{"product_id":"charlie-murphy-the-iconoclastic-showman-behind-the-chicago-cubs-9781496246509","title":"Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman Behind the Chicago Cubs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2023 SABR Larry Ritter Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinalist for the 2022 CASEY Award\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYou don't know the history of the Chicago Cubs until you know the story of Charles Webb Murphy, the ebullient and mercurial owner of this historic franchise from 1905 through 1914. Originally a sportswriter in Cincinnati, he joined the New York Giants front office as a press agent--the game's first--in 1905. That season, hearing the Cubs were for sale, he secured a loan from Charles Taft, the older half brother of the future president of the United States, to buy a majority share and become the team's new owner. In his second full season, the Cubs won their first World Series. They won again in 1908, but soon thereafter Murphy's unconventional style invited ill will from the owners, his own players, and the press, even as he led the team through their most successful period in team history.\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eCharlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs\u003c\/i\u003e, Jason Cannon explores Murphy's life both on and off the field, painting a picture of his meteoric rise and precipitous downfall. Readers will get to know the real Murphy, not the simplified caricature created by his contemporaries, but the whirling dervish who sent the sport of baseball spinning and elevated Chicago to the center of the baseball universe. Cannon recounts Murphy's rise from the son of Irish immigrants to sports reporter to Cubs president, charting his legacy as one of the most important but overlooked figures in the National League's long history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496246509\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 404\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.19lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.90d","brand":"Jason Cannon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52435589333173,"sku":"9781496246509","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_8eed2ed3-4dd9-49e6-aa2d-0d0347576a2d.jpg?v=1776227343","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/charlie-murphy-the-iconoclastic-showman-behind-the-chicago-cubs-9781496246509","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}