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This Never Happened: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson
History tells us that baseball legends Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb volunteered as Captains in the World War I Chemical Warfare Service. After the 1918 baseball season ended, both shipped out for France where they were exposed to poison gas during a training exercise. Mathewson got by far the worst of it, and died just a few years later, in 1925, of tuberculosis that was brought on by his exposure.
History has it wrong.
The year was 1918. The country was at war, and Baseball was under pressure to support the war effort. The year before, teams had begun various activities, including players performing close-order drills, often using bats as their rifles, to demonstrate the patriotism of the National Pasttime. By the summer of 1918, however, that was not enough. More men were needed for military service than were volunteering. So in June of that year. Secretary of War Newton Baker instituted a draft. But he granted an exemption to major league baseball players.
It took about a month for that exemption to become politically untenable. Why, the public wondered, should these able-bodied athletes not be expected to serve like everyone else? In July, Secretary Baker withdrew the exemption. From that point forward, players were offered the choice of taking jobs in war-related industries or joining the military. Many opted for the first of these, and of those a large number ended up being employed primarily to play in the then-extensive industrial baseball leagues. Many others joined the service.
The Army faced a particular challenge in recruiting soldiers to serve in the newly created Chemical Warfare Service. So the commanding general of the service, William Sibert, called together the most influential Washington journalists of the day to announce his plan to enroll prominent baseball players and other athletes in the unit to serve as role models to improve recruitment. Working through Branch Rickey, Sibert recruited both Cobb and Mathewson to the Chemical Warfare Service. According to the delivered history, both joined up in the fall of 1918, were assigned the rank of Captain, and shipped off to France for training. It was during that training, we are told, that the exposure to poison gas occurred.
But some genuine and recently rediscovered military papers suggest the true story is quite different. They tell of a unit comprised mostly of future Hall of Famer players, a unit put together for propaganda purposes to help the Army's recruitment efforts. Yet this propaganda unit never generated any publicity at all. Instead, it disappeared into one of history's dark holes. Why would the Army and baseball invest so heavily in creating such a unit, then bury its existence forever?
That is the question. This Never Happened offers an answer. It's a twisty-turny tale that has it A dead reporter's buried notes. A lost journal. A secret code. And one really shocking event that triggers a cover-up, and prompts new questions.
Award-winning writer Adam Wallace and his friend Jason Drumm are on the trail, and you won't believe what they discover. But maybe you should.
Although This Never Happened is a work of fiction, certain facts woven through the drama are beyond dispute, leaving readers to wonder, if this never happened, what did?
History has it wrong.
The year was 1918. The country was at war, and Baseball was under pressure to support the war effort. The year before, teams had begun various activities, including players performing close-order drills, often using bats as their rifles, to demonstrate the patriotism of the National Pasttime. By the summer of 1918, however, that was not enough. More men were needed for military service than were volunteering. So in June of that year. Secretary of War Newton Baker instituted a draft. But he granted an exemption to major league baseball players.
It took about a month for that exemption to become politically untenable. Why, the public wondered, should these able-bodied athletes not be expected to serve like everyone else? In July, Secretary Baker withdrew the exemption. From that point forward, players were offered the choice of taking jobs in war-related industries or joining the military. Many opted for the first of these, and of those a large number ended up being employed primarily to play in the then-extensive industrial baseball leagues. Many others joined the service.
The Army faced a particular challenge in recruiting soldiers to serve in the newly created Chemical Warfare Service. So the commanding general of the service, William Sibert, called together the most influential Washington journalists of the day to announce his plan to enroll prominent baseball players and other athletes in the unit to serve as role models to improve recruitment. Working through Branch Rickey, Sibert recruited both Cobb and Mathewson to the Chemical Warfare Service. According to the delivered history, both joined up in the fall of 1918, were assigned the rank of Captain, and shipped off to France for training. It was during that training, we are told, that the exposure to poison gas occurred.
But some genuine and recently rediscovered military papers suggest the true story is quite different. They tell of a unit comprised mostly of future Hall of Famer players, a unit put together for propaganda purposes to help the Army's recruitment efforts. Yet this propaganda unit never generated any publicity at all. Instead, it disappeared into one of history's dark holes. Why would the Army and baseball invest so heavily in creating such a unit, then bury its existence forever?
That is the question. This Never Happened offers an answer. It's a twisty-turny tale that has it A dead reporter's buried notes. A lost journal. A secret code. And one really shocking event that triggers a cover-up, and prompts new questions.
Award-winning writer Adam Wallace and his friend Jason Drumm are on the trail, and you won't believe what they discover. But maybe you should.
