St. Louis Browns infielder, Marty McManus, was born on March 14, 1900 in Chicago, Illinois. His amazing 28 years in professional baseball included time as a player and player manager in both the major and minors, and a manager for women's baseball. His aggressive personality brought him success on the field, with an occasional confrontati
St. Louis Browns infielder, Marty McManus, was born on March 14, 1900 in Chicago, Illinois. His amazing 28 years in professional baseball included time as a player and player manager in both the major and minors, and a manager for women's baseball. His aggressive personality brought him success on the field, with an occasional confrontation. Marty McManus was one of the cornerstones of the Browns' great teams of the 1920s.
It is recorded that Marty McManus' baseball career was placed on hold when he enlisted in the US Army during World War I (1918-19). He was stationed in Panama with the 133rd Infantry, where he learned how to play the game. Upon his return after the service, he played semipro baseball in Chicago before signing on with the Tulsa Oilers of the Western League. McManus was an instant star for the Oilers, recording 160 hits in 143 games including 31 doubles, 11 triples, ten home runs, and batting a crisp .283. This caught the attention of Browns' scout, Pat Monahan, who signed McManus on August 12, 1920.
Marty McManus' would make his MLB debut on September 25 against the Detroit Tigers. He would go 1-for-3 with an RBI-triple in the fifth inning off Tigers' pitcher Allen Conkwright, scoring Baby Doll Jacobson.
With the departure of infielder Jimmy Austin to Boston, McManus filled the starting third base role in 1921. His fielding production was a bit erratic in his first year due to an undiagnosed arm injury. After doctors reset his shoulder, McManus would play all four infield positions in 1921 (99 games at 2B, 12 games at 3B, four games at SS, and eight games at 1B) looking for the best place for him on the field. From 1922-26, McManus would thrive as the Browns' starting second baseman. He would average 142 games a year, while playing in every game (154 games) three times. Behind George Sisler and Ken Williams, McManus often put up the power numbers that helped carry the team. He would average 85 RBIs a season (502 total), with a career-best 109 RBIs in 1922 and a club-leading 94 RBIs in 1923. He batted over .300 three times, and received American League MVP votes three times. His single best game came on July 30, 1923, when he hit two home runs, with four RBIs in a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
McManus would be part of a seven-player deal with the Detroit Tigers on January 15, 1927. It was said that McManus and Browns owner, Phil Ball, were often at odd with each other and this trade was a result of their ongoing disputes. McManus would play five years with the Tigers, before spending four seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
He would spend the 1933-34 seasons as a player-manager for Boston, reaching an overall record of 95-153. After a few disagreements with Sox management, McManus would shift his attention to the minor leagues. He would serve as the player-manager of the St. Paul Saints (1935), Tulsa Oilers (1936), and Williamsport Grays (1938-39). While spending time with the San Antonio Missions (1940-41), he helped coach players who would win the American League crown in 1944.
Browns Marty McManus became one of the first managers of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. He managed the Kenosha Comets (1944) and the South Bend Blue Sox (1945, 48).
He was known a s a fierce competitor with the best example coming in 1928 when playing for Detroit, he got into an on-field fist fight with Browns' Heinie Manush while playing third base.
Marty McManus would eventually return to St. Louis where he settled down and participated in several old-timers events. He left his mark as one of the best infielders in Browns history, and is ranked at #28 on the Browns All-Time list found on this site.
Today's Browns Quote
"(Marty McManus)had nothing but his determination to carry him through the spring. The spirit was willing, but the arm was weak, and also painful ... The famous Bonesetter grabbed McManus here, and punched him there, until Marty thought the Inquisition had him. The grabbing and punching ceased as suddenly as it began a
Today's Browns Quote
"(Marty McManus)had nothing but his determination to carry him through the spring. The spirit was willing, but the arm was weak, and also painful ... The famous Bonesetter grabbed McManus here, and punched him there, until Marty thought the Inquisition had him. The grabbing and punching ceased as suddenly as it began and Bonesetter said Marty was a ball player again — pay the fee to the secretary on the way out.”
~ Atlanta Constitution's report on the troubles and medical attention he received early in his career, April 8, 1923
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1885 - RF Walt Devoy (1909)
1900 - INF Marty McManus (1920-26)
BASEBALL DURING THE DEPRESSION
With the struggles that the United states faced during the Great Depression, Major League Baseball did everything in it's powers to ease the worried minds of the American fans. Although 24.9% of the nation was unemployed in 1933, a ticket to the average baseball game was around $0.35. Refreshments would cost around $0.25 for two sodas, or $0.10 for a beer.
During this time, attendance to Major League Baseball games dropped 70-75%. The Browns averaged 1200 spectators per game. Baseball was looking to keep the fans attention during these rough times. The first All Star Game was played in Chicago in 1933. Give away nights, "Ladies Nights", Knot Hole Gang programs were introduced.
One of the biggest changes in baseball that came in 1933, was in the form of Baseball Cards. The Goudey Gun Company issued its first set of baseball cards in 1933. Goudey issed a 240 card set that was the first to include a piece of chewing gun. It was called the Big League Chewing Gum set, and it included future Hall of Famers and is considered to be one of the most important sets of baseball cards in history. Today, a 1933 card can easily be worth over $1,000 if in good condition. This set revolutionized how baseball cards were distributed, collected, and traded.
The 1913 St. Louis Browns would be a team that began to show progress under the leadership of three separate managers. The team would win four more games than the year before, and ten more than they had in 1911. They even won more games than their crosstown rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. That is looking at the season as the glass is hal
The 1913 St. Louis Browns would be a team that began to show progress under the leadership of three separate managers. The team would win four more games than the year before, and ten more than they had in 1911. They even won more games than their crosstown rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. That is looking at the season as the glass is half full. The team would end the 1913 campaign with a 57-96-2 record, while Cardinals had a 51-99 record. This was the only season where both the Browns and the Cardinals finished in the basement of their respective leagues.
The biggest story of this season would be the emergence of Branch Rickey leading this organization. The season started with fiery George Stovall as manager, but he was fired with only 19 games left in the season. Third basemen Jimmy Austin took on the interim manager position, but he stepped down after only eight games. Branch Rickey would step into the role from his front office position, and the baseball world would never be the same. He would continue to lead the Browns on the field through the 1915 season, before returning to the front office and later into history.
The 1913 Browns were led centerfielder Burt Shotton, right fielder Gus Williams, and second baseman Del Pratt. The pitching staff was one of the better groups in the American League. As a staff they would lead the league with 104 complete games. George Baumgartner, Roy Mitchell, and Walt Leverenz lead a staff that used several players in different roles to stay competitive.
The biggest obstacle this team had to contend with was their poor fielding, which was seen in the 303 errors committed. This level of fuitility was shared across the entire field. The infield commited 104 errors, while the three Browns catchers combined for 50 errors. Overall the team would be better than the three previous seasons.
Under the leadership of Branch Rickey, the team would improve in each of the next four seasons.