For decades prior to the rise of Babe Ruth, the most recognized name in baseball was John McGraw. An outstanding player in the 1890s, McGraw—nicknamed “Mugsy”—was molded in the rough and tumble pre–20th century game where sportsmanship and fair play took a back seat to competition. Later, he became the successful manager of the New York Giants, dominating the National League in New York City for more than 30 years.
McGraw led the Giants with authoritarian swagger—earning another moniker, “Little Napoleon”—from 1902 through 1932, before illness forced his retirement. In his 31 seasons in New York, his teams won three world championships and 10 pennants and rarely finished out of the first division. He was a trailblazer in the use of bullpen and position player substitutions, and pushed hit-and-run strategies over the then prevalent dictums of sacrifice bunting. An unconventional leader, McGraw missed considerable bench time during his reign on account of injury, illness and fiery temperament.

Lou Hernández is the author of several baseball histories and biographies. He resides in South Florida.

Lou Hernández
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 247
Bibliographic Info: 17 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7070-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2988-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 4
One • John Joseph Gets His Start 7
Two • Birth of a Baseball Legend 22
Three • “The Most Hated Man in Baseball” 44
Four • World Promoter of the Game 65
Five • The Irresponsible John McGraw 90
Six • A Second Eluded Dynasty 114
Seven • Sidestepping More Scandal 152
Eight • Final Campaigns of the “Mastermind” 173
Nine • “Last of the Swashbuckling Managers” 185
Ten • Absenteeism as a Manager 195
Appendix A. Transactions as a Manager 203
Appendix B. Ejections and Suspensions 211
Appendix C. Career Managerial Record 219
Chapter Notes 221
Bibliography 229
Index 233

Finalist, Larry Ritter Book Award—SABR

“A useful addition to the literature on John McGraw and the New York Giants.”—The Inside Game (SABR Deadball Era Committee Newsletter)