What's going on in this space? See the introductory remarks at: http://dearabner.blogspot.com/2008/04/introducing-abner-doubleday.html
Dear Abner,
What is made in Heaven of the Black Sox who threw the 1919 World Series? Are all the eight men out up there as well as down here?
Holds a Brief for Buck Weaver
Dear Brief Holder,
Oh, they were guilty enough to warrant their punishment, even though ballplayers had been throwing games left and right for decades. The 1919 World Series wasn’t even the first in which gamblers took a hand, nor was it the second. Have another look at 1903 and 1914 especially.
The principal gripe of men like Buck Weaver and Fred McMullin may have been that they were left holding the bag without getting any of the swag. The other six pocketed some money, if not all that was promised, so what is there left say, except extenuating circumstances ... Shoeless Joe’s naivete and remorse, Eddie Cicotte’s backlash against owner Comiskey’s penury.
Evidently there IS crying in baseball, and it has appeared to work for six of the eight Black Sox, who are up here with me (you may guess which ones are not), as is Charlie Comiskey, who had a Hobson’s Choice to make when he learned of the Fix. Judge Landis, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found.
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Posting this to Abner on begalf of Gene Carney:
"Oh, they were guilty enough to warrant their punishment, even though ballplayers had been throwing games left and right for decades. The 1919 World Series wasn’t even the first in which gamblers took a hand, nor was it the second. Have another look at 1903 and 1914 especially."
Only objection I have here is that the White Sox octet of 1919 were certainly not equally guilty, and I doubt that they all did their darndest in every game to toss the Series to Cincinnati. I think several of them played the Series to win, maybe more than several. We don't know more about this, because the Powers That Were in baseball at the time -- notably Ban Johnson & Charles Comiskey -- did. But they covered up the bribery, instead of investigating ASAP -- maybe even before the Series began.
"The principal gripe of men like Buck Weaver and Fred McMullin may have been that they were left holding the bag without getting any of the swag. The other six pocketed some money, if not all that was promised, so what is there left say, except extenuating circumstances ... Shoeless Joe’s naivete and remorse, Eddie Cicotte’s backlash against owner Comiskey’s penury."
Weaver & McMullin never complained that they had not profited, their main beef is that they were banished. I'm not sure what the evidence is for Gandil & Risberg getting any money. I don't think Cicotte was getting even with Comiskey, that's Asinof's theory. I think the "new" documents in Chicago will show Cicotte was quite satisfied with Commy's treatment.
"Evidently there IS crying in baseball, and it has appeared to work for six of the eight Black Sox, who are up here with me (you may guess which ones are not), as is Charlie Comiskey, who had a Hobson’s Choice to make when he learned of the Fix. Judge Landis, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found."
Commy's there?
Whatever these guys did in 1919, I'd be very much surprised if it prevented them from entering the pearly gates. Cooperstown, yes, but their standards are higher.
Gene
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