Alexandria, VA – Review: Team of Destiny–Walter Johnson, Clark Griffith and Bucky Harris and the 1924 Senators
Publisher: Roman and Littlefield
Author: Gary Sarnoff
Reviewed by: Ralph Peluso, Literary Editor
Zebra Rating: 5 Stripes
Gary Sarnoff’s Team of Destiny immediately took me back to my earliest childhood baseball memories. The New York Yankees were in the throes of their long-running dynasty over the sport. I remember watching the movie It Happens Every Spring. The plot unfolds when a kooky professor serendipitously develops a liquid that repels wood. Realizing the potential, he takes a leave of absence and joins the St. Louis major league team.
He becomes a star and propels this otherwise hapless team to the World Series. I was lucky to live in NYC at that time, but I realized each and every April, millions of Americans erase recent failures to believe their hometown heroes will belie probabilities and ascend to a coveted World Series championship. In rare seasons, that dream comes true. One of those infrequent seasons was 1924, as the Washington Senators rose from consistent mediocrity to World Series winners.
The Yankees came off a 1923 season, where they won the American League by a significant margin, and were poised to win again. The core of New York’s team was returning, which included, of course, Babe Ruth. Clark Griffith, owner of the Senators, knew he had to make changes. The author does a masterful job walking the reader through Griffith’s lengthy process.
From the rumors that swirled around the clubhouse, Sarnoff explained Griffith’s objectives and motives; yes, money was very important in that era too. One thing Griffith decided early on. He’d increase the height of the right field wall to slow down Ruth. The details are so well explained I felt like I was there, hearing thoughts firsthand from everyone involved. An immediate priority was to hire a manager. I do not know if Griffith’s selection was serendipity or brilliant insight. Griffith hires a 27-year-old second baseman to serve as player-manager. Griffith’s simple assessment, “He is a fighter!” What a gamble! Was this novice “kid” ready to match his baseball prowess against grizzled vets like Ty Cobb or Tris Speaker?
Remarkably, Bucky Harris understood he had a talented pitching staff led by all-time great Walter Johnson. He surrounded the staff with feisty field players who would hustle every day and every inning. Harris did have to battle unknowns. How would Johnson respond to him as manager?
At 35, Johnson was already contemplating retirement. Would he pack it in before the season started? How would the other veterans respond to an untested manager? Well, Harris handled everything, including their practical jokes, professionally.
Sarnoff cleverly invoked Ruth’s quotes and perspective smartly throughout this chronology of the 1924 season. One pre-opening day Babe quote I particularly enjoyed: “There seems to be a club owner’s policy there (in DC). When the team fails, they change managers rather than get better players. I hope they give Harris a fair opportunity. They cannot possibly expect him to win the pennant with the team he has.” And that set the stage for this Team of Destiny.
A lot was going on in baseball in 1924. The league introduced a new ball. There were nagging residual reminders of the White Sox scandal. And it was an era of great nicknames! Of course, there was Big Train and The Sultan of Swat, but the author includes many colorful others throughout his work, such as Slim Harris, Showboat Fisher, and Muddy Ruel. A new one I now include among my favorites is “Oyster Joe” Martina.
“I always loved this story,” Sarnoff said when I asked about his motivation for the Team of Destiny. “I knew this story since high school and always wanted to write about the 1924 Senators and the season.”
Baseball has been around for about 150 years, and there are plenty of compelling team stories. As with most underdogs, the road for Griffith, Harris, Johnson, and the Senators was anything but easy, including the World Series against the NY Giants. As great as Walter Johnson was, he did not fare well in his first two World Series starts, losing a 12-inning marathon heartbreaker in a tough-fought Game One. Johnson then got roughed up in Game Five. Showing confidence, Harris called on Johnson in the critical ninth inning of the deciding game. Johnson did not disappoint. He kept the door solidly closed on the Giants. Finally, the Senators prevailed, winning in the bottom of the 12th.
Gary Sarnoff has been an active member of SABR (Society of American Baseball Researchers) since 1994. Early in his career, he was a beat writer covering the Silver Spring- Takoma Thunderbolts. Sarnoff has written two other baseball books: The Wrecking Crew of ’33 and The First Yankee Dynasty. Gary is a noted speaker on all things sports, but if nudged, he will speak about historical non-sports topics. Gary is considering a few topics for his next work, but is undecided at this point.
Baseball has constantly morphed, for better or worse, from the first time it was played. Yet, here we are, 100 years removed from what the Senators accomplished. Thanks to Gary’s meticulous descriptions, entertaining stories, and anecdotes, we can visualize the 1924 season. This is a good read for all baseball fans. A solid Zebra rating of 5 stars
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