My Thirty Years In Baseball
John McGraw
Play
Length 6 h 7 min
Chapters 50
First published 1923
The autobiography of John Joseph McGraw, another one of the "greats" of baseball. McGraw, along with Casey Stengel, has managed the most league pennants, with ten. He also holds the NL record for seasons managed, with 31 (thirty with the Giants and one with the original Orioles). He is third among major league managers in wins with 2,763, behind Connie Mack and Tony La Russa, though, at .586, McGraw's winning percentage as a manager is about .050 higher than La Russa's and .100 higher than Mack's. This book tells, in his own words, the hows and whys of his remarkable career, from player to manager. - Summary by cavaet
Chapters
1
Introduction by George M. Cohan Read by Cavaet 1:56
2
Chapter II: The new play that ruined the Yanks -- Outwitting Joe Bush -- Twenty-five dollars fine for a home run that won the game. Read by Cavaet 7:56
3
Chapter III: Individual vs. team work -- The "I thought" ball players -- What happened to Snodgrass for the error in Boston that lost the World's Series? Read by Cavaet 8:00
4
Chapter IV: A manager's troubles with picturesque characters -- Bugs Raymond, the spitball pitcher, and his trial by a newspeper jury. Read by Cavaet 8:48
5
Chapter V: Schreckengost and the "Cracker" contract -- How Rube Waddell put one over on Connie Mack -- Walter Brodie "waits out" a Boston pitcher. Read by Cavaet 7:12
6
Chapter VI: How McGraw, batting left-handed, learned to hit into left field -- The curve that couldn't be pitched -- First professional days with the Olean team. Read by Cavaet 7:55
7
Chapter VII: Early experiences in Cedar Rapids -- The half-wit who emptied the grandstand -- Sammy Strang the first pinch hitter. Read by Cavaet 7:45
8
Chapter VIII: The freshest ball player -- First meeting with Pop Anson -- McGraw's "jump" to the Baltimore Orioles -- The first big league game. Read by Cavaet 7:42
9
Chapter IX: Is modern baseball superior to old? -- Plays that were never heard of thirty years ago -- Origin of the "charley horse" -- New spirt of the game. Read by Cavaet 8:14
10
Chapter X: The "bench" school of training -- McGraw shifted to second base -- First meeting with Hugh Jennings -- Trading experinece for an education. Read by Cavaet 8:00
11
Chapter XI: Ned Hanlon starts a revolution in baseball -- How Jennings improved his batting average -- Invention of the "hit and run" play -- New blood for the Orioles. Read by Cavaet 7:55
12
Chapter XII: "Hit-'Em-Where-They-Ain't" Keeler -- The greatest team in baseball history -- Horseshoe luck that beat the Giants. Read by Cavaet 7:34
13
Chapter XIII: Oratory that misfired -- The mustache era in baseball -- Umpire Jack Kerns and the lemon "strike." Read by Cavaet 6:45
14
Chapter XIV: The invisible ball -- Folly of baiting the umpire -- Joe Kelley and the hundred dollar watch. Read by Cavaet 6:42
15
Chapter XV: Baseball fans now better sportsmen -- "Steve" Brodie and the heckler -- Old "Well! Well!" -- The darkey rooter who asked to be lynched. Read by Cavaet 6:36
16
Chapter XVI: The real mark of superiority in a ball team -- Secret of Ty Cobb's success -- The "steal and slam" play -- McGraw's speciality -- Effect of the lively ball. Read by Cavaet 7:43
17
Chapter XVII: "Bench" vs. "coach line" managers -- How signals are given -- Personal contact in spring training. Read by Cavaet 7:04
18
Chapter XVIII: Difference between major and minor leaguers -- Drilling the recruit -- Mastering the slide -- A pitcher's peculiar fault. Read by Cavaet 7:17
19
Chapter XIX: Temperaments of rookie twirlers -- The trouble with Rube Marquard -- When is a curve not a curve? -- Exit the "spitball." Read by Cavaet 7:00
20
Chapter XX: Origin of the World's Series idea -- The spree that cost the Orioles the championship -- Trouble over series receipts -- First intimation of "fixed" games. Read by Cavaet 7:27
21
Chapter XXI: Gambling nearly kills the national sport -- McGraw makes base-stealing record -- An umpire's compliment -- Players' share of gate receipts. Read by Cavaet 7:49
22
Chapter XXII: The Orioles planted in Brooklyn -- McGraw a manager -- Bucking the syndicate -- McGinnity comes to Baltmore. Read by Cavaet 7:24
23
Chapter XXIII: Cutting down the big league -- McGraw sold to St. Louis -- Playing baseball and the ponies. Read by Cavaet 7:30
