1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York [Hardcover]

Lyle Spatz (Author), Steve Steinberg (Author), Charles C. Alexander (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

At the dawn of the roaring twenties, baseball was struggling to overcome two of its darkest moments: the death of a player during a Major League game and the revelations of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. At this critical juncture for baseball, two teams emerged to fight for the future of the game. They were also battling for the hearts and minds of New Yorkers as the city rose in dramatic fashion to the pinnacle of the baseball world.

1921 captures this crucial moment in the history of baseball, telling the story of a season that pitted the New York Yankees against their Polo Grounds landlords and hated rivals, John McGraw's Giants, in the first all New York Series and resulted in the first American League pennant for the now-storied Yankees franchise. Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg recreate the drama that featured the charismatic Babe Ruth in his assault on baseball records in the face of McGraw 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. With more than fifty photographs, the book offers a remarkably vivid picture of the colorful characters, the crosstown rivalry, and the incomparable performances that made this season a classic.

Editorial Reviews

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
"Spatz and Steinberg . . . are most adept at obtaining and presenting their findings in a manner that is both educational . . . and entertaining."Ron Kaplan, ForeWord

"[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

"The authors have done good research and have written an entertaining book." Charles Stephen, Lincoln Journal Star

"This is a book that carefully and cogently tells the narrative of the United States and big league baseball on the cusp of change. It's Babe Ruth vs. John J. McGraw and their respective teams and a very interesting season and much more." Dr. Harvey Frommer on Sports

"Not only do the authors offer a stellar account of the 1921 season, they repeatedly use the words of the sportswriters of the day, some of which present the social issues that help define the era." --Duncan R. Jamieson, Arete

"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

"1921: The Yankees, The Giants, & The Battle For Baseball Supremacy In New York by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg is one of the best books I ve read in quite some time." --Mike Lynch, seamheads.com

"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

"1921: The Yankees, The Giants, & The Battle For Baseball Supremacy In New York by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg is one of the best books I ve read in quite some time." --Mike Lynch, seamheads.com

About the Author

Lyle Spatz is the author of many books, including Bad Bill Dahlen: The Rollicking Life and Times of an Early Baseball Star and Yankees Coming, Yankees Going: New York Yankee Player Transactions, 1903 through 1999. Steve Steinberg is the author of Baseball in St. Louis, 1900–1925 and numerous articles on early twentieth-century baseball, including feature articles for the annual New York Yankees official yearbooks. Charles C. Alexander is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Ohio University. He is the author of several baseball books, including Spoke: A Biography of Tris Speaker and John McGraw (available in a Bison Books edition).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 538 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080322060X
• ISBN-13: 978-0803220607
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Battle of Broadway March 27, 2010

By C. W. Emblom

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It has become popular in recent years to write books dealing with specific years, and authors Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg have hit a home run with their new book on the rivalry between the New York Giants and Yankees in the year 1921. A lot was taking place in the baseball world at this time. The spitball had been banned in 1920 with only those skilled practitioners allowed to continue with the damp hurl. New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff would be banned for life by Commissioner Landis due to his undesirable character and for supposedly purchasing stolen cars. In May of 1920 Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was killed by a pitch thrown by Yankees' hurler Carl Mays who dealt from the bottom with his submarine slants towards home plate. On Memorial Day of 1921 a memorial would be placed in deep center field at the Polo Grounds to honor Giants' player Eddie Grant who died in The Great War. Commissioner Landis would also assert his authority in September of 1920 in banning eight members of the Chicago White Sox for their participation in throwing the 1919 World Series.

The authors deal with the stress on both New York managers John McGraw and Miller Huggins. Huggins had the support of owner Jacob Ruppert, but co-owner Cap Huston wanted Wilbert Robinson. Both McGraw and Huggins were aged beyond their years. McGraw told his players the team has a chance to win "if my brains hold out." Years later George Kelly said McGraw would have had a barrage of bats thrown at him if he hadn't left immediately. Huggins said he "wouldn't go through those years again for a million dollars" since his health was more important. The photos in this book are sparkling and many never seen before. The photos of the players show several of them old beyond their years. Shufflin' Phil Douglas shows how a life of hard-living with alcohol can age a person. We learn of Ty Cobb fighting umpire Billy Evans under the grandstand following a game because Evans had the audacity to call Cobb out during the game.

In addition to reliving the lives of the managers and players we are treated to examples of the writings of such sportswriters as Joe Vila, Damon Runyon, Westbrook Pegler, and Walter Trumbull. Trumbull had a great line from game five of the World Series in which he said "the Giants ran bases with all the skill of a fat lady with the asthma racing for a street car."