Although This Never Happened is a work of fiction, certain facts woven through the drama are beyond dispute, leaving readers to wonder, if this never happened, what did?
- GenresBaseball
243 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2023
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Manheim
12 books9 followersJB Manheim is Professor Emeritus at The George Washington University, where he developed the world's first degree-granting program in political communication and was later founding director of the School of Media & Public Affairs. In 1995 he was named Professor of the Year for the District of Columbia.
He learned his love of baseball collecting splinters in Little League, watching Dizzy Dean on the Game of the Week, and huddling with his grandfather for warmth on July nights at The Mistake By The Lake, AKA, Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Manheim applies his expertise in politics and the ways of Washington and his understanding of baseball behind the scenes to provide a new perspective on the game through both fiction and nonfiction.
JB Manheim is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.
He learned his love of baseball collecting splinters in Little League, watching Dizzy Dean on the Game of the Week, and huddling with his grandfather for warmth on July nights at The Mistake By The Lake, AKA, Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Manheim applies his expertise in politics and the ways of Washington and his understanding of baseball behind the scenes to provide a new perspective on the game through both fiction and nonfiction.
JB Manheim is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 11, 2024
: It is well known that one of the original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, pitcher Christy Mathewson, died of tuberculosis that was a result of exposure to poisonous gases during World War I. This novel by J.D. Manehim, a fictional work based on this unfortunate incident, raises the question of whether the exposure was during the actual fighting in France soon before the war ended or whether this was caused by an incident while in training.
This training was in a special division called the Gas and Flame Men. This division had many famous baseball personalities. In addition to Mathewson, the Gas and Flame Men included Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey and Frank Chance just to name a few. The story raises the question of why were these men chose for this duty, especially given the dangerous nature of working with poisonous gases.
However, the story of the division is only part of the novel. A pair of men stumble across documents that a relative of one of them left about these men. The documents were written by a fictional baseball writer, J.T. Willet who was one of the early baseball writers and one whose work for the Sporting News was so good that was part of the reason that the Sporting News was called the “Bible of Baseball.” Willet found out what “really” happened through interviews with Mathewson’s widow, Cobb and other very important people who knew was supposedly really happened. Willet’s story, the story of the documents and what became of them and the war stories of the baseball people all tie together well and the ending does make one wonder what really happened.
The book does take awhile to get going and most of the characters are not developed in great detail, but those minor issues are overcome by a riveting story that any reader interested in baseball or World War I will truly enjoy.
I was provided a review copy and the opinions expressed are strictly my own.
This training was in a special division called the Gas and Flame Men. This division had many famous baseball personalities. In addition to Mathewson, the Gas and Flame Men included Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey and Frank Chance just to name a few. The story raises the question of why were these men chose for this duty, especially given the dangerous nature of working with poisonous gases.
However, the story of the division is only part of the novel. A pair of men stumble across documents that a relative of one of them left about these men. The documents were written by a fictional baseball writer, J.T. Willet who was one of the early baseball writers and one whose work for the Sporting News was so good that was part of the reason that the Sporting News was called the “Bible of Baseball.” Willet found out what “really” happened through interviews with Mathewson’s widow, Cobb and other very important people who knew was supposedly really happened. Willet’s story, the story of the documents and what became of them and the war stories of the baseball people all tie together well and the ending does make one wonder what really happened.
The book does take awhile to get going and most of the characters are not developed in great detail, but those minor issues are overcome by a riveting story that any reader interested in baseball or World War I will truly enjoy.
I was provided a review copy and the opinions expressed are strictly my own.
December 7, 2023
For a baseball fanatic like me, this was a gift. I have particular interest in the early years of baseball. This book was perfect for me.
The author did terrific about of research. What I knew,which is extensive, was accurate.
This reads a great mystery and it moves very quickly. I wished I could have read it in one sitting—I would have
Great character development that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The author did terrific about of research. What I knew,which is extensive, was accurate.
This reads a great mystery and it moves very quickly. I wished I could have read it in one sitting—I would have
Great character development that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 21, 2022
This is a gem of a novel. I wasn't sure what to make of it. Was it pure speculation, was there a kernel of truth to it, what was there that would alter the history of the game of baseball if it happened? Well, half of the fun is the ride to get to the enigma. The reader doesn't get near to the big reveal until well over half of the novel. Nevertheless, the characters are delightful, and the dialogue was so credible that I felt like I was back in time in the thirties. The author skillfully presents the accents of men like Abner(Not Doubleday), Jocko, and John Tyler Willets to perfection. And the quest of Jason and Adam to discover the value, monetarily and eventually, altruistically, of the documents from the fictitious first great baseball writer JT Willets is eye-opening. That is especially true in the Cooperstown Museum chapter. JB Manheim takes a genuine payroll document from the military of 1917 from a training base at Camp Hancock, Georgia and creates a fascinating alternative story about baseball's Christian Gentleman Christy Mathewson's proximate cause of death. It involves the war effort, national security, and eight of baseball's earliest Hall of Fame inductees. How is it that no one knew about this camp or its baseball heroes? Why wasn't it ever written about? Read the story, and you will appreciate the author's imagination, although Charles Leershen mat take exception. Barvo! JB. Manheim.
