Customer Reviews

Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judge and Jury is really two books, because Kenesaw Landis had two vastly different careers, and author Pietrusza is the first to have recognized the significance of that dichotomy. Baseball fans will value Judge and Jury's coverage of Landis' career as the National Pastime's first commisioner. They will particularly savor revelations concerning two topics. The first is the machinations surrounding the Judge's appointment in the wake of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, particularly the plottings and counter-plottings of American League president Byron "Ban" Johnson. The second is Pietrusza's artful demolition of the oft-told tale that Landis scotched Bill Veeck's plan to purchase the Philadelphia Phillies and stock the team's roster with Negro League stars. Either chapter is worth the price of admission for baseball fans. Landis' other career covered politics and the law. Baseball fans and history buffs alike will find much to learn: of Landis' career in the State Department; his remarkable family; his handling of the landmark Standard Oil antitrust case and the IWW and Socialist Party sedition cases of World War 1; and his interaction with the Chicago crime scene (including pre-Capone mobsters, poison-dispensing mass-murderers, and high-stakes swindlers). Landis could be harsh; he could be surprisingly lenient. Pietrusza skillfully chronicles both sides of this complex and often downright enigmatic individual. Judge and Jury is a masterpiece of sports biography and more than holds its own regarding Landis' "other" life. Five stars.

Someone once described Branch Rickey as a man of many facets, and they are all turned on. Much the same could describe baseball's first commissioner. Landis, being a baseball fan, appeared to make decisions which would benefit the game. An example would be delaying the Federal League court decision which could have changed the game radically. Rather than make a decision he didn't want to make, he delayed until a settlement could be made with the major leagues. He banned Shufflin' Phil Douglas when Douglas said he would go fishing rather than pitch a game for the Giants he would probably win. This was to get back at his manager, John McGraw, who gave him a vicious tongue lashing and had him given a so-called harsh drying out from alcohol abuse without his wife's knowledge as to his whereabouts. When asked by Landis his side of the story, Douglas didn't defend himself against McGraw's actions and just hung his head. Gambling wasn't a banishable offense prior to the Cobb/Speaker incident in 1927, and Landis seemed to let these two superstars off easy, whereas he was especially hard on Rogers Hornsby. The Rajah, who enjoyed attending the racetrack, stood up to Landis and said his wagering money at the racetrack was no different than Landis losing money in the stockmarket. An unfortunate character in the story is Jimmy O'Connell of the Giants. O'Connell, naively approached Heinie Sand of the Phillies about making it worth his while to lose a game against the Giants during the last week of the season. Sand, knowing what happened to Buck Weaver of the White Sox, reported the incident, and this led to O'Connell's banishment from the game. The sad part of this story is that O'Connell's teammates, Frank Frisch and Ross Youngs played a prank on O'Connell and Jimmy took it seriously. Frisch and Youngs, both Hall of Famers, were never punished. Landis's treatment of the eight Black Sox players would never be upheld today. His beginning statement, "Regardless of the verdict of juries..." tells it all. Landis would do what he wanted. He would never get away with that with either the ACLU or the players' union if they had one at that time. The author appears to defend Landis for his lack of action towards allowing blacks to play in the major leagues. Landis said he feared riots in ball parks if blacks were admitted. Maybe it was true that the time was not right, but he hid behind the tired response stating there was no rule prohibiting blacks from playing in the major leagues. Maybe not, but there was a "gentleman's agreement" that none would be signed. Some gentlemen! Landis was hired by the owners, but he didn't appear to respect them. He claimed to be a player's commissioner, and one way he showed that was in releasing players from the minor leagues that he felt covered up preventing their advancement. You really never knew what Landis' reaction would be to something. He could be very unpredictable with what he would do regarding an issue, and he seemed to play favorites regarding players. He didn't care for Branch Rickey, who he may have felt was hypocritical by playing the part of a preacher while doing things that Landis felt were self-serving. The Judge had his fights with J. G. Taylor Spink, the publisher of The Sporting News because a Saturday Evening Post article referred to Spink as Mr. Baseball and the conscience of baseball. There are some strong willed personalities in this book and the author does an excellent job of bringing this part of baseball and American history to life.

