McCurdy: On John McGraw and the 1914 Houston Buffs
From SABR member Bill McCurdy at The Pecan Park Eagle on December 24, 2014:
One hundred years ago today from this Christmas Eve 2014, a brief article appeared in The Galveston Daily News about a potential impact on the future of Houston baseball. It seems that John McGraw of the New York Giants had a hot interest in purchasing the Houston Buffs for his use as a “farm” club for his National League club. It didn’t happen, of course, but what a change it could have made on the future face of baseball in our area, had it occurred.
If you are looking for the best, most singularly comprehensive book ever written, edited and published on the early history of baseball in Houston area as a last day Christmas gift, drop by your nearest Barnes and Noble in Houston and ask for “Houston Baseball: The Early Years, 1861-1961″. If they have any copies left in stock, it’s the perfect baseball history gift for the fan in your family. Researched and written by several Houston members of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, including iconic writer Mickey Herskowitz, and brilliantly edited by Houston historian Mike Vance, this 368-page, beautifully illustrated history by artist Patrick Lopez, is also a hard copy photo and text gallery of how Houston grew into a major league city. The work is one for the ages, prepared carefully and assembled with nothing less than first class materials and book assembly craftsmanship that are up to the task of preserving all copies as our legacy to the generations of Houstonians that will be reading it one hundred years from now and beyond. Prepared and published by Bright Sky Press of Houston, this book is an informative and entertaining reference work that belongs in the libraries and homes of all entities and individuals who care about the full history of Houston. Bob Dorrill, Chair of the Larry Dierker Chapter of SABR, was our administrative project director. We could not have done a quality job without his involvement and relentless enthusiasm.
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At any rate, here’s a brief look at a story that ran exactly one hundred years ago on Christmas Eve. It didn’t happen as John McGraw hoped it might, but you can find out what did happen with the book we just described. And yes, for the record, this editor of The Pecan Park Eagle was the book project originator and one of the principal researchers and writers of the text.
Read the full article here: https://bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/christmas-eve-1914-mcgraw-wants-buffs/
Originally published: December 29, 2014. Last Updated: December 29, 2014.