May 8, 2021
Mr. Manheim found a hole in his research that could not be explained by logic or documentation -- and he chose to exploit it, spinning an imaginative and almost plausible yarn of what might have occurred that's at times clever and entertaining. His episodic weaving between time periods -- 1918, 1936, and the present day -- kept it interesting and made me want to follow this mystery-within-a-mystery to its conclusion. His weakness is, unfortunately, characterization. In an effort to remain faithful to the idea that predicated this novel, his characters (both real and made-up) are at best plot devices. I feel like I learned more about 1930's transportation schedules than I did about the novel's historical protagonist, JT Willet, and the modern co-protagonists, Adam and Jason, are more or less interchangeable--of unclear age, of few emotions (beyond the periodic "holy shit!" every time they discover something new), and of little distinguishing character traits (Jason's a farmer, Adam's a writer, and they're childhood friends) that would allow me to picture them as much more than passive, empty vessels. The opportunity was there to expand on the historical figures, too, and he doesn't take enough advantage of it -- Willet is profiling the first five men inducted into Cooperstown, and we see little of them beyond the opaque columns that resulted from the meeting (and as a reader, I ultimately don't care about a fictitious columnist's impression of the Babe, for instance; I want to meet the Bambino myself!). I also wish we'd spent more time with Jocko Drumm, who was the most enjoyable character in the book, to find out a bit more about the choices he made beyond Life getting in the way. Overall, I enjoyed the book, as I think most baseball/history fans will; I just wanted more than was offered.
May 30, 2021
Not a big conspiracy theorist but this story does make a person wonder. Excellent historical fiction story.
March 3, 2023
I enjoyed this one despite Manheim not being a particularly good fiction writer. His dialogue and word choices leave much to be desired. Plus he never develops his characters at all, not there is really much room for that to occur.
This would have made a fine monograph over at FanGraphs or other baseball site, and the novelization of the story really doesn't work. That said, the story is fascinating projection of items shown during an ANTIQUES ROADSHOW broadcast from 20 years ago.
First off, Christy Mathewson did die of a poison gas accident in WWI. He and Ty Cobb were in a unit formed by Branch Rickey in response to government complaints baseball wasn't doing enough to support the war effort. The unit formed was to deal with German gas attacks and so forth.
The odd part is the finding of payroll records from a training base outside Augusta, Georgia listing the names of Cobb, Mathewson, Rickey and other players of the era (who were not known to have been in the Armey at the time). So what happened? What was the score?
We don't know and Manheim does not claim his speculations are correct. However, there has to be truth to the payroll records, because, as someone who spent his career in finance and payroll systems, there simply no reason to make this up. Why forge payroll records for 1917?
Despite the leap of imagination that is a bit too far, the basis for the leap is solid and the story is enjoyable and will make you think about baseball and WWI.
This would have made a fine monograph over at FanGraphs or other baseball site, and the novelization of the story really doesn't work. That said, the story is fascinating projection of items shown during an ANTIQUES ROADSHOW broadcast from 20 years ago.
First off, Christy Mathewson did die of a poison gas accident in WWI. He and Ty Cobb were in a unit formed by Branch Rickey in response to government complaints baseball wasn't doing enough to support the war effort. The unit formed was to deal with German gas attacks and so forth.
The odd part is the finding of payroll records from a training base outside Augusta, Georgia listing the names of Cobb, Mathewson, Rickey and other players of the era (who were not known to have been in the Armey at the time). So what happened? What was the score?
We don't know and Manheim does not claim his speculations are correct. However, there has to be truth to the payroll records, because, as someone who spent his career in finance and payroll systems, there simply no reason to make this up. Why forge payroll records for 1917?
Despite the leap of imagination that is a bit too far, the basis for the leap is solid and the story is enjoyable and will make you think about baseball and WWI.
February 9, 2024
I am an ARC reader and this is my honest opinion.
