Harry Markey Grayson (May 10, 1894 – September 30, 1968) was an American
sportswriter
Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...
. He was the sports editor of the
Newspaper Enterprise Association
The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...
from 1934 to 1963.
Selected works by Grayson
Baseball
Wagner and Mathewson Top National Loop's All-Time Greats(
Honus Wagner
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as "Hans" Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pitts ...
/
Christy Mathewson
Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giant ...
), February 5, 1936
Landis To Smash Cards Syndicate March 18, 1938
Scott Gives Gehrig Three More Seasons(
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
), May 2, 1939
He Wants To Be A Fireman: Eccentric Ted Williams Wants To Quit Baseball(
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...
), May 28, 1940
Feller May Win 30 As Indians Race Tigers Down Home Stretch(
Bob Feller
Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...
), August 19, 1940
Scandal Broke Up "Greatest Team"(
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led ...
), December 3, 1944
Rickey Is Running Dodgers, Accounting for All Confusion(
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...
), April 20, 1948
Baseball World Mourns Passing of Most Glamorous Figure: Babe Pulled Game From Doldrums, Made Baseball What It Is Today(
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
), August 17, 1948
Dodgers' 'Flying Ebony' Was Most Feared Man in Series(
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
), October 13, 1949
Stengel's Multiple Moves Have Managers Emulating Puppeteers(
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New York ...
), June 27, 1953
Bad Pitches, Sulking Remain Mantle's Big Faults(
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
), February 28, 1957
Cobb, Out of Baseball for 29 Years, Doubts Umps' Vision July 27, 1957
Berra Gets Rich Hitting 325 Foot Home Runs(
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball ...
), June 25, 1962
Help Wanted: Kaline Could Carry Club If He Had One To Carry(
Al Kaline
Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kal ...
), June 22, 1963
American League Is Sick, Sick, Sick June 21, 1964
"They Played The Game"
In 1943, Grayson published a series of profiles on the great figures in baseball history. The series was published in newspapers under the name, "They Played The Game." This section links to a number of those articles. The following year, the articles were compiled into a book having the same title.
(
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...
), March 28, 1943
Johnson's Hurling An Open Book: Yet Big Train Threw Past Best of Hitters(
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-ha ...
), March 31, 1943
The Great Rajah!(
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933 ...
), April 28, 1943
Baker's Home Runs Meant Something(
Home Run Baker
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Althoug ...
), April 1, 1943
Ruth Drew $80,000 A Year And Was Grossly Underpaid(
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
), April 6, 1943
Collins Calls Plank Greatest Pitcher; Kept Batters Waiting(
Eddie Plank
Edward Stewart Plank (August 31, 1875 – February 24, 1926), nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Plank played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1914, th ...
), April 19, 1943
Tinker To Evers To Chance: Names That Spelled Double(
Baseball's Sad Lexicon
"Baseball's Sad Lexicon," also known as "Tinker to Evers to Chance" after its refrain, is a 1910 baseball poem by Franklin Pierce Adams. The eight-line poem is presented as a single, rueful stanza from the point of view of a New York Giants fa ...
), April 20, 1943
Eddie Collins Simply Had To Be Doing Something(
Eddie Collins
Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr. (May 2, 1887 – March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from to for the Philadelphia Athlet ...
), April 21, 1943
Black Sox Expunged From Records, But How They Could Play the Game!(
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led ...
), April 26, 1943
Effortless, Matchless for 19 Years, Alex Picked Up Where Young Left Off(
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander (February 26, 1887 – November 4, 1950), nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. He ...
), April 28, 1943
Delahanty Was Ruth of Dead Ball Days(
Ed Delahanty
Edward James Delahanty (October 30, 1867 – July 2, 1903), nicknamed "Big Ed", was an American professional baseball player, who spent his Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career with the Philadelphia Quakers, Cleveland Infants, Philadelphia ...
), May 3, 1943
Sisler, The Picture Player, Came Closest To Being a Cobb(
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George", was an American professional baseball first baseman and player-manager. From 1915 through 1930, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Br ...
), May 5, 1943
Severed Finger Helped Mordecai Brown to Achieve Rank Among Greatest Pitchers(
Mordecai Brown
Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (October 19, 1876 – February 14, 1948), nicknamed Three Finger Brown or Miner, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century (known as the "dead-ball er ...
), May 7, 1943
Ed Walsh, The Greatest Of Spitballers, Pitched His Arm Off For the White Sox(
Ed Walsh
Edward Augustine "Big Ed" Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his car ...
), May 9, 1943
Quick-on-the-Trigger Kelly Played Ball Like Cobb 25 Years Before(
King Kelly
Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, Inter ...
), May 9, 1943
Vance Was Violent Pitcher With Power, Speed To Burn(
Dazzy Vance
Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned twenty years. Known for ...
), May 26, 1943
Watching Clam Shell Sail Gave Gave First Curve Ball To Cummings; They Said It Couldn't Be Done(
Candy Cummings
William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 17, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. H ...
), May 28, 1943
Collins Third Base Stylist; Couldn't Hit Ball Past Him(
Jimmy Collins
James Joseph Collins (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball. Collins was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.
Collins was especially regarded for ...
