Branch Rickey and Larry Macphail

Essay 3

There were many things that made Branch Rickey and Larry Macphail's 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 Rickey's 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 Rickey's hand and tell him what a good job he had done with the Dodgers that year, but