The New Biographical History of Baseball: The Classic—Completely Revised by Donald Dewey, Nicholas Acocella and Jerome Holtzman (Jan 1, 2002)
The New Biographical History of Baseball: The Classic—Completely Revised by Donald Dewey, Nicholas Acocella and Jerome Holtzman (Jan 1, 2002)
KID ELBERFELD
When American League president Ban Johnson maneuvered shortstop Elberfeld to the Highlanders in 1903, he almost exploded the recently concluded peace between the National and American leagues; he definitely exploded the 1904 World Series. A .271 hitter for six clubs between 1898 and 1914, Elberfeld was claimed by the Giants after the 1902 season. but then permitted to go back to his team of origin in Detroit as part of the inter-league accord. At least as far as Giants owner John T. Brush and manager John McGraw were concerned. the understanding was for the hot-tempered infielder known as The Tabasco Kid to remain with the Tigers. But when AL president Ban Johnson decided that Elberfeld was exactly the kind of player his new franchise in New York needed to compete with the Giants for fans, he wasted little time shepherding a deal with the Highlanders.
Brush and McGraw got nowhere with attempts at obtaining an injunction against the move and their protests of a betrayal. but they did get back at Johnson the following year when they refused to pit their pennant-winning team against the Red Sox in the second World Series. As the Giants had feared, the positive thing about Elberfeld's macho persona was that he was good box office. Regular tales of him pouring whiskey on his cuts and gashes between innings gave New York's AL fans at least a semblance of the roughhouse appeal of McGraw's Giants.
On the other hand, that same persona included a temper that turned even his rooters against him at times. In August 1905. for instance, he assaulted arbiter Jack McCarthy from behind, then landed two more shots when McCarthy tried to defend himself. Teammates and police had to escort him from the field before Chicago fans came down from the stands to help McCarthy. and Johnson suspended him indefinitely. The following September. Elberfeld became so furious that a Philadelphia runner had been called safe at third that he began chasing umpire Silk O'Loughlin around the field. To his astonishment, his own fans—bored with his regular eruptions and impatient to get on with the game—started booing him. The mood turned so ugly that police once again had to escort him off the field.
Teammates didn't fare much better than umpires with Elberfeld. He and third baseman Wid Conroy. for example, developed such a volatile contempt for each other that manager Clark Griffith found it easier to accede to Conroy's request for a shift to the outfield than abet a violent spectacle from the two infielders going after the same pop fly. Another non-favorite of the shortstop was Hal Chase. whose popularity in New York had conic to eclipse his own. Griffith had other problems with Elberfeld, as well. In 1907 a prolonged slump at hat and in the field generated criticism from both the press and fans. An initial funk at the hostility toward him erupted into defiance during the first game of a July 26 doubleheader when the shortstop ever so slowly retrieved a ball after making an error and insolently admired it. Owner Frank Farrell responded by slapping him with another of his several suspensions.
In spring training the next year, Griffith, exasperated because Elberfeld had missed 164 games over the previous four seasons due to leg and other injuries, suggested he wear a shin guard while playing the infield. Despite the heckling of opposing players, Elberfeld went along for a few weeks. But then in early May Bob Ganley of the Senators slid into him, destroying the shin guard and the rest of his playing season. That was bad news for Griffith on two counts: it cost him a shortstop and gave the idled infielder a lot of time to share his thoughts with Farrell about how badly the club was being managed. A year after being suspended for his less than sterling effort on the field, Elberfeld was named to succeed the resigning Griffith.
As a pilot, Elberfeld was most (transparently) known for his pet tactic of having the Highlanders pass along hit-and-run signs to one another through the N (for No) and Y (for Yes) on their uniforms. According to several players, the grazings of the team logo were about as subtle as shouted commands and accounted for the constant thwarting of New York rallies. Elberfeld was fired after compiling a record of 27-71 and contributing mightily to a franchise-mark 103 losses.
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Product Information
This authoritative, over-sized biographical history of our national pastime offers personality profiles and original summaries of the contributions made by more than 1,500 players, managers, owners, front office executives, journalist/writers, and fans to the development and enjoyment of baseball.