Carl Mays was not liked by neither teammates nor opponents, and he feels the incident involving Chapman kept him out of the Hall of Fame. However, respected baseball historian and Hall of Fame voter Fred Lieb said it was due to his alleged acceptance of a bribe by gamblers in game four of the World Series of 1921. Mays pitched well in that game and he may have simply ran out of gas in the eighth inning. However, no proof was ever found of any wrongdoing.

The World Series was the best five games out of nine with the Yankees at a distinct disadvantage due to Babe Ruth seeing limited action due to an infected elbow and a starting pitching staff that really didn't go beyond Carl Mays and Waite Hoyt. McGraw kept close friend and former pitcher Christy Mathewson informed of the outcome of the games while Matty was being treated for tuberculosis at Saranac Lake in upstate New York. I found it interesting that McGraw would say if the Giants can't win with the lead they now have, they don't deserve to win. In other words he isn't accepting any blame if the Giants lose.

The Giants would win the battle of Broadway in both 1921 and 1922, but the Yankees became dominant beginning in 1923 when they opened their own playpen across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds. If you enjoy baseball's rich and glorious history you will certainly find this book a worthy addition to your baseball library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A treat for serious baseball fans May 2, 2010

By Barry Sparks VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Authors Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg bring 1921, an interesting and pivotal year, to life in this book about that year--subtitled, "The Yankees, the Giants, and the battle for baseball supremacy in New York."

The Yankees and Giants presented a clash of styles and personalities. Sportswriter Fred Lieb termed the 1921 Yankees, which included Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel and an aging Frank "Home Run" Baker, as "the greatest combination of clouters in history."

While Wee Willie Keeler had practiced the art of "hit'em where they ain't," Babe Ruth adopted the philosophy of "hit'em where there's no chance of them being."

The Giants, under the guidance of manager John McGraw, practiced the art of "small ball" or "inside baseball." Advancing runners any way they could. McGraw frowned on Ruth's impact on the game and despised the Yankees' playing style.

While Ruth was one of the most loved personalities in all of sports, McGraw was one of the most hated. McGraw had a dictatorial personality, was a vociferous umpire baiter and egotistical.

Yankees' manager Miller Huggins faced the challenge of whether or not he "could mold an unruly group of stars and prima donnas along with ordinary, every day players into a championship team." Huggins, who clashed frequently with Ruth, was highly criticized and didn't receive the respect he deserved.

The Yankees and Giants shared the Polo Grounds. The Yankees, before the arrival of Ruth, had been the city's poor step child, leasing space from the Giants.

The Yankees and Giants were both involved in pennant races in 1921. The Yankees trailed the Indians by 1.5 games on Aug. 30 and the two clubs tangled in "one of the fiercest pennant battles in history." The Giants trailed the Pirates by 7.5 games with six weeks to play. The Yankees and Giants would meet in the first all-New York World Series, which set records for attendance, money wagered and gate receipts.

Spatz and Steinberg take the reader through virtually a day-by-day account of the 1921 season, focusing on the Yankees and Giants. They put flesh and bones on many of the players with insights into their personalities, personal lives and other nuggets of information.

After spending 312 pages on the regular season, the eight-game World Series (it was the best of nine) is covered in just 70 pages.

1921 is thoroughly researched and documented, well written and contains some rare photographs of players. It is a treat for any serious baseball fan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best... May 30, 2010

By dcreader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

1921 is an easy book to pick up and a very hard one to put down. Simply put it's a model of baseball history, and a template for how the history of a single season should be written.

First, the authors introduce the game as it was played before 1921, how it was changing from a pitchers' game to a hitter's game, and why. The dichotomy between the "old style" Giants and the "new style" Yankees is quickly established, and it serves as a good backdrop for events. Key personnel are introduced. Other single season histories can get bogged down in day to day details, devolving quickly into a series of game summaries. The authors do a good job of interjecting biographies and other pertinent information throughout the book to keep it lively.

Also noteworthy is how much of what we complain about today, thinking it is endemic to the modern game, was actually present in 1921. For instance, there were constant complaints of about how unfair it was for teams to compete against the resources of the two New York teams, and in-season acquisitions were met with cries that the Giants were trying to "buy" the pennant for instance. There are many such stories in 1921 that reinforce just how little of what we think is new actually is.

Finally, the authors break down events, noting historical discrepancies and helping their readers decide what really happened.

The photos are great. I would have liked to see a few more, perhaps of New York itself. 1921 was the year the Yankees finally won the AL pennant and New York established itself as the baseball capital of the world. A little bit more about the city itself in the way of text and photos would have made the story even more colorful and lively.

Another note: although the book reads like a novel, it's actually pretty academic, heavily footnoted from many different sources. A bibliographic essay (a summary of the sources and the authors views of them) would have been a real addition to the baseball scholarship of this era.

I am already looking forward to the next book by these authors.