Revisiting the dawn of a dynasty

Posted Aug 3, 2011 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Aug 2, 2011 at 11:19 PM

It’s difficult to imagine a time when the New York Yankees struggled to establish an identity, but until Babe Ruth joined the club in 1920, the franchise played second fiddle in the Big Apple.

American League pennants in 1921 and ’22 gave the Yankees some credibility, but they remained a shadow franchise to their rivals across the Harlem River, the New York Giants managed by John J. McGraw. In fact, the Yankees were renting the Polo Grounds because the team did not have its own stadium.
So when the 1923 season opened, the Yankees were more determined than ever to get that “can’t win the big one” tag off their backs. And they would do so in a brand new stadium that has since been called the Taj Mahal of baseball.
Had he taken a narrow focus, Robert Weintraub might have missed the mark. But by looking at the big picture in 1923, he has produced a book more deeply textured. In “The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923” (Little, Brown, hardback, $26.99), Weintraub takes the reader on the journey taken by both the Yankees and Giants toward their third consecutive World Series clash.
The reader learns that the ballpark originally was called “The Yankee Stadium,” and Weintraub details the snags — political and otherwise — that nearly prevented the stadium from being built.

But what brings this book to life are the portraits Weintraub draws of players who were overshadowed by the personalities of Ruth and McGraw. The reader learns how McGraw transformed Travis Jackson from a wild throwing infielder into a competent shortstop; there are detailed stories about Bob and Emil “Irish” Meusel, brothers who were rivals during the three World Series they faced one another in; and Art Nehf, the stylish pitcher was the anchor of the Giants’ staff.

There is even a brief mention of a Yankees rookie who would become baseball’s iron man — Lou Gehrig, who saw limited action during the 1923 season. Gehrig was courted by the Giants in 1921 when he was attending Columbia University. When the Yankees tried to put him on the postseason roster in 1923, McGraw nixed the move.

McGraw is a fascinating character. A proponent of “Scientific Baseball,” the long ball era ushered in by Ruth horrified the Giants’ manager. And his dislike for the Yankees was so great, he had his players dress at the Polo Grounds when the World Series shifted to Yankee Stadium.

Ruth knew that 1923 would be a pivotal season, particularly after his dismal showing in the 1922 World Series. He responded with one of his greatest seasons, leading the league with 41 homers and 131 RBIs while batting .393 to finish behind Harry Heilmann’s .403. He also led the league in runs scored (151), total bases (399), slugging percentage (.739) and walks (170). He was voted the American League MVP and commanded a $52,000 salary.

But the one thing missing was a World Series title with the Yankees — and Ruth finally achieved that, the first of 27 that New York would win.
Weintraub also sheds new light on the two men who were the Yankees’ odd couple (a title later owned by George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin in the 1970s, and Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter this decade): the team’s co-owners, Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston. The pair agreed to buy the Yankees in 1915, then spent the next eight years agreeing on little else. Ruppert eventually bought controlling interest in the team.

There is plenty written about Ruppert, but Weintraub gives Huston his due, giving the reader a fascinating look into a turbulent baseball partnership.

Weintraub puts the 1923 season into sharper focus with crisp writing, lots of detail and exhaustive research. While the 1920s belonged to Babe Ruth, there were other characters that deserved mention. Weintraub presents a balanced look at the dawn of a dynasty.