December 22 - Connie Mack

December 22nd Show NotesBorn on December 22, 1862 in East Brookfield, MA, Player, manager, scout, general manager, owner — Cornelius MacGillicuddy (Connie Mack) — did it all. For more than half a century, he owned and managed the Philadelphia A’s — nearly their entire existence. He built two dynasties that won a total of five World Series titles.Mack was often described as the “grand old gentleman of the game,” but he wasn’t above stretching the rules to gain a competitive advantage. He was rumored to have kept frozen baseballs handy to insert into the game when his pitchers were on the mound. He also employed a special coach who stationed himself in center field at Shibe Park to steal signs from opposing teams.Connie Mack pieced together a tremendous baseball team in the first decade of the 20th century, built in large part, around his famous “$100,000 Infield.” At the time, Mack claimed that even that lofty dollar-amount would not pry the four star players away from him. In 1911, John “Stuffy” McInnis was switched to first base to replace the aging Harry Davis, a fine player. McInnis, who earned his nickname because he had the “right stuff” as a young ballplayer in Boston, joined Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, and Frank Baker to form the greatest infield of the era.His A’s from 1929-1931, had a team second to none, which featured Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Lefty Grove, George Earnshaw, Rube Walberg, and Jack Quinn.Mack holds the all-time record for most games managed (7,755), most games won (3,731), and most games lost (3,814). His record of 50 years managing one team, and 53 years overall will most likely never be broken.Tom December 22, 1944 – Future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is born in Miami, Florida. Rivaling Tom Seaver as the finest pitcher of the 1970s, Steve Carlton won the National League Cy Young Award in 1972 and 1977 before capturing another two trophies during the early portion of the ensuing decade. One of the...