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Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
1919 Black Sox: What to know about the World Series scandal, ‘Shoeless' Joe Jackson and more
The 1919 Chicago White Sox — considered by some baseball historians as one of the greatest teams ever to take the field — were heavy favorites to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. But in the best-of-nine series (Major League Baseball decided to expand from the best-of-seven format because of postwar demand), the Reds dominated. There had been rumors and reports that the fix was in, and indeed the Sox's performance was suspect. A year later, eight Sox players were charged with conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series. In 1921, all were acquitted by a jury that deliberated for just 2 hours, 47 minutes. A day after their acquittal, however, MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ruled the players allegedly involved — Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver and Lefty Williams — would be banned for life from organized baseball. A century later, the team is still tagged the Black Sox. Here's what to know about the scandal. During the regular season, Sox pitching ace Cicotte won 29 games and slugging outfielder Jackson batted .351. So going into World Series, the Sox were heavily favored by the bookies. They were offering 13-20 odds on the Sox, which meant a bettor had to put up $20 for a chance to win $13. Conversely, a $7 wager on the Reds would yield $10, which attracted the professional gamblers who don't like leaving money matters to chance. Game 1 demonstrated they were getting value for their alleged bribe money. It was played in Cincinnati, and the Sox lost 9-1. As the Tribune reported: 'They missed hit-and-run plays twice in the first two innings, the very kind that they have been turning against the other American League clubs all summer, and the very kind of plays that have made the Sox such a strong offensive team.' 'I don't know what's the matter, but I do know that something is wrong with my gang,' Sox manager Kid Gleason said after Game 1. 'The bunch I had fighting in August for the pennant would have trimmed this Cincinnati bunch without a struggle. The bunch I have now couldn't beat a high school team.' Here's how the Tribune covered the whole series. The Black Sox Scandal remains a popular topic for historians and entertainers, spawning books and movies such as 'Eight Men Out' and 'Field of Dreams.' But as the legend grew, so did the myths — such as that of owner Charles Comiskey being a miser, forcing his players to seek compensation through gamblers. When the Sox lost the series, Comiskey acknowledged rumors that some of his players hadn't been trying and offered $10,000 to anyone who could prove the accusation. He revealed he had hired detectives to investigate the alleged scandal. 'I am now very happy to state that we have discovered nothing to indicate any member of my team double crossed me or the public last fall,' Comiskey told the Tribune on Dec. 14, 1919. Two weeks later, Comiskey walked back his assertion that there hadn't been any monkey business. Then guilt pangs brought Cicotte to Comiskey's office. 'Yeah, we were crooked,' the pitcher sobbed. 'Don't tell me,' Comiskey said. 'Tell it to the grand jury.' According to Cicotte, the scheme wasn't hatched by gamblers who seduced naive players, as it's often said. His teammate Gandil was the architect. He recruited the other players and marketed the scheme to the underworld. When the players were tried in 1921, Jackson repudiated his confession, and he and Weaver noted they had batted .375 and .324 in the Series, respectively. So the charge of throwing the series made no sense. The jury acquitted them and the other defendants. But all eight players were banned from professional baseball by Landis, a Chicago federal judge who was newly installed as baseball's first commissioner with a mandate to clean house. Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated Jackson and the other seven banned Sox players — as well as MLB career hits leader Pete Rose — on May 13, making both Jackson and Rose eligible for the Hall of Fame. Rose's permanent ban, also related to a gambling scandal, was lifted eight months after his death and came a day before the Reds were to honor him on Pete Rose Night. Manfred announced he was changing baseball's policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire after death. Several others also had their status changed by the ruling, including former Philadelphia Phillies President William D. Cox and former New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff. Under the Hall of Fame's current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be 2028. The Sox issued a statement that with the reinstated players' ability to be considered for the Hall of Fame, the team 'trust(s) that the process currently in place will thoughtfully evaluate each player's contributions to the game.' To Jackson's family, the punishment never fit the crime. 'The things that people get away with now, this is like nothing,' Debra Ebert, Jackson's great-niece, said in 2019. 'If someone would just listen to us …' Mike Nola, a historian and board member at the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum in the ballplayer's hometown of Greenville, S.C., said in 2019 there were no immediate plans for a new advocacy campaign. But Nola said at the time that the board had recently heard that MLB or the commissioner's office might not be the best direction for the long-shot remedy. He said that because all of the Black Sox players are dead, MLB might believe it doesn't have jurisdiction over 'lifetime bans' and that petitions or advocacy might be better directed toward the Hall of Fame. 'It's not like if they reinstate Joe he'll come out of a cornfield and play ball,' Nola said. 'It just doesn't work that way.' For almost 30 years in 2015, Patricia Anderson had lived in a scenic, rural Missouri town about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis. But in her living room, she was surrounded by images of her youth on the South Side of Chicago, where she was raised by her uncle — former White Sox third baseman Buck Weaver. 'Living with Buck, it was a wonderful way to grow up,' Anderson said. 'He was my idol.' In 2015, Anderson and her family launched their latest attempt to clear the name of Weaver. 'Pete Rose was a great player and we understand why baseball is considering his reinstatement,' said Sharon Anderson, Patricia's daughter. 'But our family can't give up on Buck.' Chicago is home to many places associated with the Black Sox scandal to check out:
