The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht
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The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht
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In The Grand Old Man of Baseball, Norman L. Macht chronicles Connie Mack’s tumultuous final two decades in baseball. After Mack had built one of baseball’s greatest teams, the 1929–31 Philadelphia Athletics, the Depression that followed the stock market crash fundamentally reshaped Mack’s legacy as his team struggled on the field and at the gate. Among the challenges Mack faced: a sharp drop in attendance that forced him to sell his star players; the rise of the farm system, which he was slow to adopt; the opposition of other owners to night games, which he favored; the postwar integration of baseball, which he initially opposed; a split between the team’s heirs (Mack’s sons Roy and Earle on one side, their half brother Connie Jr. on the other) that tore apart the family and forced Mack to choose—unwisely—between them; and, finally, the disastrous 1951–54 seasons in which Roy and Earle ran the club to the brink of bankruptcy. By now aged and mentally infirm, Mack watched in bewilderment as the business he had built fell apart. Broke and in debt, Roy and Earle feuded over the sale of the team. In a never-before-revealed series of maneuvers, Roy double-crossed his father and brother and the team was sold and moved to Kansas City in 1954. In Macht’s third volume of his trilogy on Mack, he describes the physical, mental, and financial decline of Mack’s final years, which unfortunately became a classic American tragedy.
The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht - Amazon Sales Rank: #55795 in Books
- Published on: 2015-10-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.30" h x 2.02" w x 5.98" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 672 pages
The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht Review "If ever a baseball book could be called a definitive biography, this examination of Connie Mack can."—Ross Atkin, Christian Science Monitor (Ross Atkin Christian Science Monitor)“Impeccably researched and finely judged, The Grand Old Man of Baseball, the third volume of Norman Macht’s definitive biography of Connie Mack, combines fascinating detail with narrative skill to dispel the uncertainty and confusion that has long surrounded the sale and relocation of the Philadelphia Athletics to Kansas City, setting the record straight on what really happened.”—Bob Warrington, Philadelphia baseball historian and author (Bob Warrington 2015-03-20)"Connie Mack may not have been a swatter of home runs or a .300 hitter but he lasted in the game longer than just about anybody. He truly is a baseball legend and his entire story has just been written so thoroughly that it should be considered the final word on the subject."—Baseball Historian (Baseball Historian 2016-01-31)"Mack’s effect was far-reaching. So, too, is Macht’s treatment of Mack’s career."—Bob D'Angelo's Books & Blogs (Bob D'Angelo Bob D'Angelo's Books & Blogs 2015-11-11)
About the Author Norman L. Macht is the author of more than thirty books, including Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball (Nebraska, 2007) and Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915–1931 (Nebraska, 2012), as well as biographies of Cy Young, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. The Tall Tactician By Mark R. Brewer This is the third and final volume of a magisterial biography on Connie Mack, perhaps the greatest sportsman in U.S. history. Each volume is a wonderfully written, impeccably researched biography that is a joy to read.Connie Mack played for eleven years in the major leagues and managed for another fifty-three--fifty of them with his beloved Philadelphia Athletics. He holds records for most games managed, most games won, and most games lost. He won nine American League pennants and five World Series titles, all with the A's. I have always admired him for his greatness and durability.But this three-volume biography has allowed me to come to know the man very well, and I must admit I have grown to love him. Mr. Mack (as everyone called him) was a true gentleman--kind, generous, and honest. And though he loved the limelight, he remained humble despite his celebrity. He would be a great role model for athletes today if they cared to look.This third volume is every bit as good as the first two with one caveat. This book covers the end of Mack's career. During the Depression, Mr. Mack sold off his star players (lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons) to help make ends meet. Thus, his teams were typically very poor in his last years. There would be no more pennants.Mr. Mack stayed around a little too long. While many teams were being bought by major corporations, Mack was trying to run what was essentially a "mom and pop" organization, and he couldn't compete. The end of his career is sad at times.Anyone with an interest in baseball, baseball history, or in superb biography will find this book, like Mr. Mack himself, a real winner.