Connie Mack

As a player

As a manager

  • Pittsburgh Pirates (1894-1896)
  • Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1950)
  • 5 × World Series champion (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930)
  • Statistics as manager: 3731-3948 ( 48.6 %)
  • Most games as a manager in MLB history
  • Co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1936)
  • Owner of the Philadelphia Athletics (1936-1954)

Connie Mack, prop, Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr., ( born December 22, 1862 in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, † February 8, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ) was an American baseball player, manager and team owner.

Mack holds with 7755 inserts the record for the most games as a manager in Major League Baseball. At the same time he has reached the most defeats ( 3948 ), and Victory ( 3731 ). In 1933, he also managed the selection of the American League in the first All- Star game history.

As the first manager ever Mack could win the World Series three times and is still the only one who twice won two consecutive World Series. Overall, Mack was five times successfully in the finals of the U.S. professional baseball leagues.

Private life

Connie Mack was born in East Brookfield in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. His parents Michael McGillicuddy and Mary McKillop were Irish immigrants. Mack left in 1877 at the age of 14 years, the school in order to earn money for the family. His father suffered from alcoholism, which had developed after an injury during the Civil War.

The name Connie Mack was originally created as an abbreviation, since the full name was too long to fit on the scorecard. The actual nickname prevailed so that hardly anyone knew the correct name McGillicuddy. Up to the present all descendants of Connie Mack lead the name as nicknames, although these never had his name officially changed.

On November 8, 1887 Mack married his first wife, Margaret Hogan, with whom he had three children together. His son Earl Mack was also baseball player and played under his father in Philadelphia. After 1950, he took over the team with his brother Roy Mack from his father. His wife died in 1892 after complications with the birth of her daughter Marguerite.

On October 27, 1910 Mack married a second time. With Catarina Hallahan he still had four daughters and another son, Cornelius Jr., and Connie Mack II

Connie Mack's grandson Connie Mack III was, and his great-grandson Connie Mack IV is currently representative of the State of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. His great-grandson is with Mary Bono Mack, the widow of Sonny Bono, married.

Career

As a player

As of 1886, Mack played for eleven years in the Major Leagues, including ten in the National League and one in the Players' League. Mainly Mack was employed in the position of catcher, but also played as a first baseman and right field.

From 1886 to 1889 Mack was active in the Washington Nationals in the National League. In his first season in 1886 Mack was ten times used, reaching a batting average of 36.1 %, what should be his peak to the end of his career. In the following three years, Mack then played regularly. In 1888 he scored the first of only five homers in his playing career.

For the 1890 season, Mack joined the Buffalo Bisons in the newly formed Players' League, where he played 123 games season, finishing in last place with his team. However, the League was only one year, so that Mack joined the following year, back in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates. There he played for the rest of his career as a player, however, was already as players and managers alike active. For this reason, he also played more and more rare, and brought it in the season 1895 just 14 missions. In his final season in 1896 Mack played at least 33 times more.

Overall, Mack came on 724 missions, of which 601 in the National League and 123 in the Players' League.

As a manager

In the years 1894 to 1896 Connie Mack spent three years as a player and manager and won 149 games with 134 losses ( 52.7 %) for the Pirates. From 1897 on, he managed four years, the minor league team the Milwaukee Brewers.

For season 1901 Mack began 50 years lasting career with the Philadelphia Athletics manager, where he won until old age of 87 years 3582 victories in 3814 losses ( 48.4 %). Eight times he reached with his team while the World Series, which he won five.

In selecting his players Mack put much emphasis on self-directed, self- motivated and selbstdiziplinierte players. In his eyes, Eddie Collins was, who was in Philadelphia to stardom, the ideal type of player. The behavior in the private lives of its players Mack was important. So he demanded from his players that they drank no alcohol.

Sporty offset the 50 years of a roller coaster ride. In the early years, the Athletics won the American League twice (1902 and 1905 ). 1902, this meant the optimum, since American and National League because of a bitter dispute for supremacy in professional baseball championship fought out any series. Three years later lost the Athletics in the World Series with 1:4 games against the New York Giants. The only victory secured the future Hall of Famer Chief Bender, the Mack made ​​his debut in 1903.

Also in the following years led Mack the team to a positive balance. Exception was the year 1908, in which it was only enough to 6th place with a negative balance.

The third victory in the American League, the team then recorded 1910. Especially on the position of the Pitcher Mack had strong players. In addition to Chief Bender towered above all the 1906 team bumped Jack Coombs, the same amount charged to the World Series in 1910 and three wins so big share of the first World Series title for Mack had. The Athletics won the series 4-1 games against the Chicago Cubs. With the team of Mack among many others were later Hall of Famer Frank " Home Run " Baker, Eddie Plank and Eddie Collins.

