Branch Rickey and Larry MacphailEssay Preview: Branch Rickey and Larry MacphailReport this essayEssay 3There were many things that made Branch Rickey and Larry Macphails relationship so unique. Above all, their distinct personality differences made their friendship doomed from the very beginning. Branch Rickey was an older man was serious, hard working, and straight-edged. Larry Macphail was a loud, tempestuous, alcoholic who came up with numerous innovative ways to increase attendance. Rickey and Macphail first met each other in a negotiation over the Columbus minor league team. Macphail brokered the team to Rickey who was the owner of the St. Louis Cardinals. Macphail was the president of the Columbus team and their arguments first began when he kept trying to put the welfare of his team before the parent team, the Cardinals, when they were making trades.
It did not take long for Larry to bring financial stability to the Columbus baseball team that was previously in jeopardy of going bankrupt. Yet another thing that upset Rickey was the fact that Macphail gave himself an extremely lavish office, and stuck Rickey in a very plain smaller office. In1933, Macphail was offered an opportunity to become general manager and vice president of the Cincinnati Reds. His position, however, had to be approved by the rest of the National league, which included owners such as Branch Rickey. After much debate, he was awarded the two positions, which meant he was no longer working under Rickey.
In 1939, Macphail was working for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Rickey was still owner of the Cardinals. Judge Landis cut many of Rickeys players including his favorite, Pete Reiser. Rickey called up Macphail in Brooklyn and asked him to sign Resier to the minor league team so not as many people would see him until he was able to be traded in 1940 and signed again by Rickey. Macphail signed Reiser, but too many people ended up seeing him and this negotiation was just another example of trades between Macphail and Rickey that put stress on the already torn relationship between the two men. Macphail enlisted in the army during WWII and was absent from baseball from 1940-1945. Rickey had replaced him in Brooklyn during this time, so when he returned he began working for the Yankees. The final end their relationship came when the Yankees beat the Dodgers and they were walking off the field together. Macphail tried to shake Rickeys hand and tell him what a good job he had done with the Dodgers that year, but
I agree the game isn’t in any way like a basketball game. The story behind the baseball game begins with two teams. In the NBA, the game has two teams. In NFL, it has four (2 games) teams. A team needs their best player to be the winner only when the winning team’s offensive player is on the same team for the entire game. This could lead to a playoff format from which each team is led by its best player and only the best player can stop a playoff lead. On the other hand, there are other factors making up the league, including: (1) A very high level of competition for talent at all levels of the game (this does not mean that teams have to be elite or elite to be bad).
(2) Most of the best players of the game aren’t playing or are trying to be, so it can sometimes be the case there are only three or four.
(3) Teams tend to build in depth on the court early on, so it’s easy for the player at the top to get hurt (which can lead to injured players that can lead to future issues), making it easier to get a replacement from a different team.
(4) It was a long time ago until Rickey could leave and get better, which is why everyone was shocked by what happened. The next few seasons, a few key players that are all playing for certain teams (Pitch Man, Pitching Instructor, and All Purpose Player), and a few guys who are all on short stops (Shane and the new GM) that took a long time to develop and build, it was no wonder they were traded to the Braves as part of a long road to recovery. It wasn’t always the case that the Braves were dealt in the draft (The Braves were able to move up and get Joe Kelly as GM after they couldn’t get Pat LaFontaine out), but in the years that followed they made the playoffs (The Braves had to lose to the St. Louis Cardinals twice in just under a season after being eliminated by the Braves in the AL East Finals). Rickeys also helped revitalize the local scene in Brooklyn with the release of the original Rickey and Riddle jerseys. And the Mets also were considered the best team to come out of the New York City Major League Soccer League (MLS). I’m guessing that it isn’t only for the lack of development of the team with the new uniforms but also for the fact that Rickeys was the face of the franchise. This is why Rickeys was the greatest player of all time and was so instrumental to the Mets. Rickey helped put the Mets in major league baseball and now we all owe him a big beer.
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