 = Ed Barrow = 
 
 Edward Grant Barrow ( May 10 , 1868 – December 15 , 1953 ) was an American manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball . He served as the field manager of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox . He served as business manager ( de facto general manager ) of the New York Yankees from 1921 to 1939 and as team president from 1939 to 1945 , and is credited with building the Yankee dynasty . Barrow was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 . 
 Born in a covered wagon in Springfield , Illinois , Barrow worked as a journalist and soap salesman before entering the business of baseball by selling concessions at games . From there , Barrow purchased minor league baseball teams , also serving as team manager , and served as president of the Atlantic League . After managing the Tigers in 1903 and 1904 and returning to the minor leagues , Barrow became disenchanted with baseball , and left the game to operate a hotel . 
 Barrow returned to baseball in 1910 as president of the Eastern League . After a seven @-@ year tenure , Barrow managed the Red Sox from 1918 through 1920 , leading the team to victory in the 1918 World Series . When Red Sox owner Harry Frazee began to sell his star players , Barrow joined the Yankees . During his quarter @-@ century as their baseball operations chief , the Yankees won 14 AL pennants and 10 World Series titles . 
 
 = = Early life = = 
 
 Barrow was born in Springfield , Illinois , the oldest of four children , all male , born to Effie Ann Vinson @-@ Heller and John Barrow . Barrow 's father fought in the Ohio Volunteer Militia during the American Civil War . Following the war , Barrow 's parents , with John 's mother , brothers , and sisters , traveled in a covered wagon to Nebraska ; Barrow was born on a hemp plantation belonging to relatives during the trip . The Barrows lived in Nebraska for six years before moving to Des Moines , Iowa . His middle name , Grant , was bestowed on him in honor of Ulysses S. Grant , the Civil War general . 
 Barrow worked as mailing clerk for the Des Moines News in 1887 , receiving a promotion to circulation manager within a year . He became a reporter for the Des Moines Leader after graduating from high school . He became city editor , earning $ 35 a week ( $ 922 in current dollar terms ) . In his last two years living in Des Moines , Barrow established a baseball team , which included future baseball stars Fred Clarke , Ducky Holmes , and Herm McFarland . 
 Barrow moved to Pittsburgh in 1889 , where he worked as a soap salesman , believing there was money in this business . However , Barrow lost all of money in this business , and went to work as a desk clerk in a Pittsburgh hotel . 
 
 = = Baseball career = = 
 
 
 = = = Early career = = = 
 
 Barrow partnered with Harry Stevens in 1894 to sell concessions at baseball games . He helped George Moreland form the Interstate League , a Class @-@ C minor league , in 1894 . Barrow , with Stevens and Al Buckenberger , purchased the Wheeling Nailers of the Interstate League in 1896 . Barrow served as field manager until the collapse of the league that season . The team continued in the Iron and Oil League for the rest of the year . 
 Barrow then bought the Paterson Silk Weavers of the Class @-@ A Atlantic League , managing them for the rest of the 1896 season . Barrow discovered Honus Wagner throwing lumps of coal at a railroad station in Pennsylvania , and signed him to his first professional contract . Barrow sold Wagner to the Louisville Colonels of the National League ( NL ) for $ 2 @,@ 100 the next year ( $ 59 @,@ 732 in current dollar terms ) . With poor attendance , Barrow brought in professional boxers as a draw : he had James J. Corbett play first base while John L. Sullivan and James J. Jeffries umpired . He also hired Lizzie Arlington , the first woman in professional baseball , to pitch a few innings a game . 
 From 1897 through 1899 , Barrow served as president of the Atlantic League . During this time , in the winter of 1898 – 99 , Barrow and Jake Wells established a movie theater in Richmond , Virginia . Barrow managed Paterson again in 1899 , but the league folded after the season . 
 With the money earned from the sale of the Richmond movie theater , Barrow purchased a one @-@ quarter share of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class @-@ A Eastern League in 1900 from Arthur Irwin , and served as the team 's manager . Irwin , hired to be the manager of the Washington Senators of the NL , brought his most talented players with him . Rebuilding the Maple Leafs , Barrow acquired talented players , such as Nick Altrock , and the team improved from a fifth @-@ place finish in 1899 , to a third @-@ place finish in 1900 , and a second @-@ place finish in 1901 . The Maple Leafs won the league championship in 1902 , even though they lost many of their most talented players , including Altrock , to the upstart American League ( AL ) . 
 Barrow managed in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers of the AL in 1903 , finishing fifth , a thirteen @-@ game improvement from their 1902 finish . With the Tigers , Barrow feuded with shortstop Kid Elberfeld . Tigers ' owner Sam Angus sold the team to William Yawkey before the 1904 season . Barrow managed the Tigers again in 1904 , but unable to coexist with Frank Navin , Yawkey 's secretary @-@ treasurer , Barrow tendered his resignation . He then managed the Montreal Royals of the Eastern League for the rest of the season . He managed the Indianapolis Indians of the Class @-@ A American Association in 1905 and Toronto in 1906 . Disheartened with baseball after finishing in last place , Barrow hired Joe Kelley to manage Toronto in 1907 , and after signing the rest of the team 's players , became manager of the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto . 
 