I didn't know what to make of this book to begin with. It seemed to start 3 different, seemingly unconnected stories, one after the other in the first 3 chapters. I confess I put it aside and read another book. When I carried on where I left off, I realised eventually where it was going. Whilst I know nothing whatsoever about American baseball, I could appreciate the importance of the story, which did eventually pull me in. When two friends realised that what one had found, what the grandfather of one of them had hidden away for 80 years, rather than act immediately they went on with their lives. After reading about an auction at an important New York auction house, the grandson just shrugged it off. I wanted to yell at both men - Go get a lawyer, make a fuss! In the end, the writer of the pair got his revenge by writing a book - this book. I spent most of it wondering if, or how much of the story was true, or fiction.
In the end I did enjoy the mystery and the 80 year old story of the journalist and the baseball players. I think any non fans, like me would enjoy it too
I didn't know what to make of this book to begin with. It seemed to start 3 different, seemingly unconnected stories, one after the other in the first 3 chapters. I confess I put it aside and read another book. When I carried on where I left off, I realised eventually where it was going. Whilst I know nothing whatsoever about American baseball, I could appreciate the importance of the story, which did eventually pull me in. When two friends realised that what one had found, what the grandfather of one of them had hidden away for 80 years, rather than act immediately they went on with their lives. After reading about an auction at an important New York auction house, the grandson just shrugged it off. I wanted to yell at both men - Go get a lawyer, make a fuss! In the end, the writer of the pair got his revenge by writing a book - this book. I spent most of it wondering if, or how much of the story was true, or fiction.
In the end I did enjoy the mystery and the 80 year old story of the journalist and the baseball players. I think any non fans, like me would enjoy it too
May 22, 2023
What a cool book! This is one heck of a baseball story. We go back and forth from current day to 1936 and before. Jason finds a suitcase on his property that was left behind by his grandpa Jocko. In it are important papers and a journal. Our main characters include future Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and a little bit of the Babe. It's WW1 and some of these ballplayers enter the military-propaganda for the game. TJ Willet, a journalist is interviewing the first entrants to the Hall of Fame and learns about Mathewson and what might have caused his demise at 47 from TB. Was it poison gas?
As usual, we've got government corruption, lies, propaganda, nasty ballplayers (Cobb), and thirst for money. There's some fun baseball history, the starting of the Hall of Fame, sports writing, Cooperstown, the Otesaga, etc. I would recommend that the book be reformatted so you can better follow the back and forth. The way it's done now is very confusing for the reader.
As usual, we've got government corruption, lies, propaganda, nasty ballplayers (Cobb), and thirst for money. There's some fun baseball history, the starting of the Hall of Fame, sports writing, Cooperstown, the Otesaga, etc. I would recommend that the book be reformatted so you can better follow the back and forth. The way it's done now is very confusing for the reader.
March 2, 2024
I throughly enjoyed the mixing of fact and fiction in this novel! I had to keep reminding myself that it WAS actually fiction, because the author made it seem so realistic.
The little baseball nuances, the military bureaucracy, small town attitudes….. they all resonated so very well.
I enjoyed this book as much for the history lesson as for the mystery plot, and give a HUGE credit to JB Manheim for making a book about baseball, which I ordinarily would not have read, very engaging and entertaining!
If you like mysteries, give it a go, even if you are not a baseball fan!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The little baseball nuances, the military bureaucracy, small town attitudes….. they all resonated so very well.
I enjoyed this book as much for the history lesson as for the mystery plot, and give a HUGE credit to JB Manheim for making a book about baseball, which I ordinarily would not have read, very engaging and entertaining!
If you like mysteries, give it a go, even if you are not a baseball fan!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 10, 2021
The author does a nice job of weaving different storylines into one coherent mystery book. I liked that J.B. Manheim brings in real life historical figures into the story. Also, I always enjoy books on baseball. This book brings in some of the great players of the game (Cobb, Mathewson, etc.) and makes them part of the plot. It was a quick read. If you are looking for an enjoyable story that is not too heavy, this book is worth picking up. I liked that "historical" documents were throughout the book as well.
May 5, 2021
An entertaining look at what MIGHT have really happened to Christy Mathewson, an original HOF pitcher who died prematurely due to complications of poison gas exposure. The author takes you back to 1918, WWI and the famous accident. Interwoven is the grandson of a man who had a 'connection' to Mathewson and discovers an alternate version of history.
February 19, 2024
Interesting book, but hard to separate fact from fiction. It would have been nice to have noted the footnotes when they happened, and not just a bunch of random notes at the end. In order to understand the note, one must go back and read the page for context. I found the tale a little far fetched. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 23, 2021
OUTSTANDING!
I loved this book and devoured it in a day.
Highly recommended. A great story, told so well.
I loved this book and devoured it in a day.
Highly recommended. A great story, told so well.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews