Judge Fuchs and the Boston Braves, 1923–1935

In late 1922, Judge Emil Fuchs purchased the woebegone Boston Braves—primarily to bring his ailing friend, Christy Mathewson, back into the game he loved so much. A true fan, Judge Fuchs poured his fortune into the team, intent on giving Boston’s long-suffering National League fans a winner. He introduced Ladies’ Days, contracted to have Braves games broadcast on radio, and successfully campaigned to allow Sunday baseball in Boston. Moreover, he gave the fans a competitive team, climaxed by the Braves’ dramatic pennant race with the New York Giants in 1933.
The Depression, however, weakened his financial position to the point where in 1935 Fuchs was forced to give up the team. Using Judge Fuchs’ unfinished autobiography, the memories of his son who worked in the organization, and extensive additional research, this story of an owner and an era is complete.

Robert S. Fuchs, the son of Judge Fuchs, is an attorney in Massachusetts.

Wayne Soini is a retired labor lawyer living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He has researched and written six non-fiction books.

Robert S. Fuchs and Wayne Soini
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 165
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 1998
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0482-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface by Wayne Soini     1

Introduction by Robert S. Fuchs     3

1. New York, New York     9

2. John McGraw’s Invitation     12

3. The Man Who Came to Dinner     19

4. The Braves of Boston     26

5. Christy Mathewson’s Last Hurrah     38

6. Casey Stengel’s First Manager’s Job     50

7. Rogers Hornsby at the Plate     54

8. The Sunday Baseball Flap     63

9. Here Comes the Judge!     68

10. The Scribes, the Tribe and the Judge     78

11. The Scribes Elect McKechnie     82

12. The Spohrer-Shires Fight of 1930     89

13. The “Knot Hole Gang”     92

14. Home of the Braves     97

15. Colonel Ruppert’s Invitation     101

16. Babe Ruth: The Second Coming     108

17. Babe Ruth: The Second Leaving     115

18. Fair Ball     118

Epilogue by Robert S. Fuchs     127

Appendix A     131

Appendix B     139

Appendix C     153

Index     155

“the reader gets a bird’s-eye view of a time when teams were not owned by faceless conglomerates”—Library Journal; “the first comprehensive story of this dedicated but frustrated owner”—Legends Sports Memorabilia; “an enjoyable book”—World-Wide Collectors Digest; “Fuchs…writes an engaging portrait of his father”—Sports Collectors Digest.