The Black Sox - 1919 World Series [2] Quiz

Answer: Five games to three

It's the big finale of the 1919 MLB season, and this year's World Series pits the Cincinnati Reds against the mighty Chicago White Sox. The Sox were heavily favored in the contest, so be sure to place your bets accordingly. Curiously, things did not go at all as expected, with the Reds taking the first two games. Chicago fought back with wins in games three, six, and seven, but in Game Eight on 9 October 1919, the Reds drove the last nail in Chicago's coffin.

In an upset, they won their first World Series five games to three.

Answer: Chicago players had thrown the series

The allegations clouding the series were that several Chicago White Sox players had deliberately lost games in the 1919 World Series after accepting bribes from gamblers. You can be sure the gamblers also placed their bets accordingly. The whole thing would become known as the Black Sox Scandal, and it remains one of the biggest American sports scandals in history.

Gamblers had allegedly promised the eight Chicago players a total of around $100,000 in exchange for getting Cincinnati across the finish line. Not everything went as planned, there were disputes and suspicions, and it's questionable that all money was paid.

Answer: Another cheating scandal

Almost a year went by, and I'm sure the alleged offenders were feeling pretty good about the way things were going. Some had some money in their pockets, they were having another great season, and nobody was on them about last season's World Series.

Then on August 31, 1920, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, which depending on the year can be quite the feat itself. However, this time there was unusual betting activity around the game. It raised suspicions again that gamblers had once again arranged the outcome. There were heavy bets on Philadelphia, including many placed in several major cities around the country. Cubs president William Veeck Sr. smelled a rat and hired detectives to investigate a few days later.

It wasn't directly related to the 1919 World Series at all. Regardless, before you could say, "Does baseball have a gambling problem?" everyone was talking about the previous World Series again. It didn't help that Chicago was involved in both scandals. I mean, if one Chicago baseball team is already being investigated, what's another?

Answer: Cook County grand jury

The investigation into the Black Sox scandal was conducted by a Cook County grand jury in Chicago, Illinois. The grand jury was convened in September 1920 to investigate suspicious betting surrounding a Cubs-Phillies game, but its attention soon shifted to possible game-fixing in the 1919 World Series. Among the most important witnesses was outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, who gave testimony implicating himself and other players.

Answer: Eddie Cicotte

That was Eddie Cicotte, one of the Chicago White Sox's best starting pitchers. On September 28, 1920, Cicotte admitted that he had accepted $10,000 from gamblers to participate in the fix. He would repeat his confession before the grand jury and also fingered several of his teammates. Reportedly, Cicotte broke down while being questioned, expressing deep regret over his actions.

He also described how the plan had been discussed before the World Series and how he had initially agreed to take part in it. Later, he claimed he had changed his mind and had tried to win.

His testimony was a big turning point in the investigation, finally bringing substance to the rumors.

Answer: Eight

On October 29, 1920, a Cook County grand jury formally indicted eight Chicago White Sox players on charges of conspiracy to defraud. The eight were Eddie Cicotte, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Chick Gandil, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, and Lefty Williams. Collectively, they were dubbed the Black Sox, a nickname that would stick with them long after their playing careers were over. Several gamblers were also indicted in connection with the alleged crime. Seven would face trial together, while Fred McMullin would face trial at a later date.

Answer: Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Kenesaw Mountain Landis was a federal judge from Chicago. He was selected to become baseball's first commissioner in November 1920, officially taking the reins in January 1921. You know things are bad when Major League Baseball looks to the judicial branch for someone to clean things up. Landis had made a name for himself with his handling of a number of major legal cases.

The owners believed, or at least hoped, that he was the sort of person who could bring some authority to a sport that had quite suddenly become way too friendly with gamblers. Landis accepted the position on the condition that he would have virtually unlimited authority over the game, a trick I've never tried at a job interview. For Landis, it worked.

The authority was granted.

Answer: The transcripts disappeared

The original transcripts of the grand jury testimony all disappeared from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office before the 1921 criminal trial, which isn't suspicious at all. These included the important confessions of Eddie Cicotte, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Lefty Williams. What happened to them? Nobody knows.

However, one part of the story that often gets overlooked is that the stenographers still had their original shorthand notes. So, by no means was this the end of the prosecution's case. The reconstructed transcripts were eventually edited and read to the jury.

Answer: All players were acquitted

2 August 1921, was the day the jury returned a verdict of not guilty for all seven Chicago White Sox players tried in connection with the 1919 World Series fix. The players had faced charges of conspiracy to defraud. It all took just a few hours of deliberation. There were reports that members of the jury embraced the defendants and celebrated with them. "We'll root, root, root for the home team!" as the song goes.

The charges against Fred McMullin, who was to be tried at a later date, were also dropped.

Answer: He permanently banned all implicated players

One day after the acquittal, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis made an announcement that all eight Chicago White Sox players implicated in the scandal were permanently banned from organized professional baseball. That decision applied to Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, and Lefty Williams. Landis made the distinction between a legal acquittal and the players' standing in baseball. He believed that anyone who conspired to throw games, or even knew about such a scheme and failed to report it, had no place in the sport.

The decision was not without controversy. Shoeless Joe Jackson had an amazing series, batting .375. Buck Weaver also insisted that he had accepted no money and played honestly, despite knowing about the fix.

More than a century later, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred ruled in 2025 that lifetime bans end when the person dies. That means Jackson and the other deceased Black Sox players are once again eligible for consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame.