Connie Mack: Grand Old Man of Baseball

Fred Lieb’s biography of Connie Mack was originally published in 1945 as part of the celebrated series published by G. P. Putnam. Known for their lively prose and engaging narratives, these Putnam books have become prized collectibles among baseball readers and historians.

Cornelius McGillicuddy Sr., better known as Connie Mack, was a professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. He was a catcher for the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons, and Pittsburgh Pirates. His last three seasons as a player-manager were with the Pittsburgh Pirates, after which he devoted his time exclu- sively to managing.
The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball, Mack holds records for the most wins, losses, and games managed. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for five years (1894–1899) and then managed the Philadelphia Athletics for the club’s first fifty seasons before retiring following the 1950 season. In addition to his managing duties, he was part-owner of the Athletics from 1901 to 1936 and sole owner until 1954. Among his achievements, Mack was the first manager to win the World Series three times (1910, 1911, and 1913) and is the only manager to have won consecutive Series on two separate occasions (1910 and 1911 and 1929 and 1930). His five Series titles remain the third most by any manager. However, constant financial struggles forced repeated building of the Athletics’ roster, and Mack’s teams also finished last seventeen times. Connie Mack was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
Connie Mack: Grand Old Man of Baseball is filled with intimate glimpses of Mack and of the players he managed over the years. Mack and his teams always gave Athletics fans a great show―and readers can relive the excitement in this facsimile reprint of Frederick G. Lieb’s classic biography.