The story of John McGraw is the story of the early years of big league baseball. And during McGraw's 40+ year career, there was no greater figure in the game. From star player with the famous Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s, to legendary manager of the New York Giants, McGraw was brilliant, belligerent, and bigger than life - the kind of character that could not be imagined, only observed and admired.

Noted historian and award-winning baseball Charles Alexander is the perfect author to write a biography of John McGraw. The presentation is not sensational or sentimental; the story is detailed and extremely well researched. The reader is treated to not only a fascinating portrait of McGraw the man, but also a colorful and complete picture of several critical chapters in the history of baseball - from the formative 1890s to the rough and tumble Dead Ball Era, to nemesis Babe Ruth and the emergence of the power game, to which McGraw had little difficulty adapting.