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson, 7 other "Black Sox" reinstated by MLB; how they got banned for fixing 1919 World Series
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson and seven other members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox were reinstated by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, alongside former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose, making them eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jackson was a .356 career hitter, ranking the fourth-highest career batting average of all time. He was among eight White Sox players banned by MLB for throwing the 1919 World Series in the infamous "Black Sox" scandal. He died in 1951, but he remains one of baseball's most recognizable names in part for his depiction by Ray Liotta in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. The other seven former White Sox players who have been removed from MLB's permanent ineligibility list include first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil, pitcher Eddie Cicotte, center fielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch, infielder Fred McMullin, shortstop Charles "Swede" Risberg, third baseman George "Buck" Weaver, and pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams. They were accused of taking bribes from gambling concerns to intentionally lose the World Series that year against the Cincinnati Reds. The scandal ultimately led to the appointment of the first baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who banned the implicated White Sox players despite their acquittal on criminal charges. "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ballgame, no player that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball," Landis wrote. While Jackson admitted to taking $5,000 cash from gamblers, he testified that he never did anything to throw any of the games in the World Series. While some of his teammates admitted to fixing games, Weaver denied any involvement, though admitted he knew about it. He unsuccessfully applied for reinstatement into MLB in 1922, to no avail. Jackson batted .375 with the only home run for either team in the World Series, and Weaver batted .324, with neither committing any fielding errors, lending credence to their claims they weren't in on the fix. Whether or not Landis' punishments were fair or reasonable has remained a debated issue. But, as SABR's Bill Lamb once noted, "Game-fixing virtually disappeared from the major-league landscape after that penalty was imposed on the Black Sox." Rose's reinstatement comes eight months after his death, and a day before the Reds have planned to honor MLB's career hits leader with Pete Rose Night. Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league's policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire at death. Rose and the Black Sox were among 17 total players and executives reinstated. Under the Hall of Fame's current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame would be in 2028.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and others reinstated by MLB, now eligible for Hall of Fame
Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were reinstated by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport's Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals. Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league's policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire at death. Rose and Jackson were among 17 total players reinstated Tuesday. Rose's permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and came a day before the Cincinnati Reds will honor baseball's career hits leader with Pete Rose Night. Also included in Tuesday's reinstatement were Arnold "Chick" Grandel, Eddie Cicotte, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Fred McMullin, Charles "Swede" Risberg, George "Buck" Weaver and Claude "Lefty" Williams. They, along with Jackson, were part of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal, in which they were accused of taking bribes from gambling concerns to intentionally lose the World Series that year. The scandal ultimately led to the appointment of the first baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who banned the implicated White Sox players. Also reinstated were William Cox, Benny Kauff, Joe Gedeon, Gene Paulette, Lee Magee, Phil Douglas, Albert J. "Cozy" Dolan and Jimmy O'Connell. Under the Hall of Fame's current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be in 2028. Rose agreed to a permanent ban on Aug. 23, 1989, following an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule. Rose first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but then-Commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying "Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life." Rose died Sept. 30 at age 83, and a new petition was filed Jan. 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose's daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec. 17. Rose's supporters have included U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously. Manfred discussed Rose with Mr. Trump when the pair met in April, but he hasn't disclosed specifics of their conversation. In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, "In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase 'permanently ineligible' should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others. "In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list." A 17-time All-Star during a playing career from 1963-86, Rose holds record for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215). He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP and 1975 World Series MVP. A three-time NL batting champion, he broke the prior hits record of 4,191 set by Ty Cobb from 1905-28. Jackson, a .356 career hitter, died in 1951. He remains one of baseball's most recognizable names in part for his depiction by Ray Liotta in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. Under a rule adopted by the Hall's board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can't be considered for election to the Hall. Jackson was twice considered on ballots by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but received just 0.9% in 1936 and 1% of a nominating vote in 1940. Rose's reinstatement occurred too late for him to be considered for the BBWAA ballot. If not on the permanently banned list, Rose would have been eligible on the ballots each from 1992 through 2006. He was written in on 41 votes in 1992 and on 243 of 7,232 ballots (3.4%) over the 15 years, votes that were not counted. