Max Carey

Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), also known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 through 1926 and for the Brooklyn Robins from 1926 through 1929. He managed the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932 and 1933.

Carey starred for the Pirates, helping them win the 1925 World Series. During his 20-year career, he led the league in stolen bases ten times and finished with 738 steals, a National League record until 1974 and still the 9th-highest total in major league history. Carey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961.

Early life Maximillian George Carnarius was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on January 11, 1890. His father was a Prussian soldier and swimming teacher. He had emigrated to the United States after the Franco-Prussian War and worked as a contractor.

Carey's parents wanted their son to become a Lutheran minister. He attended Concordia College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, studying in the pre-ministerial program. He also played baseball, and was a member of the swimming and track-and-field teams. After graduating in 1909, he went to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Carey returned to play for South Bend in the 1910 season. The team had a new shortstop, Alex McCarthy, so Carey agreed to play as their left fielder. He had a .298 batting average with 86 stolen bases in 96 games. He also recorded 25 assists. Able to make a career in baseball, Carey decided to drop out of Concordia.

In 1911, Carey played in 122 games as the Pirates' center fielder, replacing Tommy Leach. He had a .258 batting average on the season. The next year, he succeeded Clarke as the Pirates' left fielder on a permanent basis. In 1914, he led the National League in games played (156), at bats (596), and triples (17). He led the National League in steals in 1915 (36), 1916 (63), 1917 (46), and 1918 (58), while also leading the league with 62 walks in 1918. After the 1915 season, Carey went on a barnstorming tour with Dave Bancroft.

Carey missed much of the 1919 season with an injury, but returned to form in the 1920 season. in the 1922 season with 51, in the 1923 season with 51, in the 1924 season with 49, and in the 1925 season with 46. In the 1922 season, he was only caught stealing twice. He hit for a batting average over .300 three seasons in a row from 1921 to 1923. He led the league in stolen bases eight times, including each season between 1922 and 1924. The Pirates placed Carey on waivers and he was claimed by the Brooklyn Robins. Carey played his final three and a half years with the Robins, but he was aging and no longer the same player. Carey retired in 1929.

Later career Carey returned to the Pirates as a coach for the 1930 season. After sitting out the 1931 season, he became the manager of the Dodgers before the 1932 season, succeeding Wilbert Robinson. He traded for outfielder Hack Wilson, and traded Babe Herman, also an outfielder, for third baseman Joe Stripp. Behind Wilson, Brooklyn finished in third place in the National League in 1932. However, the team struggled in the 1933 season, leading to outrage when the club renewed his contract for 1934 in August. Receiving criticism by Brooklyn newspapers, he was replaced before the 1934 season by Casey Stengel, and remarked that he became "the first manager fired by the newspapers".

Carey worked as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles and served as a minor league manager. He then spent three seasons managing the league's Fort Wayne Daisies.

Later life Carey moved to Florida, and became involved in real estate. Carey lost more than $100,000 ($ in current dollar terms) in the 1929 stock market crash. He became a writer in the 1950s. He self-published a book on baseball strategy and authored magazine articles for publications such as Esquire.

In 1968, Carey joined other athletes in supporting Richard Nixon's presidential campaign. The athletes created a committee called Athletes for Nixon.

Carey died on May 30, 1976, at age 86 in Miami, Florida. He was buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum). He was survived by his wife, Aurelia, and a son, Max Jr.

Legacy Carey was nicknamed "Scoop" for his ability to catch fly balls in front of him. His mark of 738 stolen bases remained a National League record, until Lou Brock surpassed it in 1974.

When Carey was young, his mother sewed special pads into his uniform to protect his legs and hips while sliding. Carey went on to patent these sliding pads. He also shared a patent on a liniment called Minute-Rub.