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Monumental work enriches baseball history and baseball fans By Barry Sparks This volume, which covers 1932 through 1954, concludes Norman Macht’s monumental three-volume biography of Connie Mack. These were definitely lean years for the Athletics, who posted 13 consecutive losing seasons between 1934 and 1947. There was little to cheer about, except for a brief case of pennant fever, an 84-70 won-loss record and a fourth-place finish in 1948, 12.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians. Ted Williams said, “The A’s should have won it.” Mack, who failed to exhibit his normal patience in 1948, may have been his own worst enemy.Despite the lack of winning, Macht keeps everything interesting as he delivers nuggets of information about little-known Athletics; explains what kept the A’s perennially out of contention (the absence of a farm system and Mack’s insistence on being a one-man operation; at age 80, Mack was still doing the equivalent of four full-time jobs); dispels myths about Macht’s frugality; examines the business operation of the A’s; discusses the impact of night baseball and radio; and details the family feud about the operation and sale of the A’s.Macht makes the point that Mack had no choice financially but to sell Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochran, Lefty Grove and George Earnshaw after the great 1929-1931 run. “I sell these players to reduce my overhead and pay off debts I had accumulated since 1930,” said Mack. The Depression and declining attendance (the A’s only drew 233,173 in 1935) made the sale of players a necessity.Although many clubs resisted wholeheartedly supporting night baseball, its impact was undeniable. In 1939, the A’s drew 395,000—30 percent of them attended seven night games, while 40 percent attended 11 Sunday dates. The remaining 45 dates averaged less than 2,500 fans per game.As the A’s approached the 1940’s and Mack neared age 80, he was understandably no longer as sharp as he used to me. He became forgetful, and soon players were listening to coach Al Simmons instead of Mack. A’s pitcher Phil Marchildon said Mack cost the A’s 20 wins in 1947, the year they finished fifth, 19 games behind the New York Yankees.The last few years of the Philadelphia Athletics were marked by infighting of brothers Earl, Roy and Connie Jr., which produced constant turmoil and bitterness. Macht delivers a blow-by-blow description of the eventual sale of the A’s. Roy and Earl Mack, neither of whom were respected, ran the A’s from 1950 to 1954, accumulating a $250,000 (equivalent to $2 million today) deficit. Red Smith quipped, “Roy and Earl Mack went broke in baseball and they did it on merit.” Using financial records, correspondences and unearthed American League minutes, Mack gives a complete account of the events that led to the demise of the A’s.Mack, who was 87 when he stopped managing the A’s in 1950, had clearly stayed too long, but he made it clear that he never considered life without baseball, and although he wouldn’t always admit it, he was forever in quest of one more pennant. He enjoyed being on the field and running the club.In conclusion, Macht writes that “no one enjoyed his life more than Mack.”After 30 years of meticulous research, interviews and writing, Macht’s work on the definitive biography of Mack is complete. And, the annals of baseball history and serious baseball fans are the winners.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Decline and Fall of Connie Mack By Michael Martin The third and final volume of Macht's trilogy on the life Connie Mack was outstanding. However, it was not an easy read. After the tremendous first two books in this series, the third book detailed the slow erosion of Mack's abilities and the downfall of the Philadelphia Athletics due to his dependence on the questionable leadership abilities of his two older sons. The deterioration of Mack's abilities was especially hard to read because of his central place in the history of baseball from the 1890's through the 1930's. It really becomes the story of a person who stayed too long at the table and the problems caused by his inability to turn over the reigns to younger and more aggressive heirs. This disinclination or inability to retire hurt Mack. his family, his players, the Athletics franchise, and the fans in Philadelphia. That is the core of what made the book difficult. It was disheartening to read the downfall of the man and his franchise. That said, I highly recommend the Mack trilogy to any fan of baseball. Macht went into great detail on his subject as well as the people Mack touched throughout his long life. If you are a student of the game this trilogy is a must-read. Take the time and the effort to learn about this baseball icon and his franchise, the Philadelphia Athletics.
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The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht
The Grand Old Man of Baseball: Connie Mack in His Final Years, 1932-1956, by Norman L. Macht
