Larry MacPhail | |
|---|---|
 MacPhail, circa 1942 | |
| Born | Leland Stanford MacPhail (1890-02-03)February 3, 1890 Cass City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 1975(1975-10-01) (aged 85) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.A.) George Washington University (LL.B.) |
| Occupation | Baseball executive |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingLee andBill |
| Relatives | Andy MacPhail (grandson) |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1978 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
Leland Stanford "Larry"MacPhail Sr. (February 3, 1890 – October 1, 1975) was an American lawyer and an executive inMajor League Baseball. He served as a high-ranking executive, includingclub president andgeneral manager, with theCincinnati Reds,Brooklyn Dodgers andNew York Yankees, and was a one-third owner of the Yankees from 1945 through 1947. MacPhail's sons and grandsons were also sports executives. He was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
MacPhail was born inCass City, Michigan, on February 3, 1890. His father founded State Savings Bank ofScottville, Michigan, in 1882 as well as twenty other small banks in that state. He obtained anLL.B. from theGeorge Washington University Law School, where he became friends withBranch Rickey. He worked for a time with a Chicago law firm.[1] Prior to World War I Larry MacPhail was an executive of a department store inNashville, Tennessee.
During World War I, he served as anartillerycaptain in France and Belgium. He accompanied his commander,ColonelLuke Lea, on an unsanctioned mission toAmerongen in the Netherlands in January 1919 to attempt to arrest the exiled German monarch,Kaiser Wilhelm II, and bring him to theParis Peace Conference to be tried forwar crimes. MacPhail reportedly stole an ashtray that belonged to the Kaiser and received an official reprimand for the mission.[2]
After his discharge from military service, MacPhail opened a law office inColumbus, Ohio, where he eventually purchased an interest in theColumbus Red Birds, a minor league affiliate of theSt. Louis Cardinals. While in the role of president of the Red Birds, MacPhail came up with a plan to create a geographically based playoff system for determining the league champion of the American Association. It was not well-received and lasted only two years. In 1933 he was hired by theCincinnati Reds and became its chief executive andgeneral manager. MacPhail had been recommended for the Reds position byBranch Rickey, who said that MacPhail was "a wild man at times, but he'll do the job."[3] After leaving the Reds, he spent about a year with his father's investment business before becoming executive vice-president and general manager of theBrooklyn Dodgers in 1938.[3] He was promoted to team president, a position that had been vacant for about a year after the death of the previous team presidentStephen McKeever, on May 4, 1939.[4] In 1939, he received theSporting News Executive of the Year Award.
MacPhail was pivotal in the development of pioneering sportscasterRed Barber, who announced Reds and Dodgers games for MacPhail. MacPhail's innovations include nighttime baseball, regular game televising, and flying teams between cities. MacPhail resigned as president of the Dodgers on September 23, 1942, to accept a commission in theUnited States Army. By the end of World War II, MacPhail held the rank ofcolonel.[5] Returning from the war, MacPhail served as president, co-owner and general manager for theNew York Yankees.
MacPhail was well known for his unpredictable behavior which was fueled by bouts of heavy drinking. MacPhail's grandsonAndy said, "My grandfather was bombastic, flamboyant, a genius when sober, brilliant when he had one drink and a raving lunatic when he had too many."[6] In one incident, MacPhail was drinking withBoston Red Sox ownerTom Yawkey when the men decided to swap starsJoe DiMaggio andTed Williams in what would have been the biggest swap of baseball stars in many years. The men decided not to execute the trade after they sobered up.[7]
Leo Durocher, the Dodgers manager who had a tempestuous relationship with MacPhail, recalled, "There is a thin line between genius and insanity, and in Larry's case, it was so thin you could see him drifting back and forth."[7] As the Dodgers returned by train toGrand Central Terminal after winning the 1941 league pennant, Durocher did not want his players to get off early at the 125th Street stop, so he ordered the conductor to pass the stop. MacPhail was planning to board the same train at that stop. He told Durocher that night that he was fired, but he changed his mind the next morning.[7]
MacPhail's career as a major-league owner ended after the Yankees clinched the1947 World Series, when he got into confrontations at the team's post-game celebrations atYankee Stadium and then inManhattan. Though he had already quit as chief executive in the Yankee locker room, books byRoger Kahn and others indicate MacPhail's behavior at the victory parties led to co-ownersDan Topping andDel Webb buying out his share of the ballclub.[8]
MacPhail owned a 400-acre (1.6 km2) farm nearBel Air, Maryland, called Glenangus.[9] An owner/breeder ofThoroughbred racehorses, hiscolt General Staff won the 1952Narragansett Special atNarragansett Park and five other stake races that year. In March 1952, MacPhail was appointed President ofBowie Race Track inBowie, Maryland. He held the position for thirteen months, until he was removed from the position and barred entirely from the track; he was accused of "using profanity to three horse owners" and "charged with being drunk and disorderly."[10][11]
MacPhail died in a Miami nursing home on October 1, 1975, two days after Hall of Fame managerCasey Stengel.[3] MacPhail was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Several of MacPhail's family members have become sports executives. His son andnamesakeLee MacPhail enjoyed a long career in baseball, most notably as president and general manager of theBaltimore Orioles, general manager of the Yankees, and president of theAmerican League. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, making him and Larry MacPhail the only father and son inductees.[12] His other sonBill MacPhail was president ofCBS Sports and later was President of CNN Sports, brought on byReese Schonfeld to create the department upon the network's launch. Larry's grandsonAndy MacPhail, the former general manager of theMinnesota Twins andChicago Cubs and the former president of baseball operations for the Orioles, was president of thePhiladelphia Phillies from2015 through2020. A great-grandson, Lee MacPhail IV, is aprofessional scout for theNew York Mets. Another, Drew MacPhail, is a member of theLos Angeles Dodgers' front office.
Since 1966,Minor League Baseball has annually awarded theLarry MacPhail Award to recognize the top promotional effort by a minor league team.[13]
In 2013, theBob Feller Act of Valor Award honored MacPhail as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.[14]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by n/a | Cincinnati Redsgeneral manager 1933–1937 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Brooklyn Dodgerspresident 1938–1942 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankeesgeneral manager 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankeespresident 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jacob Ruppert Estate | Owner of theNew York Yankees withDan Topping andDel Webb 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
