Books and articles about George Stallings

Stallings managed one of the most memorable pennant-winning teams of all time. His 1914 Miracle Braves were last on the Fourth of July before charging to the pennant, then swept the favored A's in the World Series. Stallings signed his first contract as a player with Harry Wright and the Phillies in 1887 but played in only seven ML games. He was the Tigers' first manager, but Stallings first attracted attention as a manager in 1910 when he brought the Yankees (then called Highlanders) to second place. He described his 1914 Braves team as "one .300 hitter, the worst outfield that ever flirted with sudden death, three pitchers, and a good working combination around second base." A wealthy Georgia plantation owner, he was suave in the parlor but profane and sadistic on the bench. He had a sharp, sarcastic tongue and used it freely on his players. But, with his 1914 Braves 11-1/2 games back in last place, he began using a softer psychology,({-h)h)h)telling his players they couldn't lose. They roared to the pennant, the only one Stallings ever won.

RELATED LINKS » 1914: The Miracle in Boston Submissions » Baseball's Miracle Boys: The 1914 Boston Braves' Comeback: Still the Greatest in Baseball History by Zack Triscuit Around the Web » George Stallings from baseball-reference.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Stallings was extremely superstitious; scraps of paper or peanut shells around the dugout drove him to distraction. He hated bases on balls. An apocryphal story says that on his deathbed, he was asked what had caused his bad heart. Supposedly, he groaned, "Oh, those bases on balls!" and turned to the wall. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » February 17, 1900: Mary Hamilton Von Derbeck is to become owner of the Detroit American League franchise and Bennett Park in lieu of unpaid alimony. However, her ex-husband George Von Derbeck files the required bond with a Michigan court to cover the alimony due, regains ownership of the club, and sells it to Tiger manager George Stallings on March 6th. » April 12, 1909: At Washington, the Yankees open the season under new manager George Stallings, losing to the Senators, 4-1. The Nationals score three runs in the first off journeyman Doc Newton to pave the way for Charlie Smith. Smith allows just four hits and strikes out 10. » April 11, 1910: Against Princeton University, 22-year-old Hippo Vaughn strikes out eight Tigers in six innings, and impresses Yankee manager George Stallings enough that Hippo will get the Opening Day assignment. » September 23, 1910: George Stallings, convinced that Hal Chase tried to throw a game, but unable to make the charge stick, is replaced by his charismatic first sacker as manager of the 2nd-place Highlanders for the season's final 11 games. On his own, Prince Hal will lead the New Yorkers downhill to 6th place in 1911. » August 25, 1913: Braves vet Art Devlin slaps the game-winning hit in the 9th for Boston and gets rewarded by manager George Stallings by being sent down to Rochester, never to return to the ML. His .229 average might have had something to do with it. » November 1, 1922: Former A's C Ira Thomas buys the Shreveport club in the Texas League for $75,000. Other former players who own pieces of minor league clubs include Ty Cobb (Augusta), Eddie Collins (Baltimore), and George Stallings (Rochester). » June 10, 1927: George Stallings, Rochester (IL) club owner, fires himself as manager.