SI article on Matty/McGraw

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Posted By: runscott 

The current SI has a 9-page Frank Deford article on Matty and McGraw - very good read.

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Posted By: runningfromryanscott

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/magazine/08/20/cover/index.html

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

Just a question about the article. it mentions that John McGraw was hired by the Giants after the previous manager was trying to play Matty in the field. I was looking thru my Baseball Almanac and could find no evidence that he played the field in 1902. Was the articlefabricating the truth?

just Curious,

Lee

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Posted By: Elliot

Baseball Reference has him playing 3 games at 1b in 1902. Here's the link... http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mathech01.shtml

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

and 4 games in the outfield for anyone who didnt check the link.........I dont think that was the main reason McGraw was hired as Giants manager.McGraw had problems with Ban Johnson,the AL President,so he wanted to skip leagues.The Giants manager at the time of McGraws hiring had a 5-27 record on the season and they hadnt finished first since 1889. Lastly,it wasnt uncommon for pitchers to play games in the field.Fellow pitchers from the Giants Joe McGinnity and Jack Cronin played 5 and 7 games respectively in the field in 1902 and you could find hundreds of examples before and after too. Maybe Christy got unnerved too easy because he had just a 14-17 record that year,thank god they ended that experiment because we might have never known about him,hed be just another Jack Cronin(theres sarcasm in there somewhere because despite the 14-17 record,he was top 10 in strikeouts,e.r.a.,hits per 9 innings and he threw 8 shutouts)

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Posted By: runscott

McGraw relished the opportunity to manage an AL team in NYC, but knew Ban Johnson wouldn't let that happen. Johnson planned "to ditch me at the end of the 1902 season. So I acted fast...Someone would be left holding the bag, and I made up my mind it wouldn't be me."

Giant owner Freedman wanted McGraw badly enough to pay him a record salary and give him complete authority over acquisition and disposition of players. McGraw had had enough of Johnson's league and wanted the money and accclaim that would be his if he could make a winner of the sleeping Giants.

Freedman and McGraw then conceived a complicated plot to destroy the Baltimore franchise and cripple the American League...