhaps the most influential baseball owner of the last century.and#8221;and#8212;Seamheads.com
and#160;
Review
andquot;Mover and Shaker . . . must be counted a brilliant success.andquot;andmdash;Spitball
Review
andquot;A top-notch sports biography.andquot;andmdash;Kirkus starred review
Review
andquot;Read this book for its treasure trove of baseball history and because it is a damn good read.andquot;andmdash;G. Louis Heath, ARETE
Review
andquot;The Colonel and Hug explores that remarkably fruitful relationship in a meticulous account brimming with quotes from the period.andquot;andmdash;Edward Achorn, Weekly Standard
Review
andquot;The Colonel and Hug explains admirably how the Yankees became the Yankees. Steinberg and Spatz draw heavily on their research to provide a readable, lively narrative.andquot;andmdash;Bob Dand#39;Angelo, Tampa Tribune
Synopsis
At the dawn of the roaring twenties, baseball was struggling to overcome two of its darkest moments: the death of a player during a game and the revelations of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. At this critical juncture for baseball, the two teams that emerged to fight for the future of the game were also battling for the hearts and minds of New Yorkers as the city dramatically rose to the pinnacle of the baseball world.
1921 tells the story of a season that pitted the New York Yankees against their Polo Grounds landlords and hated rivals, John McGrawand#8217;s Giants, in the first alland#8211;New York City World Series. Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg re-create the drama that featured the charismatic Babe Ruth in his assault on baseball records in the face of McGrawand#8217;s disdain for the American League and the Ruth-led slugging style. Their work evokes the early 1920s with the words of renowned sportswriters such as Damon Runyon, Grantland Rice, and Heywood Broun, and with more than fifty photographs, offering a vivid picture of the colorful characters, the crosstown rivalry, and the incomparable performances of this classic season.
Synopsis
Long before there was
Moneyball, a group of investors led by baseball legend Branch Rickey proposed a new economic model for baseball. Based on an innovative approach to evaluating and developing talent, the Continental League was the last serious attempt to form a third Major League. The leagueand#8217;s brief history affords a glimpse of any number of missed chances for Americaand#8217;s game.
and#160;As one of the original Continental Leaguers, historian Russell D. Buhite isand#8212;literallyand#8212;talking and#8220;inside baseballand#8221; when he describes what happened in 1959 and 1960. Part memoir, part history, his account of the origin, development, and eventual undoing of the Continental League explores the organizationand#8217;s collective corporate structure as well as its significant role in building a thriving Minor League and forcing expansion on Major League Baseball. Buhite captures a lost era in baseball history and examines its lasting impact on the game.
and#160;
Synopsis
One of the most influential and controversial team owners in professional sports history, Walter Oand#8217;Malley (1903and#8211;79) is best rememberedand#8212;and still reviled by manyand#8212;for moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Yet much of the Oand#8217;Malley story leading up to the Dodgersand#8217; move is unknown or created from myth, and there is substantially more to the man. When he entered the public eye, the self-constructed family background and early life he presented was gilded. Later his personal story was distorted by some New York sportswriters, who hated him for moving the Dodgers.and#160;and#160;
and#160;In Mover and Shaker Andy McCue presents for the first time an objective, complete, and nuanced account of Oand#8217;Malleyand#8217;s life. He also departs from the overly sentimentalized accounts of Oand#8217;Malley as either villain or angel and reveals him first and foremost as a rational, hardheaded businessman, who was a major force in baseball for three decades and whose management and marketing practices radically changed the shape of the game.
and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
In 1910 auto magnate Hugh Chalmers offered an automobile to the baseball player with the highest batting average that season. What followed was a batting race unlike any before or since, between the greatest but most despised hitter, Detroitand#8217;s Ty Cobb, and the American Leagueand#8217;s first superstar, Clevelandand#8217;s popular Napoleon Lajoie.
The Chalmers Race captures the excitement of this strange contestand#8212;one that has yet to be resolved.
and#160;The race came down to the last game of the season, igniting more interest among fans than the World Series and becoming a national obsession. Rick Huhn re-creates the drama that ensued when Cobb, thinking the prize safely his, skipped the last two games, and Lajoie suspiciously had eight hits in a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns. Although initial counts favored Lajoie, American League president Ban Johnson, the sportand#8217;s last word, announced Cobb the winner, and amid the controversy both players received cars. The Chalmers Race details a story of dubious scorekeeping and statistical systems, of performances and personalities in conflict, of accurate results coming in seventy years too late, and of a contest settled not by play on the field but by human foibles.