As the century draws to a close and sportswriters compile lists of the most important men in modern baseball, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis should be right up there with Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, and Mark McGwire. Without the stern hand of Landis following the infamous "Black Sox" scandal, baseball may have evolved into a grotesque spectacle more akin to professional wrestling than the National Pastime. The grand jury indictment of eighth members of the Chicago White Sox for throwing the 1919 World Series was a black eye for baseball. The resulting trial featured "lost" confessions by the accused and a post-trial meal between players and several jurors after the not-guilty verdict. Landis had been commissioner for almost a year when he delivered his decision that still keeps Shoeless Joe Jackson out of the Hall of Fame. That is the part of the story that many baseball fans know, but one of author David Pietrusza's main points is the Judge's banning of Buck Weaver, who knew of the fix and did not report it. While it seems unfair, the decision on this matter gave baseball the honor system it previsously lacked. Gambling on games continued, but players with knowledge of a fix were more likely to go to Landis than to risk Buck Weaver's fate. Landis banned many lesser-known players during his 24-year tenure, but he also had tussles with the likes of Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Rogers Hornsby on the subject of gambling. Babe Ruth's failed attempt to barnstorm against the Judge's wishes is one of the more entertaining chapters in the book. Branch Rickey's battles with Landis over the farm system in the 1930s foreshadows the clashes between future commissioner Bowie Kuhn and A's owner Charlie Finley over free agency in the 1970s. Pietrusza deftly dispells the myth that Landis alone stood in the way of intergration of baseball. The first part of the book chronicles the somewhat humble beginnings of the son of a Union surgeon from Ohio, who named his sixth child after the Civil War battle that crippled his left leg. Judge Landis, referred to throughout the book by his nickname of "the Squire," was the most successful member of a family that became influential in the midwest as well as Washington, D.C. Indeed, almost half the book details the Squire's law career and eventual appointment as a federal judge in Illinois. Author Pietrusza details each significant case ever to come before the judge, including his decision against Standard Oil and John D. Rockefeller that made Landis a household name. In the 452 pages of text, plus another 212 pages of notes and index, Pietrusza not only tells us about the man, but he puts us back in the times that the Judge lived. Having worked with the author previously, I expected the book to be thorough, but I learned more about politics, history, and yes, baseball, than I ever imagined. In the end, the life of baseball's first--and finest--commissioner is too brief and we feel sad that we shall not see his like again in the game he helped make great.

David Pietruza has written an extraordinary book about a complex, fascinating man. I always thought of Landis as a mostly eccentric showman. But Pietruza gives a portrait of a towering figure with a legacy extending far beyond baseball. I bought this thinking I'd find a good baseball book for the dead of winter; what I got was that and more. Landis' early life is particularly interesting. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy "Judge and Jury." It's well worth the read.

Pietrusza's portrait of the Squire is not without its flaws. Typos are too frequent. Some words, like soon and merely, are used repetitiously; Hampton L. Carson is represented as "Hampton L. Carlson." Pietrusza also commits redundancies and is too enamored of stilted adverbial phrases. In addition, some readers will cringe at Pietrusza's space allocation: large sections are given over to explanations and clarifications of cases and issues where Landis's name fails to be mentioned, and substantial sections also deal with characters only peripherally associated with Landis.

Biographer Pietrusza has undertaken a significant task in this biography, and has done admirably. He has fully explored much of what molded Judge Landis, and explores in major league fashion his checkered career as a Federal Judge. The history of baseball, of which Landis was obviously an integral componet is well researched and covered. His interactions with the other greats of the game, like Ruth, Cobb and Rickey give good insight into his character and impact.

The work does have one glaring deficciency, though. I must disagree with a fellow writer, with regard to the book's chronicle of Landis and the efforts to integrate the game. I rather felt that this (certainly the most significant of any shortcoming of his reign) was given less than adequate coverage by the author. Others have written more authoritatively (including first hand reporting of confrontations over the issue) about how intractable a foe Landis was of integration of the American pasttime. This book not only ignores almost all of these, but glosses over the issue in general with little more than an apologist's dismissal. From my perspective, this is an unpardonable transgression.

All in all, though, certainly a book worth reading by anyone interested in either the history of the game, or an exploration of who those with significant power may wield it.

What I found most interesting about "Judge and Jury" is that the author covers Landis background extensively. The Standard Oil case, the IWW case, his opinions on World War 1 and Bolshevisim gives the true essence of this versatile individual. And they are highly interesting!

That way, the reader can understand how the Tsar of baseball worked. Also, the book is written in a way that you can draw your own conclusion about Landis decisions and achievements.

Even if I myself find Landis rather repulsive in many of his ideas and opinions (his inflexibility about Buck Weaver, his treatment of Bill Veeck and his racism among other things), you can developp some kind of understanding about the Stalin of Baseball.

All in all, a must book if you are interested in one of the most important baseball figure in history.

Hard to tell what to think of the judge. He was kind to the downtrodden on one hand, but overly harsh on the other. Cases in point are the 1919 White Sox players like Buck Weaver (who played no role) and Shoeless Joe Jackson (merely suckered along for the ride). Can't help feeling sorry for Eddie Cicotte either as he was clearly screwed by Comiskey and forced to fight back for the dignity of his family-- wrong method, but right motive.

However, the blackest mark on the judge has to be his role in keeping black players out of the game. Bill Veeck wanted to put them on his St.Louis Browns team a full decade before Jackie Robinson and would have done so without Landis blatant interference. The game was not integrated (for this century) until Landis did the owners a favor by croaking.

A GREAT READ. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT AND RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN BASEBALL OR AMERICAN HISTORY.

I rated this book a 5 because it captured the flavor of the Anabaptist spirit. His Mennonite heritage was outlined in the first part of the book. His character certainly was played out, as he mentioned the Landis Family is in the book of "Martyrs Mirror". This man definitely knew no compromise. It was evident that he was willing to help the underpriviledged. For anyone who knows Mennonite Philosophy he fits the ticket. I am not a baseball fan, but I did enjoy reading and seeing his character played out. Definitely worth reading.