sox-r-us Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 From crooked Cubs to Babe benched, '18 Series had it all October 1, 2003 BY RON RAPOPORT SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement perating on the assumption that if we're going to fantasize about a Cubs-Red Sox World Series, we'd better hurry up about it, I gave a call Tuesday to Allan Wood, who has written a book on that very subject. The Cubs-Red Sox World Series of 1918, I mean. And let me tell you something, even if it comes down to Mark Prior and Pedro Martinez taking a scoreless Game 7 into extra innings, this year's Series still wouldn't have the drama and the subplots Wood discusses in Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Series. Just to take one small example, there is some evidence, inconclusive but provocative, that some of the Cubs might have thrown that Series, which the Red Sox won four games to two. Reporters covering the games noted odd baserunning mistakes, fielders unaccountably playing out of position and clumsy errors by good fielders. Most suspicious of all was a key Red Sox rally late in Game 4 when Cubs pitchers Claude Hendrix and Phil Douglas self-destructed in the only inning they pitched the entire Series. Douglas gave up a single, threw a wild pitch and threw away a bunt as the Red Sox rallied to take a 3-1 lead in the Series. In the wake of the Black Sox scandal the following year, he and Hendrix were banned from baseball for gambling and throwing other games. "There were a lot of suspicious plays, and almost all of them had to do with the Cubs,'' Wood said. "It's all circumstantial and there's no definitive evidence, and there were so many rumors about game-fixing in that decade that few World Series or pennant races didn't have some attached to it. Bill Veeck once wrote that in the 1920s, some White Sox executives drew up a list of players they thought were crooked, and one of them was listed as a '1918 Series fixer.''' One of the things that makes this story so intriguing is that baseball was in sorry financial shape in 1918, and the players' bitterness at the owners, which would help ignite the Black Sox scandal, had begun to grow. Revenue had been off all season because of World War I, and baseball had responded by shortening the season by a month and starting the Series on Sept. 5. The Cubs' hopes of attracting big crowds by playing its Series games at Comiskey Park instead of 14,000-seat Weeghman Park only helped a little. The crowds on the South Side were barely more than 20,000. And a decision by baseball's brass to divide up the players' Series receipts among the second-, third- and fourth-place teams in each league for the first time led to a players revolt. They had been talking about taking action throughout the Series, and it all came to a head just before Game 5 in Boston when they threatened not to play. The starting time was held up an hour as negotiations were held, and finally the players capitulated and the game was played on the owners' terms. Instead of receiving the customary winner's share of $3,000 or $4,000, the Red Sox received about $1,000 each for winning the Series, and the Cubs got around $600 each for losing. And just to rub it in, the owners later reneged on their promise not to punish the players by withholding the Red Sox' championship medallions -- the equivalent of a World Series ring today -- and resisting all attempts to have them restored through the years. Babe Ruth, no surprise here, was the big star of the Series -- on the mound, at least. Ruth beat the Cubs 1-0 in Game 1 and 3-2 in Game 5, which was notable for the fact that the Cubs broke his World Series scoreless-innings streak of 291/3 innings, a record that would last until Whitey Ford broke it decades later. But despite the fact that Ruth, in his first year as a position player, had led the majors in slugging and -- in many fewer at-bats than other top hitters -- was among the leaders in home runs, extra-base hits and runs batted in, he didn't start any of the other games in the field. Ruth had been baseball's hottest hitter during the final months of the season -- he also won nine of his last 11 pitching starts -- but the Red Sox still considered him suspect against the Cubs' left-handed starters, Hippo Vaughn and Lefty Tyler, and didn't let him hit. Over the winter, of course, the Red Sox traded Ruth to a team that was happy to let him bat as often as he liked. The 1918 World Series was played under the assumption that it might be the last one for a while. The war was taking its toll on players and fans alike, and many players were expected to be in the armed forces by the following spring. But in November, armistice was declared and the Series returned to Comiskey Park in 1919. Nobody could blame the Cubs or Red Sox for what happened in that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Damn! The Cubs beat us to the punch again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 What a surprise, this ended up in the Sun Times and not the Trib. I have to get this book and spread the word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Is this book coming out? I do a search for the author name and get nothing on Amazon. But it is no secret that the Black Sox scandal may have hurt the Sox, and baseball to a degree, but it did wonders for the world of sports as it exposed the ugly side. Ganbling and game throwing was all over the place, and players in those days, contrary to what we may believe now, were in it for the money just as much as they are now. Difference is that now the owners can pay the big bucks, back then they didn't want to pay them. GLORY OF THEIR TIME shows just how much loyalty there was amonst players to the teams. How often do you read in that book of somebody just jumping ship because another team offered more money, and the very next day they were on the other team? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Is this book coming out? I do a search for the author name and get nothing on Amazon. But it is no secret that the Black Sox scandal may have hurt the Sox, and baseball to a degree, but it did wonders for the world of sports as it exposed the ugly side. Ganbling and game throwing was all over the place, and players in those days, contrary to what we may believe now, were in it for the money just as much as they are now. Difference is that now the owners can pay the big bucks, back then they didn't want to pay them. GLORY OF THEIR TIME shows just how much loyalty there was amonst players to the teams. How often do you read in that book of somebody just jumping ship because another team offered more money, and the very next day they were on the other team? http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...595148263&itm=2 Here is the book off of Barnes and Noble.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubKilla Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Trust me when I say the 1919 White Sox weren't the first team to throw a game or series. They're just the first team that got caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 They were also the last to get caught, as I am sure many other people have thrown games since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxplosion Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 There was some 1Bman around that time who admitted to throwing many games. I think his name was Hal Chase. But either way, the 1919 Sox were just the scapegoat for corruption in the game in that era... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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