and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE 2014 SEYMOUR MEDAL sponsored by the Society for American Baseball Research and finalist for 2014 SABR Larry Ritter Award
Though his pitching career lasted only a few seasons, Howard Ellsworth and#8220;Smoky Joeand#8221; Wood was one of the most dominating figures in baseball historyand#8212;a man many consider the best baseball player who is not in the Hall of Fame. About his fastball, Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson once said: and#8220;Listen, mister, no man alive can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood.and#8221;and#160;
Smoky Joe Wood chronicles the singular life befitting such a baseball legend. Wood got his start impersonating a female on the National Bloomer Girls team. A natural athlete, he pitched for the Boston Red Sox at eighteen, won twenty-one games and threw a no-hitter at twenty-one, and had a 34-5 record plus three wins in the 1912 World Series, for a 1.91 ERA, when he was just twenty-two. Then in 1913 Wood suffered devastating injuries to his right hand and shoulder that forced him to pitch in pain for two more years. After sitting out the 1916 season, he came back as a converted outfielder and played another five years for the Cleveland Indians before retiring to coach the Yale University baseball team.
With details culled from interviews and family archives, this biography, the first of this rugged player of the Deadball Era, brings to life one of the genuine characters of baseball history.
Synopsis
Connie Mack (1862and#8211;1956) was the Grand Old Man of baseball and one of the gameand#8217;s first true celebrities. This book, spanning the first fifty-two years of Mackand#8217;s life, through 1914, covers his experiences as player, manager, and club owner and will stand as the definitive biography of baseballand#8217;s most legendary and beloved figure.and#160;and#160;Norman L. Macht chronicles Mackand#8217;s little-known beginnings. He tells how Mack, a school dropout at fourteen, created strategies for winning baseball and principles for managing men long before there were notions of defining such subjects. And he details how Mack, a key figure in the launching of the American League in 1901, won six of the leagueand#8217;s first fourteen pennants while serving as manager, treasurer, general manager, traveling secretary, and public relations and scouting director (all at the same time) for the Philadelphia Athletics.and#160;This book brings to life the unruly origins of baseball as a sport and a business. It also provides the first complete and accurate picture of a character who was larger than life and yet little known: the tricky, rule-bending catcher; the peppery field leader and fan favorite; the hot-tempered young manager. Illustrated with family photographs never before published, it affords unique insight into a colorful personality who helped shape baseball as we know it today.
Synopsis
The Philadelphia Athletics dominated the first fourteen years of the American League, winning six pennants through 1914 under the leadership of their founder and manager, Connie Mack. But beginning in 1915, where volume 2 in Norman L. Machtand#8217;s biography picks up the story, Mackand#8217;s teams fell from pennant winners to last place and, in an unprecedented reversal of fortunes, stayed there for seven years. World War I robbed baseball of young players, and Mackand#8217;s rebuilding efforts using green youngsters of limited ability made his teams the objects of public ridicule.
At the age of fifty-nine and in the face of widespread skepticism and seemingly insurmountable odds, Connie Mack reasserted his genius, remade the Aand#8217;s, and rose again to the top, even surpassing his earlier success. Baseball biographer and historian Macht recreates what may be the most remarkable chapter in this larger-than-life story. He shows us the man and his time and the game of baseball in all its nitty-gritty glory of the 1920s, and how Connie Mack built the 1929and#8211;1931 champions of Foxx, Simmons, Cochrane, Grove, Earnshaw, Miller, Haas, Bishop, Dykesand#8212;a team many consider baseballand#8217;s greatest ever.
Synopsis
The 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Dodgers, the 1975 Reds, the 2010 Giantsand#8212;why do some baseball teams win while others donand#8217;t?
General managers and fans alike have pondered this most important of baseball questions. The Moneyball strategy is not the first example of how new ideas and innovative management have transformed the way teams are assembled. In Pursuit of Pennants examines and analyzes a number of compelling, winning baseball teams over the past hundred-plus years, focusing on their decision making and how they assembled their championship teams.
Whether through scouting, integration, instruction, expansion, free agency, or modernizing their management structure, each winning team and each era had its own version of Moneyball, where front office decisions often made the difference. Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt show how these teams succeeded and how they relied on talent both on the field and in the front office. While there is no recipe for guaranteed success in a competitive, ever-changing environment, these teams demonstrate how creatively thinking about oneand#8217;s circumstances can often lead to a competitive advantage.
About the Author
Mark L. Armour is the author of Joe Cronin: A Life in Baseball, the editor of The Great Eight: The 1975 Cincinnati Reds, and a coeditor of Pitching, Defense, and Three-Run Homers: The 1970 Baltimore Orioles, all available from the University of Nebraska Press. Winner of the 2015 Bob Davids Award from the Society of American Baseball Research, Daniel R. Levitt is the author of Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankeesand#8217; First Dynasty (Nebraska, 2008) and The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy. He is the coauthor (with Mark L. Armour) of Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way.