Books and articles about Andrew Freedman

Perhaps the most hated team owner in baseball history, Freedman owned the New York Giants from 1895 to 1902. He conspired unsuccessfully with John T. Brush in 1901 to create a trust in which all NL teams would be pooled and owned through shares held by the club owners. Upon his death, The Sporting News said, "He had an arbitrary disposition, a violent temper, and an ungovernable tongue in anger which was easily provoked and he was disposed to be arbitrary to the point of tyranny with subordinates." The Giants floundered during his regime and attendance dwindled. An influential Tammany Hall politician, he used his political clout to tie up possible sites where an AL team might play in New York until the peace treaty between the leagues in 1902. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » February 9, 1895: New York owner Andrew Freedman institutes reserved grandstand seats to attract businessmen. » December 1, 1898: Club president Andrew Freedman renews the Giants' lease on the Polo Grounds for the next 10 years. » November 25, 1899: Sporting Life reports that President Freedman of the Giants wants to reduce the National League to eight clubs and purify the game by eliminating "certain parties who have been unduly prominent in the sport for cheap notoriety and the money there is in it." » December 15, 1900: Amos Rusie, out for the past two years with arm problems, is traded to the Reds by the Giants for young Christy Mathewson. Though only 30, Rusie, a future Hall of Fame pitcher, will not have the ability that brought him eight straight 20-game seasons, and he will not add to the 245 wins he collected in nine seasons. Appearing in just three games in 1901, he will finish with an 0-1 record. Mathewson, 0-3 with the Giants but 20-2 with Norfolk (Virginia League), is much coveted by Cincinnati owner John T. Brush, who is currently negotiating to buy control of the Giants from the unscrupulous Andrew Freedman. Before he takes over, Brush wants Mathewson in place as a Giants starter, rather than the "pitched out" Amos Rusie. » May 21, 1901: Giants fractious owner Andrew Freedman accuses umpire Billy Nash of incompetence and bars him from the Polo Grounds. Pirate Chief Zimmer and the Giants John Warner are forced to officiate. Mathewson then wins his 7th straight, 2-1, but his scoreless streak stops at 39 innings when the Bucs score an unearned run in the 9th. » July 8, 1902: John McGraw, accused by Ban Johnson of trying to wreck the Baltimore and Washington clubs, negotiates his release from the Orioles and officially signs to manage the Giants at $11,000 a year, although he'd already secretly signed a contract several days earlier brought to Baltimore by Giants secretary Fred M. Knowles. McGraw says, "I wish to state that I shall not tamper with any of the Baltimore club's players." But conspiring with National League owners Brush and Andrew Freedman, McGraw swings the sale of the Orioles their way, enabling them to release Orioles Dan McGann, Roger Bresnahan, Joe McGinnity, and Jack Cronin for signing by the Giants. Joe Kelley and Cy Seymour go to Brush's Cincinnati Reds. » July 16, 1902: Giants owner Andrew Freedman announces he has purchased controlling interest in the Baltimore club and releases Dan McGann, Roger Bresnahan, Joe McGinnity, and Jack Cronin to sign with New York. Mike Donlin, Joe Kelley and Cy Seymour go to the Reds, where Kelley will take over as manager. » September 9, 1902: John T. Brush sells the Cincinnati Reds to Julius and Max Fleischmann, George B. Cox, and August "Garry" Herrmann for $150,000. Brush then buys control of the Giants from Andrew Freedman. » January 10, 1903: Despite attempts by John Brush and Andrew Freedman to use their political influence to prevent the AL from finding suitable grounds in New York, Ban Johnson, aided by baseball writer Joe Vila, finds backers. He also finds a ballpark site at 165th Street and Broadway. Frank Farrell and Bill Devery pay $18,000 for the Baltimore franchise and will build a wooden grandstand seating 15,000 on the highest point of Manhattan. The team, logically, will be called the Highlanders. » December 4, 1915: Former Giant owner Andrew Freedman dies at the age of 55. He owned the team for seven years, firing a Steinbrennian 16 managers during his reign.