John McGraw [Paperback]

Charles C. Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

“He ate gunpowder every morning,” complained one umpire, “and washed it down with warm blood.” That described John McGraw, who in the 1890s was the rowdiest member of the ferocious Baltimore Orioles, the club that pioneered the hit-and-run, the cutoff, the squeeze play, and the “Baltimore chop.” In 1902 he began his thirty-season reign as manager of the Giants, winning ten pennants—a record matched only by Casey Stengel. His career in baseball spanned forty years and two eras—from the game’s raucous early days to its emergence as big business.Charles C. Alexander, a professor of history at Ohio University, Athens, and the author of Ty Cobb, calls John McGraw “perhaps the single most significant figure in baseball’s history before Babe Ruth transformed the game with his mammoth home runs and unparalleled showmanship.”

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Alexander's marvelous biography of McGraw does what McGraw's own My Thirty Years in Baseball couldn't: it lets the volcano that was the man erupt in all its raw glory. A true baseball original, McGraw, as Alexander describes, "ate gunpowder every morning and washed it down with raw blood." He loved to win, but he hated losing more, and as manager of both the old Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants, he's the only skipper in the game's history to win almost 1,000 games more than he lost. McGraw was so outsized, flamboyant, fiery, and, at times, sentimental, that it would be easy to caricature him; Alexander's remarkable achievement here is that he doesn't (nor does he succumb to hero worship or bubble bursting). His triumph is letting McGraw stand on his own two spikes; the man--and the legend--have no problem standing up for themselves. --Jeff Silverman

From Library Journal

Sports biography at its best: an entertaining, scholarly treatment of the life and times of a legendary figure. In the tradition of Robert Creamer's excellent study of Babe Ruth, Babe (1974), Alexander portrays famed Giant manager John McGraw without sentimental bias. McGraw's career is a story of two baseball eras: its rowdy early days and the cool, corporate operations of post-World War I. McGraw's constant umpire baiting, penchant for inspiring either hatred or loyalty, and bond with star pitcher Christy Mathewson through many championship years, reveal a fiery, dictatorial, and brilliant man. Highly recommended. Thomas J. Reigstad, Buffalo State Coll., SUNY
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 371 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803259255
• ISBN-13: 978-0803259256
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book on McGraw, March 20, 2002

By 

The Nostalgist (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John McGraw (Paperback)

This is the first book I have read from the many that Charles Alexander has written about turn of the century baseball players and I have to say that Mr. Alexander is a voracious researcher as he has facts and events of McGraw's life down to every little detail. For this, he is to be commended as he has certainly put to paper, atleast to this point, the definitive book on John McGraw.
However, this is not a short or an entertaining read by any stretch of the imagination as Alexander's book is decidedly bland in its detailed accounts of seasons past. After detailing McGraw's many outbursts on and off the field, Alexander chronicles McGraw's gambling misdeeds and even possible corruption (to the degree of the 1919 Black Sox). But Alexander does not write with a lot of imagination. His work reads exactly like you might expect a chronological account might: vanilla.
Although I enjoyed reading this book and appreciated all of the facts and research Alexander did on McGraw, I cannot say that this is one of the better baseball books I have read. Still, it remains the only book of any substance on McGraw, so if you want to learn about one of the most important men in the history of baseball, this is your book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand John McGraw is to understand baseball, September 2, 2000

By 

"radioactive_lemming" - See all my reviews

This review is from: John McGraw (Paperback)

John McGraw dominated the landscape of baseball from 1890 until 1933. He came to demolish the enemy in score and spirit- and often succeded. He was the Master of an age where sportsmanship was considered a negative. From his days as a star and ringleader of the dirty & scrappy (NL)Baltimore Orioles until his death soon after managing the first NL all-star team, McGraw played key roles in nearly every major event in baseball's most formative years.

In 1901 he helped formed the American League, then tried to kill the AL in 1902. Why no World Series in 1904? McGraw. Inventor of the Hit-and-run? McGraw. Originator of collarless uniforms? McGraw. First to use Relief specialist in the bullpen? McGraw. First in 3 World Series in a row? McGraw. 4 in a row? McGraw. Only his pupil Casey Stengel has matched McGraw for total pennants. His career placed him in a pennant race NEARLY EVERY YEAR in 5 DECADES! (As Manager 10-1st, 10-2nd, 4-3ed place finishes in 32 years.)

Alexander presents the events of McGraw's life in chronological order- enabling the reader to use 'John McGraw' as a reference book for what happened in baseball in any given year due to the detail provided by Alexander. Charles C. Alexander writes history books about baseball; not mere collections of tales and legends set to prose. His facts are throughly researched and documented. However, even well written history books sometimes become tedious in detail. This book is no exception. Personally, I prefer an overkill of facts to haphazard story telling. Not quite as well written as the masterful 'Ty Cobb' and compelling 'Rogers Hornsby' by Alexander, but still the cream of baseball biographies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Dead Ball" Manager of Superb Skills, August 19, 2006

By 

Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John McGraw (Paperback)

Born in 1873, John McGraw grew up brawling and playing baseball like he was brawling. And he was very good at it. As the scrappy third baseman and manager of the Baltimore Orioles in the 1890s, he gained fame and not a little fortune as an innovative, autocratic field manager whose teams clawed and fought to championship after championship. His teams represented the epitome of the "dead ball era" of baseball, where speed, defense, and aggressive play on the base paths carried the day. He is credited with inventing the "suicide squeeze" and the "Baltimore chop." He moved from Baltimore to New York in 1902 and during 31 years leading the New York Giants, he won 10 pennants and three World Series. Additionally, under his direction the Giants finished second 11 times. As a legendary manager, h entered the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

This is the story told in this superb biography by Ohio University professor Charles C. Alexander, whose baseball biographies of Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby rank as some of the best ever in the developing field of serious baseball history. Alexander's study is in-depth, thoughtful, and engaging. It is a superb work. Enjoy.