Just about anybody who is a baseball fan knows the story of the 1919 White Sox. The story of how that team threw the 1919 World Series against the Reds was forever immortalized in the book and eventually the movie Eight Men Out, and it caused Shoeless Joe Jackson to spend eternity in a cornfield in Field of Dreams. What we didn't know until now, is that the White Sox may have just been following the lead of their crosstown rivals.A newly found affidavit from the 1920 Grand Jury hearings has claims that the Cubs may have thrown the 1918 World Series against the Boston Red Sox as well.
Now, it cannot be said for certain that gamblers got to the '18 Cubs. But Eddie Cicotte, pitcher and one of the eight White Sox outcasts from the '19 World Series, did say in a newly found affidavit he gave to the 1920 Cook County grand jury that the Cubs influenced the Black Sox. Cicotte said the notion of throwing a World Series first came up when the White Sox were on a train to New York. The team was discussing the previous year's World Series, which had been fixed, according to players. Some members of the Sox tried to figure how many players it would take to throw a Series. From that conversation, Cicotte said, a scandal was born.
The Cubs were 84-45 that year and serious favorites. Cicotte is not alone in suggesting they had been paid off. The lost diary of Charles Comiskey's righthand man, Harry Grabiner, supposedly indicates that the 1918 World Series was fixed. The reporting of baseball columnist Hugh Fullerton -- the man who eventually blew the whistle on baseball's gambling problem -- also suggested that something was afoul in 1918. Fullerton's accounts of those games repeatedly point out bizarre baserunning mistakes and defensive flubs.Obviously, there's no way to know now if the Cubs threw the Series that year, because anybody who did know for sure died long ago. Still, it's a very interesting story and one that I'd like to know more about. Think about it, that 1918 World Series was the last one Boston had won until 2004 came around, and the Cubs are still waiting for their shot to win a title.
The box scores support his descriptions. The Cubs were picked off three times, including twice in the decisive Game 6. That game was lost, 2-1, on a 2-run error by Cubs right fielder Max Flack. Game 4 had been tied, 2-2, in the eighth inning, when Cubs pitcher Shufflin' Phil Douglas gave up a single, followed by a passed ball, followed by an errant throw on a bunt attempt that allowed the winning run to score.
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Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui dives but can't stop this infield hit by Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton in the first inning during a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2008 in Houston. (AP Photo/Bob Levey)
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Florida Marlins' Wes Helms hits the game winning run during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Nationals 6-5. At right is Nationals catcher Johnny Estrada. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Colorado Rockies center fielder Ryan Spilborghs makes a diving catch in center field on a fly ball off the bat of Houston Astro third baseman Geoff Blum in the seventh inning during a baseball game against the Houston Astros on Saturday, April 19, 2008, in Houston. (AP Photo/Bob Levey)
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Florida Marlins' Mike Jacobs (17) slides in for a double as Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman of the Dominican Republic attempts the tag during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Nationals 6-5. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Washington Nationals' Lastings Milledge grimaces after striking out during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Nationals 6-5. At left is Florida Marlins catcher Mike Rabelo. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Florida Marlins' Dan Uggla (6) is mobbed by teammates after he scored on a single by Wes Helms to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-5 during a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Seattle Mariners' Adrian Beltre, right, is congratulated by teammate Richie Sexson after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, April 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)
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Baltimore Orioles Ramon Hernandez connects for a two RBI double against the New York Yankees in the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2008 in Baltimore. The Orioles won 6-0.(AP Photo/Gail Burton)
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New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter tries to but is unable to run down a sharply hit ball by Baltimore Orioles Brandon Fahey in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2008 in Baltimore. The Orioles won 6-0.(AP Photo/Gail Burton)
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Texas Rangers' Gerald Laird reacts to a called strike in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, April 19, 2008, in Boston. Laird struck out swinging to end the top of the inning. The Red Sox won 5-3. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1.
Very interesting. Thank you for this.
Posted at 3:36PM on Apr 20th 2008 by Ed
2. I hope this is true, as a Yankee fan. Call me mean spirited, and especially deliberate.
Posted at 4:05PM on Apr 20th 2008 by KingGreat
3. Yes, as I'm sure the Yankees have never been involved in any kind of impropriety throughout their history.
Posted at 4:45PM on Apr 20th 2008 by bridge
4. I hope it happened... but why did noone really know until now?
Posted at 4:48PM on Apr 20th 2008 by super bowl betting
5. Thanks to Jose Canseco, the truth is finally out.
Posted at 7:19PM on Apr 20th 2008 by Panger
6. I'm not willing to believe the 1918 Cubs "threw" the WS or that gamblers had their hooks into them. As "super bowl betting" notes above: why no mention of this until now? Why no swirling rumors at the time? Why no death bed confessions, so to speak, in the nearly 90 years since the event allegedly occurred? No, no story here, sorry.
