Despite being found not guilty on charges of conspiring to defraud the public, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis-the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball-banished all eight men from baseball for life. In a fine example of how messed up and corrupt the situation had become, the players' lawyers were supplied and paid for by Comiskey, the man they supposedly ruined through their activities. It was only when reports of another fix came to light-this time in a game between the Cubs and the Phillies-that the White Sox scandal garnered national attention.įollowing a Grand Jury indictment, the eight players-but none of the gamblers-were put on trial. Despite the fact that many people knew the fix occurred, including Comiskey, nothing happened for nearly a year. A long, convoluted series of events followed, with the Sox eventually losing to the Reds five games to three in a best-of-nine series. The fix quickly grew to include other gamblers and miscreants, including one Arnold 'Big Bankroll' Rothstein. The idea to throw the Series came not from outside sources, but from 1st baseman Chick Gandil, who approached a gambling colleague named Sport Sullivan with the idea. And in reality, I should only say seven players, as it became quickly evident that 3rd baseman Buck Weaver wanted no part of the fix. I won't say conspire, since that is much too strong of a word. Here's the rub: eight White Sox players, tired of being grossly underpaid and appreciated by owner Charles Comiskey, agreed to throw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. If you aren't, and want an extensive summary, I would recommend this site, which provides an excellent summation, as well as other valuable information such as a chronology of events, a diagram of the fix, and a sketch of the eight banished men. To me, it is the great baseball movie, surpassing even Field of Dreams and Bull Durham). Most people are familiar with the story now, thanks to movie adaptations of both this book and Field of Dreams (I can't recommend enough John Sayles’ adaptation of Eight Men Out. Originally published in 1963, Eliot Asinof's Eight Men Out is the definitive chronicle of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, and their throwing of the World Series. “If a man can sin with impunity, he will continue to sin-especially if he gets paid for it.”

Eight men out by eliot asinof