), June 2, 1943
Huggins Excelled As Lead-Off Man(
Miller Huggins
Miller James Huggins (March 27, 1878 – September 25, 1929) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Huggins played second base for the Cincinnati Reds (1904–1909) and St. Louis Cardinals (1910–1916). He managed the ...
), June 5, 1943
Five Consecutive Shutouts Record Still Held by White(
Doc White
Guy Harris "Doc" White (April 9, 1879 – February 19, 1969) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for two teams, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox, during his career which lasted from 1901 ...
), June 5, 1943
Anson An Idol Who Never Fell; Real Leader In Every Respect(
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...
), June 8, 1943
Southpaw Rube Waddell Eccentric But How He Could Throw a Ball(
Rube Waddell
George Edward Waddell (October 13, 1876 – April 1, 1914) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-hander, he played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National Le ...
, June 15, 1943
Trouble Followed Storm-Center Mays; Sore Arm Made Him Pitch Underhand(
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
), June 16, 1943
Altrock Wasn't Always A Clown; Was Great Pitcher(
Nick Altrock
Nicholas Altrock (September 15, 1876 – January 20, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in the major leagues as a left-handed pitcher between 1898 and 1919. After the 1919 season he continued to make periodic ...
), June 20, 1943
Scott Padded Shoes To Escape Being Cut; Played 1307 Straight Games At Short(
Everett Scott
Lewis Everett Scott (November 19, 1892 – November 2, 1960), nicknamed "Deacon", was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, Scott played in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees ...
), June 21, 1943
Zack Wheat Claimed Honor As Brooklyn's Most Popular(
Zack Wheat
Zachariah Davis Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left fielder from 1909 to 1927, most notably as a member of the Brooklyn Do ...
), June 29, 1943
Griffith Gained Tag, Old Fox, as Mound Ace for Cap Anson(
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds ...
), July 8, 1943
Sockalexis Socked Like Ruth, Was Faster Than Cobb, Threw a la Meusel(
Louis Sockalexis
Louis Francis Sockalexis (October 24, 1871 – December 24, 1913), nicknamed the Deerfoot of the Diamond, was an American baseball player. Sockalexis played professional baseball in the National League for three seasons, spending his entire c ...
), August 5, 1943
Football
Rose Bowl Game Needs Huey Long: Kingfish Would Make Tilt Really 'Greatest Show on Earth' in 1935 November 6, 1934
Rose Bowl Battle A Classic Despite Criticism(
Rose Bowl), December 26, 1934
Redskins Meet Packers Sunday(
1936 NFL Championship Game
The 1936 NFL Championship Game was the fourth championship game played in the National Football League (NFL). It took place on December 13 at Polo Grounds in New York City, making it the first NFL title game held on a neutral field.
The Eastern ...
), December 9, 1936
Army-Navy Is Great Show Regardless of Records December 6, 1963
Hockey
Ice Hockey's Growth as Fast as Contest Itself December 27, 1935
Detroit Favored To Retain Title November 17, 1936
Hockey Teams Take Aim at Detroit's 7-Year Run November 14, 1955
Records Made To Be Broken But Not Richards' 500 Goals October 26, 1957
Maple Leafs' Star Learns His Lesson(
Frank Mahovlich
Francis William Mahovlich CM (born January 10, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former Liberal Senator in the Canadian Senate. He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fa ...
), December 25, 1960
Canadiens' Line After All-Time Scoring Record January 15, 1961
Stylish Harvey Organizes Rangers' Sustained Attack December 7, 1961
All-Time Greatest in Hockey? Those Who Know Say Howe October 26, 1963
Basketball
The Scoreboard(
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...
), April 12, 1956
Robertson Runs Bearcats While Leading Scorers(
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...
), January 2, 1960
Lucas Could Have Own Way As Pro or In Business -- Now! January 2, 1961
Pro Basketball Grows As Big As Its Players November 3, 1961
Lucas and Robertson Give Pro Basketball Another Big Show November 11, 1963
Boxing
Louis' Hammering Fists 'Elixir' to Dying Fight Game(
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...
), December 20, 1935
Louis Old Dog Learning New Tricks for Marciano Match October 22, 1951
Golf
More Golfers Should Have Yips Like Hogan June 7, 1957
Palmer's Open Win Gives Golf First Big Name Since Hogan July 3, 1960
Nicklaus Compared With Jones With No Apologies June 19, 1962
Arnie a One-Man Peace Corps(
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...
), November 17, 1962
Magic of Bobby Jones April 8, 1964
Other
Sonja Henie Makes Country Ice Conscious and Rescues Arenas(
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...
), January 21, 1938
Big Bill Tilden Picks Don Budge As Greatest of Tennis Players(
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
), February 22, 1945
Bobby Riggs Has Become No. 1 Tennis Promoter(
Bobby Riggs
Robert Larimore Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995) was an American tennis champion who was the World No. 1 amateur in 1939 and World No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947. He played his first professional tennis match on December ...
), September 28, 1949
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayson, Harry
1894 births
1968 deaths
Baseball writers
Sportswriters from New York (state)
Journalists from Oregon
People from Astoria, Oregon
20th-century American journalists
American male journalists