When American League president Ban Johnson maneuvered shortstop Elberfeld to the Highlanders in 1903, he almost exploded the recently concluded peace between the National and American leagues; he definitely exploded the 1904 World Series. A .271 hitter for six clubs between 1898 and 1914, Elberfeld was claimed by the Giants after the 1902 season. but then permitted to go back to his team of origin in Detroit as part of the inter-league accord. At least as far as Giants owner John T. Brush and manager John McGraw were concerned. the understanding was for the hot-tempered infielder known as The Tabasco Kid to remain with the Tigers. But when AL president Ban Johnson decided that Elberfeld was exactly the kind of player his new franchise in New York needed to compete with the Giants for fans, he wasted little time shepherding a deal with the Highlanders.
Brush and McGraw got nowhere with attempts at obtaining an injunction against the move and their protests of a betrayal. but they did get back at Johnson the following year when they refused to pit their pennant-winning team against the Red Sox in the second World Series. As the Giants had feared, the positive thing about Elberfeld's macho persona was that he was good box office. Regular tales of him pouring whiskey on his cuts and gashes between innings gave New York's AL fans at least a semblance of the roughhouse appeal of McGraw's Giants.
On the other hand, that same persona included a temper that turned even his rooters against him at times. In August 1905. for instance, he assaulted arbiter Jack McCarthy from behind, then landed two more shots when McCarthy tried to defend himself. Teammates and police had to escort him from the field before Chicago fans came down from the stands to help McCarthy. and Johnson suspended him indefinitely. The following September. Elberfeld became so furious that a Philadelphia runner had been called safe at third that he began chasing umpire Silk O'Loughlin around the field. To his astonishment, his own fans—bored with his regular eruptions and impatient to get on with the game—started booing him. The mood turned so ugly that police once again had to escort him off the field.
Teammates didn't fare much better than umpires with Elberfeld. He and third baseman Wid Conroy. for example, developed such a volatile contempt for each other that manager Clark Griffith found it easier to accede to Conroy's request for a shift to the outfield than abet a violent spectacle from the two infielders going after the same pop fly. Another non-favorite of the shortstop was Hal Chase. whose popularity in New York had conic to eclipse his own. Griffith had other problems with Elberfeld, as well. In 1907 a prolonged slump at hat and in the field generated criticism from both the press and fans. An initial funk at the hostility toward him erupted into defiance during the first game of a July 26 doubleheader when the shortstop ever so slowly retrieved a ball after making an error and insolently admired it. Owner Frank Farrell responded by slapping him with another of his several suspensions.
In spring training the next year, Griffith, exasperated because Elberfeld had missed 164 games over the previous four seasons due to leg and other injuries, suggested he wear a shin guard while playing the infield. Despite the heckling of opposing players, Elberfeld went along for a few weeks. But then in early May Bob Ganley of the Senators slid into him, destroying the shin guard and the rest of his playing season. That was bad news for Griffith on two counts: it cost him a shortstop and gave the idled infielder a lot of time to share his thoughts with Farrell about how badly the club was being managed. A year after being suspended for his less than sterling effort on the field, Elberfeld was named to succeed the resigning Griffith.
As a pilot, Elberfeld was most (transparently) known for his pet tactic of having the Highlanders pass along hit-and-run signs to one another through the N (for No) and Y (for Yes) on their uniforms. According to several players, the grazings of the team logo were about as subtle as shouted commands and accounted for the constant thwarting of New York rallies. Elberfeld was fired after compiling a record of 27-71 and contributing mightily to a franchise-mark 103 losses.
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Product Information
This authoritative, over-sized biographical history of our national pastime offers personality profiles and original summaries of the contributions made by more than 1,500 players, managers, owners, front office executives, journalist/writers, and fans to the development and enjoyment of baseball.
- Hardcover: 474 pages
- Publisher: Triumph Books; Collectors edition edition (January 1, 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1572435674
- ISBN-13: 978-1572435674
- Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 1.5 x 9.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,157 in Books