 = = = Return to baseball = = = 
 
 Barrow returned to baseball in 1910 , managing Montreal . The Eastern League hired Barrow as its president the next year , giving him an annual salary of $ 7 @,@ 500 ( $ 190 @,@ 473 in current dollar terms ) . He served in this role from 1911 through 1917 , and engineered the name change to " International League " before the 1912 season . As league president , he contended with the creation of the Federal League in 1914 , which competed as a major league , and established franchises in International League cities , including Newark , New Jersey , Buffalo , New York , and Baltimore , Maryland . He attempted to gain major league status for the league in 1914 , but was unsuccessful . When the Federal League collapsed , Barrow was the only league president to forbid the outlaw players from playing in his league . 
 After the 1917 season , Barrow attempted to organize the " Union League " , to compete against the AL and NL as a third major league , by merging four International League clubs with four teams from the American Association . Several International League owners opposed Barrow 's policies , including his attempt to form the Union League , and felt he was too close personally to Ban Johnson . When the league 's owners voted to cut his pay to $ 2 @,@ 500 after the 1917 season ( $ 46 @,@ 175 in current dollar terms ) , Barrow resigned . 
 Barrow became manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1918 . As the team lost many of its better players during World War I , Barrow encouraged owner Harry Frazee to purchase Stuffy McInnis , Wally Schang , Bullet Joe Bush , and Amos Strunk from the Philadelphia Athletics for $ 75 @,@ 000 ( $ 1 @,@ 179 @,@ 923 in current dollar terms ) . During the season , Barrow feuded with his assistant , Johnny Evers , who undermined Barrow 's leadership . The Red Sox won the 1918 World Series . Recognizing that star pitcher Babe Ruth was also a great power hitter , Barrow had Ruth pinch hit on days when he wasn 't scheduled to pitch . When Ruth told Barrow that he could only pitch or hit , Barrow decided that Ruth 's bat was more useful than his pitching , and transitioned him from a pitcher into an outfielder . Ruth had a public dispute with Barrow in July 1918 and was reported in the press as intending to leave the Red Sox , although the situation was soon smoothed over . 
 After the 1918 season , Frazee , now in debt , began selling the contracts of star players . He traded Dutch Leonard , Duffy Lewis , and Ernie Shore to the New York Yankees , obtaining Ray Caldwell , Slim Love , Frank Gilhooley , Roxy Walters , and cash . Frazee sold Carl Mays to the Yankees during the 1919 season . The Red Sox struggled in 1919 , finishing sixth in the AL . Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees after the season , against Barrow 's warnings . The Red Sox finished in fifth in 1920 . 
 
