Before they acquired Babe Ruth or won a single championship, the New York Yankees (né Highlanders) inspired the strongest of feelings in baseball circles. Stars such as Jack Chesbro, Hal Chase, and Brooklyner Willie Keeler had loud followers, and the team made loyal fans of those who disliked the crosstown Giants or Dodgers.
Even Ban Johnson prized the franchise, which gave his upstart American League a foothold in the nation’s most populous city. Baltimoreans, on the other hand, nurtured an animus toward the team, which only a few years earlier had been called the Orioles. And former Orioles manager John McGraw hatched a plan, along with Giants owner Andrew Freedman, to sabotage the new club.
This heavily illustrated volume combines a fully documented history of the deadball-era Yankees with more than 190 photographs of the people, places and events that figured prominently in the story.

Ray Istorico is a member of SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research). He has resided in New York City and Sarasota, Florida.

Ray Istorico
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 241
Bibliographic Info: 195 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013 [2008]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7513-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Foreword by Marty Appel      1

Preface      3

Introduction—Who Are the Highlanders?      5

1. The Best Team Money Could Buy? 1903      9

2. The Old Fox      15

3. The First Bomber      16

4. Happy Jack/Mistake Pitch, 1904      18

5. Back to Earth, 1905      29

6. An Enigma at First Base      31

7. Dave Fultz, a Man for All Seasons      36

8. Almost There, 1906-1907      39

9. Goodbye Griff (Two Versions), 1908      52

10. Apocalypse      58

11. With a Little Help, 1909      60

12. The Emery Ball, 1910      69

13. “Drawing Flies,” 1911      82

14. Harry in the House (of Horrors), 1912      92

15. “A Bunion and an Onion,” 1913      103

16. No Chance, 1914      117

17. The New Breed, 1915      123

18. Big Bill      126

19. Origin of the “NY” Logo      130

20. Frankly Speaking      132

21. Wild Bill, 1915      135

22. Mr. Ed (Sweeney)      145

23. The Unluckiest Pitcher in the League      148

24. Meanwhile, in Boston      151

25. Mystery Man, Arthur Irwin      153

26. The Entertainer      156

27. Transitions, 1916–1917      161

28. Miller Time, 1918      180

29. The Vermont Schoolmaster      184

30. The Original “Murderer’s Row,” 1918–1919      189

31. Undercurrents      206

32. The Ping of the Bat      214

33. Before They Were Famous      216

34. Where Have You Gone, Frank Gilhooley?      221

35. New Beginnings      223

Appendix 1: Honor Roll      225

Appendix 2: The Ones That Got Away      226

Bibliography      227

Index      229

“interesting…fascinating”—The Tampa Tribune; “commendable…a key Deadball Era resource…an important reference volume”—SABR Deadball Committee Newsletter; “marvelous…richly illustrated”—Island Sun.