Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs
Autor Jason Cannonen Limba Engleză Paperback – mai 2026
Finalist for the 2022 CASEY Award
You don’t know the history of the Chicago Cubs until you know the story of Charles Webb Murphy, the ebullient and mercurial owner of this historic franchise from 1905 through 1914. Originally a sportswriter in Cincinnati, he joined the New York Giants front office as a press agent—the game’s first—in 1905. That season, hearing the Cubs were for sale, he secured a loan from Charles Taft, the older half brother of the future president of the United States, to buy a majority share and become the team’s new owner. In his second full season, the Cubs won their first World Series. They won again in 1908, but soon thereafter Murphy’s unconventional style invited ill will from the owners, his own players, and the press, even as he led the team through their most successful period in team history.
In Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs, Jason Cannon explores Murphy’s life both on and off the field, painting a picture of his meteoric rise and precipitous downfall. Readers will get to know the real Murphy, not the simplified caricature created by his contemporaries, but the whirling dervish who sent the sport of baseball spinning and elevated Chicago to the center of the baseball universe. Cannon recounts Murphy’s rise from the son of Irish immigrants to sports reporter to Cubs president, charting his legacy as one of the most important but overlooked figures in the National League’s long history.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781496246509
ISBN-10: 1496246500
Pagini: 400
Ilustrații: 13 photographs, 1 illustration, index
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 mm
Editura: Nebraska
Colecția University of Nebraska Press
Locul publicării:United States
ISBN-10: 1496246500
Pagini: 400
Ilustrații: 13 photographs, 1 illustration, index
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 mm
Editura: Nebraska
Colecția University of Nebraska Press
Locul publicării:United States
Notă biografică
Jason Cannon worked in collegiate sports information before turning to teaching and writing. He is the author of A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams and his articles have appeared in NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.
Cuprins
Introduction: “He Was a Showman”
1. Wilmington
2. On to Cincinnati
3. “A Real Wonder-Story”
4. “He Is One of Us”
5. Champions
6. Supremacy Again
7. The War of 1908–9
8. A Pair of Presidents
9. The Final Pennant
10. “Murphy Alone Is My Enemy”
11. “All Is Fair in Love and War”
12. “The Malicious Mistake of Mr. Murphy”
13. Show Business
14. Narratives
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
1. Wilmington
2. On to Cincinnati
3. “A Real Wonder-Story”
4. “He Is One of Us”
5. Champions
6. Supremacy Again
7. The War of 1908–9
8. A Pair of Presidents
9. The Final Pennant
10. “Murphy Alone Is My Enemy”
11. “All Is Fair in Love and War”
12. “The Malicious Mistake of Mr. Murphy”
13. Show Business
14. Narratives
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Recenzii
"Everything a great biography should be: impeccably researched, fair, eminently readable, and ultimately as satisfyingly instructive as having personally known the subject oneself."—Spitball Magazine
"Besides writing a very readable book, Cannon has done the kind of research that a good biography requires."—James E. Overmyer, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture
"Charlie Murphy is an excellent addition to the existing body of work in book-length baseball biography. Cannon masterfully moves beyond his subject's on-field baseball achievements, often the singular focus of a baseball biography, by providing a well-balanced mix of Murphy's off-field contribution to the baseball industry, his cultural influence, and an exploration of his character."—Charlie Bevis, Journal of Sport History
“[Cannon’s] biography is thoroughly researched, relying not only on voluminous Chicago newspaper archives but on National League meeting minutes form the Hall of Fame library. Charles Murphy himself may never wind up in Cooperstown but Jason Cannon has given him is due.”—Andrew Milner, The Inside Game
“Over the first couple of decades of the twentieth century, Cubs owner and general manager Charles Murphy was as significant as any executive in baseball and one of its most interesting characters. Jason Cannon perceptively unwraps the man who oversaw Cubs championship seasons and was a principal actor in some of the era’s most notable controversies and boardroom battles.”—Daniel R. Levitt, coauthor of In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to “Moneyball”
“Impeccably researched and masterfully written, Charlie Murphy tells the story of one of baseball’s most well-known, forgotten owners. Only after you’ve read it do you realize how much you didn’t know of Murphy and his impact on the game.”—Willie Steele, editor of NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture
“Part exuberant showman and part irreverent iconoclast, Charles W. Murphy eventually aroused the ire of players, fans, and even the baseball establishment with his controversial decisions, which eventually led to his undoing. Jason Cannon deftly uses hundreds of articles, documents, interviews, and other original sources to look past Murphy’s reputation as an egotistical blowhard and reassess both his personal life and professional career. In so doing, the author reveals a detailed narrative of the Progressive Era and a compelling, richly nuanced portrait of one of baseball’s most colorful characters.”—Jack Bales, author of Before They Were the Cubs
"This is a remarkable book full of baseball information for all fans to enjoy. The book is easy to read and should be on the bookshelf of every baseball fan, baseball historian and especially those with Chicago Cubs fandom."—Tom Knuppel, Knup Sports
"As for the complete story of Murphy, from his beginnings to his ownership of the Cubs and the fractured relationships at the time of his ouster, Cannon does a very good job of bringing him to life to the reader and illustrating an accurate picture of the business side of the game at that time."—Lance Smith, Guy Who Reviews Sports Books
Descriere
A biography of Charles Webb Murphy, the ebullient and mercurial owner of the Chicago Cubs from 1905 through 1914.