PBS has a really good new doc about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
Some highlights:
--Arnold Rothstein promised to pay the 8 players $100,000 in all, to throw the World Series; however, they only received an estimated $30,000-$40,000.
--Rothstein made $350,000 on the Series, which is over $6M in today's money.
--The 8 players were eventually acquitted, since the case turned on proving their "intent", which was too hard to prove.
--However, the next day, the new MLB Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned them all for life from playing baseball.
--The doc ends with a look at the mythical "Shoeless Joe" Jackson and ends by saying plaintively, "Say, it ain't so, Joe!"
Link: ⚾️
Replies to: PBS has a really good new doc about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
Eight Men Out was a very good movie about the Black Sox.
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It was and the book is specifically mentioned in the documentary.
The documentary claims that the book painted Comiskey as the villain and is less judgmental of his role. I think he deserves some of the blame for being such a cheap bastard that the players hated him enough to do this, but it doesn’t excuse or vindicate them. They decided to throw the Series and betray their team, teammates, city, and the game. He didn’t. A fascinating, sordid tale.
Did PBS manage to get through a documentary that doesn't mention climate change or Jan 6?
Did Shoeless Joe take the money but played lights out anyway? He committed no errors. Hit .375 for the series with 12 hits. How deeply was he even involved? I believe he did receive some money but said he was never involved in any meetings or discussions about the plan. MLB needs to revisit the whole ordeal and really take another indepth look at Shoeless Joe's involvement if they can take their focus away for two seconds from diversity, equity and trans Nuns. .
The doc said that although Shoeless Joe hit .375, he didn't come through in the clutch situations.
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Isn't that kind of second guessing? We can do the same with Ruth, Aaron, or Judge.
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Or Bryce Harper this NLDS.
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If you have seen the movie it is pretty sad for those who were trying their hardest. Could you
imagine being banned?!
Gambling was a sad chapter in Pete Rose's life, too.
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