The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball
Product Description
In The Old Ball Game, Frank Deford, NPR sports commentator and Sports Illustrated journalist retells the story of an unusual friendship between two towering figures in baseball history.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Christy Mathewson was one of baseball’s first superstars. Over six feet tall, clean cut, and college educated, he didn’t pitch on the Sabbath and rarely spoke an ill word about anyone. He also had one of the most devastating arms in all of baseball. New York Giants manager John McGraw, by contrast, was ferocious. The pugnacious tough guy was already a star infielder who, with the Baltimore Orioles, helped develop a new, scrappy style of baseball, with plays like the hit-and-run, the Baltimore chop, and the squeeze play. When McGraw joined the Giants in 1902, the Giants were coming off their worst season ever. Yet within three years, Mathewson clinched New York City’s first World Series for McGraw’s team by throwing three straight shutouts in only six days, an incredible feat that is invariably called the greatest World Series performance ever. Because of their wonderful odd-couple association, baseball had its first superstar, the Giants ascended into legend, and baseball as a national pastime bloomed.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Christy Mathewson was one of baseball’s first superstars. Over six feet tall, clean cut, and college educated, he didn’t pitch on the Sabbath and rarely spoke an ill word about anyone. He also had one of the most devastating arms in all of baseball. New York Giants manager John McGraw, by contrast, was ferocious. The pugnacious tough guy was already a star infielder who, with the Baltimore Orioles, helped develop a new, scrappy style of baseball, with plays like the hit-and-run, the Baltimore chop, and the squeeze play. When McGraw joined the Giants in 1902, the Giants were coming off their worst season ever. Yet within three years, Mathewson clinched New York City’s first World Series for McGraw’s team by throwing three straight shutouts in only six days, an incredible feat that is invariably called the greatest World Series performance ever. Because of their wonderful odd-couple association, baseball had its first superstar, the Giants ascended into legend, and baseball as a national pastime bloomed.
I agree with the reviewer who says this feels like a heavily padded article. In recent years, a number of wonderful books with original research have come out on McGraw and his era (such as Baseball’s Radical for All Seasons, Hit Em Where They Ain’t) but this book ignors them, and adds nothing new. Deford’s book is written in the smarmiest language possible. Mr. DeFord loves writing but I didn’t love this book.
Rating: 2 / 5
As a lover of not only the game but the history of the game as well, I enjoyed Frank Deford’s The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball, but I’m a little confused by the title, since there is really nothing in the book that shows how these two baseball greats actually “created” anything. It does give a nice introductory biography of both men and gives us a glimpse into their unlikely friendship.
There’s nothing here that can’t be found in other sources, but I enjoyed Deford’s dry humor and his writing style. I gave it only four stars because it was not as in depth as it might have been but was still a good read. I would recommend it to other fans for the sheer joy of reading about two of the most important figures in the history of the greatest game on earth.
Rating: 4 / 5
This is an incredible book that shows baseball history pre-Babe Ruth. Most think of baseball starting with the Babe, but the reality is, it was going long before he ever played. Kudos to Deford for writing such an incredible book. Who would have ever thought that baseball would shape so much of our modern culture?
Rating: 5 / 5
I’ve read quite a few baseball books and this is as good as any of them. Many great anecdotes and they flow just right because line, for line, it’s written beautifully.
Rating: 5 / 5
This was a well written history of New York Giants at the beginning of the 1900’s. However, I didn’t feel it told me much more that I’ve read over 50 years of reading baseball history.
Rating: 2 / 5