I poked some fun at players' names earlier. But I have finished Bob Ryan's book, When Boston Won the World Series, referring to the very first World Series in 1903, before they were called the Red Sox. (Cavwife "You finished the book, finally? Woooo!") I have been otherwise occupied, so this should not reflect poorly on Bob Ryan or his book. It is a good little book, based largely on the Globe offerings of Tim Murnane. Aside from the numerous typos (the editor and publisher are responsible for that) this is a good, and fairly quick read. I often read a chapter or 2 before going to sleep. I was left with the impression that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
1. Pitching and defense STILL wins championships. This was Pittsburg's problem- they only had one reliable pitcher, Deacon Phillippe. And he was more than reliable, credited with all 3 of Pittsburg's victories in the series. But the poor guy was all they had, and, his arm just got too tired. The Pilgrims, also known as the Americans, had Cy Young (past his prime but still VERY good- think Clemens or Pedro as they currently are), Bill Dinneen, and Tom Hughes. Boston definitely won the pitching advantage. And defense too. Their infield built a reputation as the best of their day. Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, playing for Pittsburg, had a horrible series in the field and at the plate. He was outplayed by Boston's diminutive SS Freddy Parent.
2. Fans still impact play. They had their own version of Bartman. In those days the fans were not restricted to the stands. Money-hungry owners let EVERYBODY in. So they created ground rules- if the ball went into the crowd that was on the field of play, it was a triple. This particularly hurt the hometown Boston team, since it limited their ability to catch balls, resulting in some free triples to Pittsburg. A fan even presented a stickpin to a player before they went to the plate.
3. There are still good owners and bad owners. Dreyfuss, who owned the Pittsburg team, was an innovator. He also seemed to be a good owner. He made nothing on the series. He gave all the profits to the players. As a result, this is the one and only time the losing team had a bigger payday than the winners. The Boston owner, Harry Killilea, was also an innovator. The American League was essential born thru his labors. But he was also REALLY cheap. It was a business venture for him, and he rarely if ever attended the games. Even the World Series. He charged the ownership and management from Pittsburg for tickets. He charged the press for tickets.
4. Gambling has always been a problem. It did not start, nor end, with Pete Rose. The owner of the Pirates actually lost money on the series, because he placed bets. Hmmmm, is he in the Hall of Fame?
5. SS still blow it. The very first World Series ended with the great Honus Wagner, the Pirates' shortstop, striking out. In 2004, All-Star SS Edgar Renteria grounded to the pitcher.
6. Great Teams Don't Last. In 1904, the Boston team was even better. Cy Young pitched the 20th century's first perfect game. But the NY Giants' owner (John Brush) and manager (feisty John McGraw) refused to play in another World Series. After the fans didn't show up in the 1905 season, the Giants played the Philadelphia A's. Ryan has them losing, but they actually beat the A's. But the Boston team declined quickly. But they were rebuilt into a champion by 1912, with 1903's back-up catcher Jake Stahl as manager. They boasted such Hall of Famers as Smokey Joe Wood (an amazing 34-5), Tris Speaker. Between 1912 & 1918, the (now) Red Sox, won 4 more World Series, beginning with clobbering the John McGraw-led Giants. They were the team of the decade. By 1918, a young southpaw name Babe Ruth emerged. Soon ownership was shipping off most of the talent to build the foundation of the Yankees dynasty (it wasn't just the Babe). An ironic twist of fate is that the 2004 Red Sox beat the Yankees who had the MVP the Red Sox couldn't get.
7. Scalpers Always Get Tickets. This problem created a scandal for Game 8. Apparently the tickets disappeared from the box office. But scalpers had some. It was the lowest attended game (about 17,000), but at least the outfield wasn't over run with fans.
8. Bad Owners Still Get the Gate. Killilea came under lots of pressure for the ticket scandal. He was pushed to sell, and sell he did. John Taylor took over and proceded to make a really bad trade. But Taylor changed the name to Red Sox, and had iconic Fenway Park built. He also oversaw the acquistion of the talent that made them the team of the 1910's. Unfortunately, one of the worst owners of all time, Harry Frazee, sold off much of the talent. Peter Gammons notes that the curse was really just bad management, and bad pitching- I'd say mostly management.
9. Fans Can Still Be Annoying. People who complain about Red Sox Nation showing up at their ballpark really can't complain. The Royal Rooters took the train to Pittsburg. Times were different, and they had a band and sang songs. When the song "Tessie" was played during the shift in momentum, superstition kicked in. It was the song with its magical powers, and they continued to play and sing it to the consternation of the Pirates' players and fans. Good old Tess led them to 4 straight victories.
In baseball, 9 is the number of completion. So I'm done. This book should interest most baseball fans. It is about history, not one team. So enjoy!
