The Old Ball Game

How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball

By: Frank Deford

Narrated by: Frank Deford

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Old Ball Game, Frank Deford, NPR sports commentator and Sports Illustrated journalist retells the story of an unusual friendship between two towering figures in baseball history.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Christy Mathewson was one of baseball's first superstars. Over six feet tall, clean cut, and college educated, he didn't pitch on the Sabbath and rarely spoke an ill word about anyone. He also had one of the most devastating arms in all of baseball. New York Giants manager John McGraw, by contrast, was ferocious. The pugnacious tough guy was already a star infielder who, with the Baltimore Orioles, helped develop a new, scrappy style of baseball, with plays like the hit-and-run, the Baltimore chop, and the squeeze play. When McGraw joined the Giants in 1902, the Giants were coming off their worst season ever. Yet within three years, Mathewson clinched New York City's first World Series for McGraw's team by throwing three straight shutouts in only six days, an incredible feat that is invariably called the greatest World Series performance ever. Because of their wonderful odd-couple association, baseball had its first superstar, the Giants ascended into legend, and baseball as a national pastime bloomed.

©2005 Frank Deford (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Great stories from baseball's beginnings

What did you love best about The Old Ball Game?

I love hearing about the people when baseball was young. There wasn't much in this book that hasn't been told before, but it's a great book if you are starting to discover the early history of the game.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Christy Mathewson - the true all-American boy. During a time when the game was filled with liars and cheats, he maintained his integrity and helped raise the standards of the game

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frank Deford?

Anyone who can pronounce the main character's name properly. I've always heard it as Matthew-Son, and it was annoying to hear him referred to as Matha-Son for the entire book. Probably nit-picking - sorry to any east coasters who take offense.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - it was fine to be broken up over a few days.

Good story but annoying narrator...

Overall, I liked the book. Although these characters were well before my time, I have a great appreciation and fascination for the men who played the game in its relative infancy. I often wonder how players of that era would have fared playing today's game, and vice-versa. The rules and approach to playing was pretty different then, and it's wonderful hearing about all those differences.

But I found Defords' continuous pronunciation of "Matthewson" as "Math-e-son." And Christy's name is mentioned OFTEN, so it was a constant grating on my nerves. But I soldiered through it because the story was a good enough story to put up with it.

Excellent Baseball History

Christy Mathewson & John McGraw are two legends that all baseball fans should know more about. Sportswriter Frank Deford narrates his own book with a great voice in storyteller fashion. The only drawback was that the story jumped around a bit describing their careers.
I love Gilded Age & turn of the century history. I also love baseball. The early history of baseball combines the eras into a new genre for me. Baseball fans & historians alike will appreciate this book full of Americana.