Posted at 10:54PM on Apr 20th 2008 by Denny, Alaska
7. The Cubs throwing a World Series could have happened because sports is a business and the storyline is everybody has a price. But since the players of both teams are deceased it will only be a mystery that only Batman can solve.
Posted at 12:19AM on Apr 21st 2008 by George B Vieto
8. If anybody knows baseball history at all, players were treated so poorly in those days, it wouldn't surprise me if several world series were fixed. It was common knowledge (if you know your history), that Ty Cobb threw a few regular season games. The owners at the time didn't want to know. They just wanted to keep the players way underpaid and keep the fans coming. Sound a little famalair? Steriod era, anyone?
Posted at 12:48AM on Apr 21st 2008 by John B 13
9. Britney Spears NAKED again:
http://celebritiesvidz.com/videos.php?v=Britney_Spears
Posted at 6:14AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Tim
10. AND WHY SHOULD I CARE??
Posted at 6:50AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Connie
11. THIS ARTICAL IS A FARCE ! ! ! GO CUBS ! ! !
Posted at 7:11AM on Apr 21st 2008 by vickitot
12. At this point, none of it matters except that Shoeless Joe Jackson belongs in the Hall of Fame. Be a man, "Commissioner" Selig: open the door, and LET JOE IN NOW!!!
Posted at 7:15AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Former sailor
13. HOW DID THE 1969 METS BEAT BALTIMORE AND THE JETS BEAT THE COLTS THAT SAME YAAR ?
BOTH NEW YORK TEAMS WERE HEAVILY OVER MACHED, ESPECIALLY THE METS.
EVE WONDER ?
Posted at 7:24AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Lou
14. Cubs fans have to be out of touch. How many times in your life time have the Cubs finished above 500? The Cubs could be 30 games out with 30 games to play, and Cubs fans would say that Rick Sutcliffe and Ryne Sandberg are going to come out of retirement and the Cubs will win 30 in a row- completely deluded! When I worked with people who were MR/DD, they were all Cubs fans. Cubs fans are mostly aging drunken frat boys that wait tables and get 10 or 12 guys in an apartment, so they can afford an apartment in Wrigleyville. Lovable losers! Ha!
Posted at 7:38AM on Apr 21st 2008 by guy
15. The Boston Red Sox SUCK -- always have -- always will
Posted at 7:43AM on Apr 21st 2008 by the TRUTH
16. all sports are still rigged, by the leagues themselves. the popular or bigger market team almost invariably gets the calls. the leagues have to much money at stake to leave the results to chance.
Posted at 7:52AM on Apr 21st 2008 by tal bodin
17. I'm sure the curse that's on the Cubs today lies in the fact they probably did throw the series and I hope they never win one and thank god that stupid Harry Carey is gone too! The old drunk was terrible.
Posted at 7:54AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Mark Elliott
18. Most of the sports played today are fixed or rigged in some way as are the game shows and reality shows on tv. It's just a fact of life. I have no trust in baseball, football, etc. Wrestling is a joke as is sports car racing. But, I still watch and cheer.
Posted at 7:56AM on Apr 21st 2008 by MSsmartmarge@aol.com
19. Hey, Lou - How did the 1996 Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles? Simple: They made a hero out of 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier, who stole Derek Jeter's fly ball from Tony Tarrasco, and pulled it in for what the umpires MISTAKENLY called a home run! The kid should have been kicked out of the park, and arrested just like an adult would have been. He broke the law, and cost the Orioles the game and, possibly, the series. And what does the city of New York do? They tell him he was a hero. They ADMIT that he pulled it in, and helped them win! At least the Black Sox got paid for their cheating - except for Shoeless Joe Jackson!
Posted at 8:26AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Former sailor
20. This is bs.
The internet uses little toilet wipe crap like this to track their ability to spread information.
most people are using this mofo for the majority of our entertainment and information.
We'll all eventually be hit up for $250/month because they know they've got us by the short hairs.
Posted at 8:26AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Sonney