1911 Mack repeated the triumph with almost the same team. In the World Series in 1911, he defeated the New York Giants, against whom he defeated in 1905 still, 4-2 victories. From this series stirred her the nickname of the third base man Frank " Home Run " Baker, the two game-winning home runs, was able to achieve it against star pitcher Rube Marquard.

After a mediocre 1912, followed in the World Series in 1913, the third triumph for Philadelphia under Connie Mack. For the third time in eight years, met the Athletics to the New York Giants. Even the players who faced each other, were almost the same as 1911. Chief Bender secured in the 4-1 win in the series two wins for the Athletics. Eddie Plank won one of two duels and Frank " Home Run " Baker made ​​his name with a home run in Game 1 credit. 1914 we again reached the World Series, but lost after a sweep with 0-4 against the Boston Braves.

Difficult times for Mack began from the year 1915. He wanted to and had to rebuild his team fundamentally and rejuvenate, which in 1915 resulted that his team could win just 28 % of all games for financial reasons. In 1916, which should be the worst season in the career of Mack, this value was even still undercut with only 23.5% of games won. Was preceded by that Mack gave much of his star players. In late 1914 he transferred Eddie Collins to the Chicago White Sox. Frank " Home Run " Baker was released and came in 1916 with the New York Yankees under contract, Eddie Plank was delivered to the St. Louis Terriers and Herb Pennock went to the Boston Red Sox.

The reconstruction went ahead slowly. By the year 1921, Mack had to settle for the last place in the regular season every time. The continuous development then was the mid-1920s fruit. With a balanced mix of older players such as Ty Cobb, Zack Wheat and Eddie Collins, who returned to the team as well as players on their career peak, such as Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons managed the team in 1927 and 1928 on 2nd place in the American League. Even the very young Jimmie Foxx got from Mack gradually more responsibility and has developed into an outstanding player.

In 1929, Mack finally won with his newly formed team its fourth World Series. You beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 games. Jimmie Foxx was here two homers and contribute the balance of the bullpen was the fact that the four wins from four different pitchers were obtained. In particular, were the Howard Ehmke, George Earnshaw, Eddie Rommel and Rube Walberg, with Lefty Grove was able to record two saves.

As almost 20 years earlier succeeded Mack again to repeat this triumph. In the World Series in 1930, he defeated with almost identical team the St. Louis Cardinals in six games 4-2. This success brought Mack and his team, the Boston Red Sox in the list of franchises with the most World Series wins ( 5 each ). Inventory had this to 1936, when the New York Yankees both teams and in 1937 finally overhauled.

Once again handed to 2nd place in the American League in 1932, the team under Mack rushed in subsequent years from again. In the years 1935 and 1936, Mack was at this time already 73 years old, the Athletics ended up at the end of the table. Once again, financial problems was the main reason that many regular players left the club. 1948, at the age of 85 years, Mack managed once again his team to 4th place in the regular season to lead. Greater success did not materialize, however.

After the season 1950 Mack ended his career after 7755 games as a manager.

As a team owner

The financial provision of Athletics was still guaranteed after its founding in 1901 by Charles Somers. Somers, who is considered " white knight " of the American League, also supported in this way other teams, like the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox. Somers should be paid as soon as possible, and so 25% of the shares of the team went to Connie Mack. The other 75 % were distributed among the sporting goods manufacturer Ben Shibe (50 % ) and the two local sports journalist Frank Hough and Sam Jones ( 25%).

In 1913, Hough and Jones sold their shares in Mack, as well as Ben Shibe now held half of ownership. To this end, Mack borrowed the necessary capital from Shibe. As Shibe died in 1922, his two sons took over the shares. After the death of the two (1936 and 1937 ) was Connie Mack sole owner of the Philadelphia Athletics.

In the years 1915 to 1917 Mack first came into greater financial difficulties and had to be separated from almost all regulars. This was due, among other things, that much higher salaries were paid in the Federal League newly founded, as the teams of the American League could lift.

Almost identical happened Mack with his second championship team. As a result of the Great Depression his financial situation was becoming critical, and he separated again from the best players in his squad.

After Mack had finished his managerial career, he remained four years owner of the team. A portion of the shares he ceded to his sons Earl and Roy. Drawn by age and illness finally sold Mack 1954 all shares in the Industrial Arnold Johnson, who left in the fall of that year with the franchise Philadelphia and moved to Kansas City. In this course the team in Kansas City Athletics was renamed.

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