The 1919 "Black Sox" World Series Scandal as Told by Ringleader Chick Gandil

[Axel]

So I get on these long, disjointed trains of thought sometimes. Yesterday I was googling a movie or something and came across Kevin Costner, which naturally took me into Field of Dreams, and I found myself reading about the Black Sox scandal of 1919.

Anyway, one of the Wikipedia sources on the topic was a 1956 SI article written by none other than the player at the center of it all, Arnold "Chick" Gandil. It makes for an interesting read. You have to take his word with a grain of salt, but as his own portrayal of himself is not all that sympathetic, I'm inclined to mostly believe what he's written.


https://web.archive.org/web/20120422...89/1/index.htm

[Rusty Brass]

I read Eight Men Out looooooong ago but, like most things I've read/done/seen, I don't really remember much. Field of Dreams is probably due for a rewatch, come to think of it.
That was a good refresher, think I believe him too. You don't get the feeling that he's trying to protect anyone.

[Axel]

I especially like his explanation of the background, the pay structure of the era and Comiskey's reputation as a cheapskate. It comes off as, "no, what we did wasn't right, but these were our real motivations at the time"