Interesting look back at 1919

[southsider2k5]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...tesox-headlines

 

You know the 1919 Sox season ended in scandal, but the beginning was one of great promise, just like '05.

 

Stories about the 1919 White Sox always focus on the doom at end of the season, not the boom at the beginning.

 

However, the Sox's start in 2005 has brought back memories of 1919 for reasons beyond the World Series - fixing scandal. Like this year's version, that team also opened 24-7. It rode the quick start to win the American League.

 

 

The pennant set the stage for the eight players' date with infamy in the World Series, forever ensuring those Sox would be black.

 

The 1919 team

 

After winning the World Series in 1917, the team's last title, the Sox slumped to 57-67 during the 1918 season, shortened because of World War I. Expectations, though, were high for 1919.

 

New manager Kid Gleason had a club with few weaknesses. The offense was led by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Hall of Famers second-baseman Eddie Collins and catcher Ray Schalk. On the mound, Gleason had a formidable 1-2 punch in Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams.

 

Their start

 

The Sox banged out 21 hits in their 13-4 Opening Day victory over the St. Louis Browns. Third-baseman Buck Weaver had four hits and scored three runs, and Williams, the winning pitcher, also scored three runs.

 

Gleason rode Cicotte and Williams hard early, starting them in 19 of the first 31 games. But it was hard to argue with their combined 16-3 record.

 

The hot streak included a memorable three-game set with Boston, the 1918 Series champions over the Cubs. In the first game, Jackson's RBI double enabled Cicotte to take a 1-0 victory. Cicotte fanned Babe Ruth twice.

 

Ruth was the starting pitcher in Game 2, batting ninth. The White Sox hit Ruth hard, but the Red Sox also got to rookie Dickie Kerr, taking a 6-5 victory in 12 innings. The Sox then won the series finale when Happy Felsch had two triples in a 7-4 victory.

 

The fight

 

During the eighth inning of the Sox's 5-2 victory over Cleveland on May 31, Indians Hall of Famer Tris Speaker slid hard into first-baseman Chick Gandil, one of the main conspirators in the Black Sox scandal. A riot nearly ensued, as several fans rushed the field. Several policemen had to rush in from the street to break things up.

 

The rest of the season

 

The Sox slumped a bit in June but took over first place in July. They went into the World Series with an 88-52 record. Even though Cincinnati won more games with 96, the Sox were heavily favored to take the title. History, though, provided a different ending to the story.

 

What they said then

 

Tribune writer James Crusinberry on the Speaker-Gandil fight:

 

"An old-time fist fight such as this probably hasn't occurred in the last 15 years or more broke loose at the White Sox park yesterday when Chick Gandil and Tris Speaker mixed at first base. It started as a fist fight, but it was a rough and tumble tiger battle with claws, spikes, fists, feet and possibly even teeth before the two finally were dragged apart."

 

What they say now

 

Gabriel Schecter, Baseball Hall of Fame historian:

 

You know the 1919 Sox season ended in scandal, but the beginning was one of

"That team had everything, especially pitching. Their pitchers completed more than 60 percent of their starts. They had two of the best hitters; they led the league in scoring. They had good speed and could play defense. They were a complete team. Remember this was a team that won the World Series two years before."

 

In perspective: 1919

 

 

• The 18th Amendment, authorizing Prohibition, goes into effect.

 

• The League of Nations is founded.

 

• President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed.

 

Alan Peters contributed to this story.

[Stocking]

nice read

[retro1983hat]

The fight

 

During the eighth inning of the Sox's 5-2 victory over Cleveland on May 31, Indians Hall of Famer Tris Speaker slid hard into first-baseman Chick Gandil, one of the main conspirators in the Black Sox scandal. A riot nearly ensued, as several fans rushed the field. Several policemen had to rush in from the street to break things up.

 

 

Oh great the Ligue's (SP) were there then as well.

[JUGGERNAUT]

http://www.1918redsox.com/why.htm

 

-"possibility that the 1918 World Series between the Red Sox & Cubs may have been fixed."

-"many suspicious on-field actions, almost all of them by the Chicago Cubs, who lost the Series in six games."

 

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:SAuNrnz...ld+Series&hl=en

The players threatened to strike on the even of the 5th game of the WS.

Edited May 13, 2005 by JUGGERNAUT

[longshot7]

Didn't someone write a book alledging that the Cubs threw the series to Boston in 1918?

 

They're trying to steal our thunder there too, damn them!!!!!

[JUGGERNAUT]

http://www.historicbaseball.com/scplayers/jacksonmedia.html

Unbelievable! The 1919 stink was being swept under the rug until the Cub reared it's ugly head.

 

On Sept 2, 1920 the Chicago Herald and Examiner reported that the Aug 31 Philadelphia Phillies-Chicago Cubs game had been fixed for the Cubs to lose. Soon thereafter the story appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune sports section calling for an investigation of that game and the 1919 WS.

 

On Sept 7, 1920 during the initial investigation the grand jury expanded the investigation of the Aug 31 game to include the 1919 World Series. The rest is history. The Aug 31 game soon became a footnote in the wake of the 1919 WS.

 

The Cleveland Indians went on to win the 1920 WS after edging out the Chicago White Sox for the AL pennant. The White Sox were leading in the pennant race until late Sept when the suspensions came after the 1919 WS investigation. It is generally believed that had this not happened the White Sox would have won the AL pennant & the 1920 WS.

 

I guess you could say the crooked Cub players cost the White Sox & the City of Chicago another World Series.

Edited May 13, 2005 by JUGGERNAUT