Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series

As a kid, a baseball kid, when the movie Eight Men Out came out, i watched it with my dad. it was slow for a kid of about nine, but the baseball was good enough. Coming out around the time of the film Field of Dreams, it shaped my perceptions of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. As a lover of baseball from a baseball family, I didn't want the badness to be true, I though Jackson a maligned man, I pained for Buck Weaver. With each viewing, Eight Men Out became a better and better film, until, as an adult, I thought it a great film and a premier baseball film, and a testament to, religiously speaking, man's fallibility and tendency toward sin.

I had always wanted to read the book, but had never come across it in a show more bookstore. And, I wanted a hardcover, not a paperback, so I bit the bullet and got a nice, not first edition, hard copy on eBay. Mine is a 1977 edition by Holt, Rinehart & WInston, in good condition, now wrapped in mylar.

Eliot Asinof writes it like a novel, telling a good story in an historical and narrative fashion. Think like Shelby Foote's The Civil War. The way these early ball players were treated is so unlike the mega-stars of today, where even below average players can be set for life. And Comiskey treated the players was atrocious. You can see why they would be willing to lay down for a real payday. Asinof tells the backstory well, sets up the history, and tells of the gameplay in sparkling fashion. The underworld drama, the legal drama, and the personal drama is all well told.

Though some new details may change a few niggling facts here and there, all-in-all, it is still the best account of the 1919 Sox, and a good book to read if you like the movie, like baseball history, and like a good crime story. It was a great book and, watching the movie afterward, makes you realize how writer/director John Sayles mined the book and used it to craft an excellent film. And, good gosh, did John Sayles nail his acting role as Ring Lardner, they look like twins! A good book that I enjoyed immensely. show less

The story of the 1919 White Sox and the throwing of the World Series, this book might seem like a weird choice for me, considering I know little and care less about baseball. But I do know and love Chicago, and I am slowly building up a collection of books about my city, and this seemed like a good addition.

The book tells the story well. It digs in, gets facts that were hidden for years, and presents everything in an orderly fashion. It even explained how the baseball parts worked to me, a consummate non-baseballer. What I didn't anticipate, however, was how sad this book would make me. Based on th information available, not a single person who most deserved punishment received it. The baseball players themselves were treated poorly show more from all sides, and I had no idea how incompetent they were at the whole fix itself. They barely received any money! And given how shittily Comiskey treated them as players, it isn't surprising that they turned on him. He bullied them into contracts they didn't want to sign, and even took advantage of some players' illiteracy. It's just, ugh, you wonder how the players could ever have been so trusting, and you have to remember it was a completely different era and almost a century ago now, but it still just boggles the (modern) mind.

Asinaf should also get a special mention for being quite talented at evoking the mood of the time. I found myself using "on the square" in my internal monologue during the time when I was reading this book, so apparently I'd really gotten into the mindset of an early 20th-century-gambler. Hilariously.

This is definitely a good read if you are interested in baseball or oppressive business tactics or just an interesting bit of American history. show less

I was first introduced to the story of the Black Sox, like many people, through the movie Field of Dreams. That (and I read the novel several years later) highly romanticized the life of Shoeless Joe Jackson, claiming that he although he took the money he didn't do anything egregious in advance of the plan to throw the series. Yet, lollygagging on a fly to left could contribute to Chicago's loss, so there's that. Anyway, this book remains the definitive account of the plan and its aftermath. It's so ironic now that MLB now has endorsement deals with Draft Kings and other online betting platforms.

This book is the most thoroughly researched book on sports I have ever read. But thanks to the writing skills of Eliot Asinof, it reads more like a fast-paced thriller than like a non-fiction account. Ultimately, this book is as much about America in that era as it is about baseball. It's also easily the best thing to come out of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

An interesting history of the 1919 Black Sox scandal from a journalistic perspective. It's the book that John Sayles's movie was based on.

I picked up this book (for $1!) because of my casual interest in baseball history, but baseball isn't really the point of the story at all. Instead, it's a sad reminder of the way that power protects the powerful, whatever side of the law they might be on, while pawns and servants (innocent or not) are left to take the fall. It seems clear that all of the eight banned players were present during discussions about throwing the World Series, and that at least some of them actually cheated during the games. It's also clear, though, that the gamblers who really benefited from the fix got away clean while show more cheating the players out of most of their payoff. In the end, there was a sort of unspoken agreement among the more powerful gamblers, lawyers, and baseball team owners that the easiest face-saving decision would be to treat the eight suspected players as harshly as possible — and then to do nothing else. It's even more tragic because baseball is all that guys like Shoeless Joe Jackson knew how to do.

I wonder how much has changed since 1919. Of course, with baseball players now regularly paid in the millions, they have little reason to throw games for money. They're much more powerful than they were. I believe, though, that there still exists a sort of collusion among teams, players, and the media to perpetuate a wholesome, nostalgic view of baseball. (How often did "kids" and the "national pastime" come up in contemporary discussion of the 1919 World Series? How much are they mentioned in connection with Barry Bonds?) Talking about baseball as a cultural institution is good for business, after all, and talking about it as a business, well, isn't.

Original post on "All The Things I've Lost" show less

I listened to this on Audible while driving from work and playing in the background during breaks. It's really interesting if you have any interest in baseball or even in popular culture history. I can't say it's a great read. It's a little slow in places and the characters are not always as developed as they should be. Arnold Rothstein a New York gambler more than likely had a bigger more involved role than the author gives "credit" for. You have to understand this is not modern day sports. These are not rich superstars. These are working class men trying to play a game they loved under careless treatment from the owners. No free agency. No guarantees and no long term no trade no cut contracts. They were treated like business assets show more and the bottom line was company comes first. So, the temptation to get a few thousand dollars for missing a double play or losing a fly ball in the sun was huge. Not to say they were not responsible. Just to say if you do decide to give this a try and the only thing you know of baseball is the modern era you will be surprised at the reality. It's tough for me because I grew up hearing about the "Grand Old Game." The romance of the early players who played only for the love and glory of the game. Also, being from the south and being a Braves fan I don't think this will be a really entertaining baseball season for me. So, while I technically didn't "read" it. It's a good story and a good listen which is great for me. I recommend it if you like early 20th century history or baseball. show less

A baseball book which assembles the truth of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, the depth of investigation and completeness of Asinof's retelling is astounding. That only a bit more information has come to light since the publication of this book is testament to the job Asinof has done. A fascinating re-telling of an event in which there are villains of all kinds and few are above reproach.