The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions
About this ebook
Long
before the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season, Boston’s
now nearly forgotten “other” team, the 1914 Boston Braves,
performed a baseball “miracle” that resounds to this very day.
The "Miracle Braves" were Boston's first "worst-to-first"
winners of the World Series.
Shortly
after the turn of the previous century, the once mighty Braves had
become a perennial member of the National League’s second division.
Preseason pundits didn't believe the 1914 team posed a meaningful
threat to John McGraw’s powerful New York Giants. During the first
half of that campaign, Boston lived down to such expectations, taking
up residence in the league’s basement.
Refusing
to throw in the towel at the midseason mark, their leader, the
pugnacious George Stallings, deftly manipulated his daily lineup and
pitching staff to engineer a remarkable second-half climb in the
standings all the way to first place. The team’s winning momentum
carried into the postseason, where the Braves swept Connie Mack's
heralded Athletics and claimed the only World Championship ever won
by Boston’s National League entry. And for 100 years, the
management, players, and fans of underperforming ball clubs have
turned to the Miracle Braves to catch a glimmer of hope that such a
midseason turnaround could be repeated.
Through
the collaborative efforts of a band of dedicated members of the
Society for American Baseball Research, this benchmark accomplishment
is richly revealed to the reader in The
Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series
Champions. The essence
of the “miracle” is captured through a comprehensive compendium
of incisive biographies of the players and other figures associated
with the team, with additional relevant research pieces on the
season. After a journey through the pages of this book, the die-hard
baseball fan will better understand why the call to “Wait Until
Next Year” should never be voiced prematurely.
Includes:
FOREWORD
by Bob Brady
THE
BRAVES
Ted
Cather by Jack V. Morris
Gene
Cocreham by Thomas Ayers
Wilson
Collins by Charlie Weatherby
Joe
Connolly by Dennis Auger
Ensign
Cottrell by Peter Cottrell
Dick
Crutcher by Jerrod Cotosman
George
Davis by Rory Costello
Charlie
Deal by Charles F. Faber
Josh
Devore by Peter Gordon
Oscar
Dugey by Charlie Weatherby
Johnny
Evers by David Shiner
The
1914 Evers-Zimmerman Incident
and How the Tale Grew Taller Over
the Years by Bob Brady
The
Evers Ejection Record by
Mark Sternman
Larry
Gilbert by Jack V. Morris
Hank
Gowdy by Carol McMains and Frank Ceresi
Tommy
Griffith by Chip Greene
Otto
Hess by Gary Hess
Tom
Hughes by Greg Erion
Bill
James by David Jones
Clarence
Kraft by Jon Dunkle
Dolf
Luque by Peter Bjarkman
Les
Mann by Maurice Bouchard
Rabbit
Maranville by Dick Leyden
Billy
Martin by Bob Joel
Jack
Martin by Charles F. Faber
Herbie
Moran by Charles F. Faber
Jim
Murray by Jim Elfers
Hub
Perdue by John Simpson
Dick
Rudolph by Dick Leyden
Butch
Schmidt by Chip Greene
Red
Smith by Charles F. Faber
Paul
Strand by Jack V. Morris
Fred
Tyler by John Shannahan
Lefty
Tyler by Wayne McElreavy
Bert
Whaling by Charles F. Faber
George
“Possum” Whitted by Craig Hardee
MANAGER
George
Stallings by Martin Kohout
COACH
Fred
Mitchell by Bill Nowlin
OWNER
Jim
Gaffney by Rory Costello
The
Braves’ A.B.C. by Ring Lardner
1914
Boston Braves Timeline by Mike Lynch
A
Stallings Anecdote
1914
World Series by Mark Sternman
“I
Told You So” by O.R.C.
The
Rest of 1914 by Mike Lynch
How
An Exhibition Game Contributed To A Miracle by Bob Brady
The
National League Pennant Race of 1914 by Frank Vaccaro
The
Press, The Fans, and the 1914 Boston Braves by Donna L. Halper
Return
of the Miracle Braves by Bob Brady
Miracle
Teams by A Comparison of the 1914 Miracle Braves and 1969 Miracle
Mets by Tom Nahigian
An
Unexpected Farewell by The South End Grounds, August 1914 by Bob
Ruzzo
The
Time(s) the Braves Played Home Games at Fenway Park by Bill Nowlin
The
Kisselkar Sign
The
Trail Blazers in Indian File by R. E. M. - poems for 1914 Braves,
collected by Joanne Hulbert
The
Story of the 1914 Braves by George Stallings
“Mr.
Warmth” and “Very Superstitious” – two George Stallings
anecdotes by Bob Brady
By
the Numbers by Dan Fields
Creature
Feature by Dan Fields
About the author
SABR is the Society for American Baseball Research, a group of over 6,000 enthusiasts about the game of baseball whose research interests range from the game's history to statistical analysis, records, cultural impact, and more. The BioProject is a SABR effort to research, write, and publish biographies of every player--and every person--ever connected with organized baseball. Anyone with a love of baseball can join SABR and become a part of these efforts.