24
Chapter XXIV: Growth of the American League -- Disagreement with Ban Johnson -- McGraw accepts management of New York Giants, 1902. Read by Cavaet 7:53
25
Chapter XXV: McGraw's wide-open contract -- Christy Mathewson as a first baseman -- Roger Bresnahan, pitcher -- Rebuilding a team. Read by Cavaet 7:02
26
Chapter XXVI: Christy Mathewson becomes a pitcher-- His wonderful memory -- Other phases of the personality that made "Matty" the greatest twirler that ever lived. Read by Cavaet 7:19
27
Chapter XXVII: How Mathewson stopped the "squeeze play" -- Coveleskie's scheme for keeping track of base runners -- "Crazy" Schmidt discovers "Pop" Anson's "weakness." Read by Cavaet 6:25
28
Chapter XXVIII: Brodie forgets to score -- The umpire who "talked back" to Dummy Taylor -- McGraw's fifty-dollar umbrella joke -- Wilbert Robinson and the balloon ascension. Read by Cavaet 6:41
29
Chapter XXIX: Bresnahan becomes a catcher -- American League formed in New York -- Why the Giants refused to play a World's Series in 1904 -- The Giants beat the Philadelphia Athletics in their first World's Series, 1905. Read by Cavaet 7:27
30
Chapter XXX: Greatest ball team McGraw ever managed -- "Vegetable reception" of the Giants in Pittsburgh -- Skylarking. Read by Cavaet 7:07
31
Chapter XXXI: Sam Merteas's great catch -- Keeler pulls one out of the barbed wire -- The danger of the sunfield. Read by Cavaet 6:42
32
Chapter XXXII: Science of managing a ball team -- Hitting the weak spots -- Why base running is a lost art -- The delayed steal. Read by Cavaet 7:40
33
Chapter XXXIII: The affadavit -- Making a ball club -- Getting back at the fans -- Police protection in Cincinnati. Read by Cavaet 6:54
34
Chapter XXXIV: Greatest hit ever made -- What actually happened the day Merkle failed to touch second -- Longest wallop on record. Read by Cavaet 6:21
35
Chapter XXXV: What happens when a ball team grows old -- Big trades -- A new batch of famous youngsters. Read by Cavaet 7:34
36
Chapter XXXVI: The check on personal habits of players -- Best way to keep in condition -- The pitcher who ate his way out of the league. Read by Cavaet 6:46
37
Chapter XXXVII: Interesting development of the game -- 1907-12, Philadelphia Athletics in first rank -- The team that "stole" the pennant -- Marquard and Mathewson do some explaining. Read by Cavaet 7:34
38
Chapter XXXVIII: Greatest of all ball players -- The longest throw on record. Read by Cavaet 7:40
39
Chapter XXXIX: Has the lively ball taken the pep out of the national game? -- Base running a lost art. Read by Cavaet 7:23
40
Chapter XL: The All-American team of thirty years -- What McGraw thinks would be the greatest ballclub in the world - and why. Read by Cavaet 6:59
41
Chapter XLI: Analysing the players on McGraw's All-American team of all time -- Infielders and outfielders who contributed innovations to the sport. Read by Cavaet 7:12
42
Chapter XLII: The Hall of Fame pitchers -- Devore's experience with Walter Johnson's "smoke" -- Rube Waddell's hands. Read by Cavaet 7:31
43
Chapter XLIII: McGraw picks the All-National League team of thirty years -- The first "floater" pitcher -- Delehanty's record -- Four home runs in one game. Read by Cavaet 6:32
44
Chapter XLIV: The All-American League team -- Greatest of all spitball pitchers -- Ty Cobb vs. Tris Speaker. Read by Cavaet 7:06
45
Chapter XLV: A defense of the sand-lot player -- Baseball as a training school for other professions. Read by Cavaet 7:34
46
Chapter XLVI: Around the world with the White Sox -- Baseball and the crime wave -- Meeting with the King of England. Read by Cavaet 7:18
47
Chapter XLVII: The mutton pie episode in London -- Playing before the Khedive of Egypt -- The Federal League's offer to McGraw -- Why the Federal League died. Read by Cavaet 6:46
48
Chapter XLVIII: Why baseball unions fail -- McGraw's personal suggestions for a real ball players' fraternity. Read by Cavaet 6:21
49
Chapter XLIX: Should a ball player marry? -- Two kinds of wives -- The marital year of grace. Read by Cavaet 6:21
50
Chapter L: The commissioner of baseball -- Why he was needed -- A tribute to Judge Landis. Read by Cavaet 6:58
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens archive.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