 = = = New York Yankees = = = 
 
 After the 1920 season , Barrow resigned from the Red Sox to become the business manager of the Yankees , replacing the deceased Harry Sparrow . He took control of building the roster , which was usually the field manager 's responsibility in those days . With the Yankees , Barrow handled the signing of player contracts , although owner Jacob Ruppert personally handled the contracts of Ruth and Lou Gehrig . 
 Barrow installed himself in the Yankees ' infrastructure between co @-@ owner Tillinghast L 'Hommedieu Huston and manager Miller Huggins , as Huston frequently criticized Huggins . Barrow told Huggins : " You 're the manager , and you 'll not be second guessed by me . Your job is to win ; mine is to get you the players you need to win . " When Huggins suspended Ruth indefinitely on August 29 , 1925 for " misconduct off the playing field " , while also fining him $ 5 @,@ 000 ( $ 67 @,@ 467 in current dollar terms ) , Barrow supported Huggins . 
 In his first move with the Yankees , Barrow brought Red Sox coach Paul Krichell with him to New York as a scout . He purchased a share in the club in 1924 . He also discovered executive George Weiss , whom he mentored . Barrow also orchestrated a series of trades with his former club , mainly to keep Frazee afloat . These trades netted the Yankees such stars as Bullet Joe Bush , Joe Dugan and George Pipgras . It has been argued that these trades only looked lopsided in favor of the Yankees only because the players sent to Boston suffered a rash of injuries . However , this is belied by the fact that Barrow almost certainly knew who was coming to New York in these deals ; he 'd managed nearly all of them in Boston . 
 The Yankees sought to develop their own players , rather than buying them from other teams , especially after the investment of $ 100 @,@ 000 ( $ 1 @,@ 362 @,@ 261 in current dollar terms ) in Lyn Lary and Jimmie Reese in 1927 . However , Weiss and Bill Essick convinced Barrow to approve the purchase of Joe DiMaggio from the Pacific Coast League . 
 Barrow was considered a potential successor to AL president Ban Johnson in 1927 , but Barrow declared that he was not interested in the job . When Huggins died in 1929 , Barrow chose Bob Shawkey to replace him as manager , passing over Ruth , who wanted the opportunity to become a player @-@ manager . Barrow also prevented Ruth from managing other teams after he departed the Yankees , by suggesting to executives of other teams that Ruth was not equipped to manage a baseball team . Although Ruth and Barrow had been together for all but one season from 1918 to 1934 , the two had never gotten along . The Sporting News named Barrow their Executive of the Year in 1937 . 
 After Ruppert 's death in 1939 , his will left the Yankees and other assets in a trust for his descendants . The will also named Barrow president of the Yankees , with full authority over the team 's day @-@ to @-@ day operations . Barrow was named Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 1941 , the second time he won the award . The estate sold the team to a group of Larry MacPhail , Dan Topping , and Del Webb in 1945 , and Barrow sold his 10 % stake in the team to the group . Barrow remained as chairman of the board and an informal adviser . Though he signed a five @-@ year contract to remain with the team , he exercised a clause in his contract to free himself as of December 31 , 1946 , in order to officially retire from baseball . AL president Will Harridge offered Barrow the job of Commissioner of Baseball to succeed Kenesaw Mountain Landis ; Barrow declined , as he felt he was too old and his health was in decline . 
 
 = = Personal life = = 
 
 Barrow was known as " Uncle Egbert " to his friends ; according to writer Tom Meany , Babe Ruth referred to him as " Barrows , " treating him as if he were " a butler in an English drawing room comedy . " He resided in Rye , New York . He first married in 1898 , but did not discuss it in any of his writings . His second marriage was to Fannie Taylor Briggs in January 1912 ; he raised her five @-@ year @-@ old daughter from her previous marriage , Audrey , as his own daughter . 
 Barrow was an able boxer . He once fought John L. Sullivan in an exhibition for four rounds . 
 Barrow was hospitalized on July 7 , 1953 at the United Hospital of Port Chester , New York and died on December 15 , at the age of 85 , due to a malignancy . His body was kept at Campbell 's Funeral Home and interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla , Westchester County , New York . 
 
 = = Legacy = = 
 
 Barrow was the first executive to put numbers on player uniforms . He also announced the retirement of Lou Gehrig 's uniform number , the first number to be retired . Barrow was also the first executive to allow fans to keep foul balls that entered the stands . Barrow was also the first to require the playing of " The Star @-@ Spangled Banner " , the United States ' national anthem , before every game , not only on holidays . 
 In May 1950 , an exhibition game was played in honor of Barrow , with Barrow managing a team of retired stars . Barrow was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1953 . 
 On April 15 , 1954 , the Yankees dedicated a plaque to Barrow , which first hung on the center field wall at Yankee Stadium , near the flagpole and the monuments to Babe Ruth , Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins . The plaques later moved to the stadium 's Monument Park . 
 
 