Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me

Fifteen-year-old runaway Hank Cobb hops a freight and discovers Chief Sunrise, "the greatest Indian to ever step on a baseball diamond." At least that's what he says. Chief is determined to try out for John McGraw, famed manager of the 1919 New York Giants, and baseball-crazy Hank decides to tag along. The pair's adventures take them from a dusty baseball lot in Gainesville, Florida, to New York City's famed Polo Grounds, where they track down the great John McGraw, and Chief gets his chance to play in the big leagues. Hank becomes team mascot and ball boy. Most days Hank can't stop smiling, but he still has nightmares about his abusive old man, and Chief seems to be hiding something. A startling climax during an exhibition game at Sing Sing Prison changes everything for Hank and Chief. Rich in period detail, Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me captures all the personalities and excitement that defined baseball in the era of Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson.