The Colonel and Hug

The Partnership that Transformed the New York Yankees

by Steve Steinberg, Lyle Spatz

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Pub Date May 01 2015 | Archive Date May 21 2015

Description

From their inception in 1903, the New York Yankees were a floundering team that played as second-class citizens to the New York Giants. With four winning seasons to date, the team was purchased in 1915 by Jacob Ruppert and his partner, Cap “Til” Huston. Three years later, when Ruppert hired Miller Huggins as manager, the unlikely partnership of two figures began, one that set into motion the Yankees’ run as the dominant baseball franchise of the 1920s and the rest of the twentieth century, capturing six American League pennants with Huggins at the helm and four more during Ruppert’s lifetime.
The Yankees’ success was driven by Ruppert’s executive style and enduring financial commitment, combined with Huggins’s philosophy of continual improvement and personnel development. While Ruppert and Huggins had more than a little help from one of baseball’s greats, Babe Ruth, their close relationship has been overlooked in the Yankees’ rise to dominance. Though small of stature, the two men were nonetheless giants of the game with unassailable mutual trust and loyalty. The Colonel and Hug tells the story of how these two men transformed the Yankees. It also tells the larger story about baseball primarily in the tumultuous period from 1918 to 1929—with the end of the Deadball Era and rise of the Lively Ball Era, a gambling scandal, and the collapse of baseball’s governing structure—and the significant role the Yankees played in it all. While Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig won many games for New York with their hitting, Ruppert and Huggins institutionalized winning for the Yankees.

From their inception in 1903, the New York Yankees were a floundering team that played as second-class citizens to the New York Giants. With four winning seasons to date, the team was purchased in...

Advance Praise

“Miller Huggins and Jacob Ruppert are two of baseball’s all-time great characters, and they finally get the treatment they deserve in this highly entertaining, meticulously researched book. You don’t have to be a Yankees fan to enjoy this wonderful story from baseball’s golden age.”—Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

“The foundation of the legendary New York Yankees that we know today was arguably built on the shoulders of three men: Ruth, Ruppert, and Huggins. While Babe Ruth’s exploits have been well documented over the years, we now finally have the definitive story of Yankees owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert and his diminutive giant of a manager, Miller Huggins. . . . A ‘must-read’ for any fan of the history of this great game.”—Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for Baseball Research and professor of sports business management at Columbia University

“Everyone thinks that it was Babe Ruth who turned the suffering Yankees of New York into the Crusaders of Baseball. The Babe helped, surely, but it was two invisible characters—the team’s owner, Jacob Ruppert, and the manager, Miller Huggins—who played major roles in the Yankees' everlasting turnaround. Our blessings to Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz for finally bringing Ruppert and Huggins to new generations of fans.”—Al Silverman, former editor of Sport Magazine and editor and publisher at Viking/Penguin

Available Editions

EDITION	Hardcover
ISBN	9780803248656
PRICE	$34.95 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 8 members

Featured Reviews

Randy P, Educator

Entertaining and informative.

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Casey W, Reviewer

I received a prerelease e-copy of this book through NetGalley (publication date May 1, 2015) with the expectation that I will post a review on their site and others (my blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter, Amazon, etc.).

I requested this book as I am an avid New York Yankees fan and have read several books about the team. This is the first book that I have read than focused on Colonel Ruppert and Miller Huggins.

The book covers both main subjects prior to their meeting, their partnership and what happened after Huggins died. It is a well written and interesting read that contained a deeper insight into the early years of the Yankees than other ones that I have read.

One of the aspects of the book that I found interesting is that not much has changed from the Yankees of the 1920's and 1930's with the current teams as far as statements by others about the team. They had the highest payroll then and now (well almost now); they went after players they wanted and obtained them in trades; the relentless pursuit to win with the ultimate goal of winning the World Series; and calls for breaking up the team to create a more competitive environment. The underwriting philosophy of the team was established by the partnership of Ruppert and Huggins.

Ruppert was the driving force for winning, hired good people and stayed mostly out of the way of running the team. Huggins was the excellent judge of talent and knew how to mold a group of individuals into a team even when there were issues with some of them that had to be dealt with individually.

It is indeed unfortunate that the stress of managing the team (even with the full support of the owner) contributed to the early death of Miller Huggins. It also turned out that Colonel Ruppert's only really successful, long-term business venture is the Yankees.

I recommend this book for anyone who is a New York Yankees fan. Others may find it of interest only in the fact that attitudes toward the Yankees have not changed in nearly 100 years.

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Marc R, Reviewer

I have been looking for a biography of Jacob Ruppert for a few years. This book was well worth the wait. Having it be a dual bio with Miller Huggins made it even more worthwhile. While I am not a Yankee fan, it is a thorough account of the people that made the Yankees what they became...the most important franchise in sports history.

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Reviewer 222945

Great piece of work. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Yankee history. A little tedious at times which is why I am giving it only 4 stars

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zeb k, Reviewer

The Team that plays in Bronx, New York is an original franchise of the American League. Originally based in Baltimore and known as the Orioles, the moved to New York in 1903. Because they played in Hilltop Park, they were nicknamed the Highlanders though officially they were the Americans like all AL franchises.

They had been nicknames the Yanks or Yankees by the New York Press but no one knows why (this became official in 1912). In 1913 they moved into the Polo Grounds which they shared with the New York Giants (the National League’s top team). They were neither a great nor bad team, just not the Giants.

The team was bought in 1915 by the Colonel (Jacob Ruppert) and the Captain (‘Til Huston). In 1918 they hired Miller Huggins as the manager. The Colonel told Huggins he was willing to spend money to develop a great team. Nothing much happened until they bought (stole) Babe Ruth (after the 1919) season from the Red Sox and the rest is history (as they say).

Beginning in 1920 the Yankees became the dominant team in either league. But the real story is the relationship between the Colonel and Huggins. Under Hug the Yankees were to win six pennants and three World Series. It was the Colonel’s financial commitment and Huggins’ baseball philosophy (of building your own farm teams to feed you players) that created this dynasty.

It’s a very detailed story that includes much of the relationships between Huggins and the players. Great baseball book.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com zebsblog@gmail.com

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Pat L, Reviewer

This is an excellent book about the true beginnings of the Yankee Dynasty. Beginning at a time when the New York Giants where the toast of the town. In 1915 Jacob Ruppert and Cap “Til” Huston bought the team wanting to put a competitive team out there. Then in 1918 when Huston was in Europe for WWI, Ruppert hired Miller Huggins who was a scrappy player but as a manager new how to put a team together. With the two of them they were able to win 6 American League Pennants. Of course it helped getting Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, but Ruppert also got Ed Barrow who left the Red Sox for the Yankees and it was really his leadership in contracts, starting a scouting team that helped as well. Together the forged ahead and when forced they purchase land in the Bronx which was just starting to grow and by the time it opened that year they made it to their third World Series and finally won. The author describes how the relationship broke down between the owners because of the hiring of Huggins, and Ruppert bought out Huston. The author gives you an inside look into the workings of the beginning of the winningest team. The good along with the not so good. For me being a Yankee fan this was a great book and my family being from the Bronx that was just the way it was and who you routed for. A lot of history about the team, players, manger and from an era gone for good.