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement that players affected by Manfred's ruling Tuesday would be considered. "The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball's permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration," she said. "Major League Baseball's decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered." Without the ban, both players are eligible for the Hall's Classic Baseball Era, which next meets to consider players in December 2027 and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980. A 10-person historical overview committee selects the eight ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall's board and the ballot is considered by 16 members at the winter meetings, with a 75% or higher vote needed. The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives and media/historians. While many argue Rose should be in the Hall based on his career numbers, voters tasked with selecting players for the Hall are also told to consider a player's "integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game." This clause, Rose and Jackson's critics argue, should keep them out of the Hall of Fame. In addition to his gambling, Rose faced other off-the-field issues. He entered guilty pleas on April 20, 1990, to two counts of filing false tax returns, admitting he failed to report $354,968 during a four-year period. Rose was sentenced on July 19, 1990, by U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel in Cincinnati to five months in prison. He also was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service as a gym teacher's assistant with inner-city youths in Cincinnati as part of a one-year probation period. The first three months of the probation were to be spent at the halfway house. Rose repaid the Internal Revenue Service $366,042.
CNN
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless' Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB in historic decision
Major League Baseball on Tuesday removed Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson – two of the sport's most famous players who were previously kicked out of baseball for gambling on the game – from the league's permanently ineligible list. The historic decision by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred allows Rose to be considered for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, an honor that had been ruled out as part of the settlement he reached with Major League Baseball. Rose died in September, and Manfred ruled that his lifetime ban ended with his death. 'In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,' Manfred wrote. 'Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Prev Next 'Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.' Jackson was a member of the Chicago White Sox who were accused of conspiring with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series on purpose. The Black Sox Scandal is among the most infamous in baseball history and Jackson, along with seven of his teammates, was banned for life from MLB by then-commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The eight members of the White Sox were acquitted of conspiring with gamblers in 1921 but nonetheless were forced away from the game. The full list of players who were removed from the permanently ineligible list on Tuesday also includes Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, Lefty Williams, Joe Gedeon, Gene Paulette, Benny Kauff, Lee Magee, Phil Douglas, Cozy Dolan, Jimmy O'Connell and William Cox. Felsch, Gandil, Cicotte, Williams, McMullin, Weaver and Risberg were the other members of the White Sox involved in the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Rose, who passed away last year at the age of 83, holds the Major League Baseball record for the number of games played (3,562) and hits (4,256). ESPN was first to report the news and CNN has reached out to Rose's family attorney for comment. After transitioning into a career as a manager, MLB revealed in the spring of 1989 that it was investigating Rose for gambling. Among the accusations was that he gambled on baseball games played by teams he either played for or managed. He later admitted to gambling on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds and said in a 2007 radio interview that he bet on every Reds game while he as manager. In the final years of his life, Rose had attempted multiple times to get reinstated by the league and to be made eligible for induction into the Hall. He tried to get reinstated by the league in 2015 and 2020 but was denied. Rose's reinstatement and eventual enshrinement were a cause championed by President Donald Trump, among others. Trump said earlier this year he plans to issue a posthumous pardon to Rose earlier this year – the Reds and Philadelphia Phillies player served time in federal prison for tax evasion charges in the early 1990s. 'Major League Baseball didn't have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as 'Charlie Hustle,' into the Baseball Hall of fame. Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!,' Trump wrote on Truth Social in February. He added, 'He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history. Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy ass, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!' CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on Rose. In a statement, National Baseball Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said that players removed from the permanently ineligible list are now able to be considered for enshrinement in Cooperstown, New York. 'The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball's permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. Major League Baseball's decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered,' the statement read. This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
A full list of the players, coaches and owners permanently banned by Major League Baseball
NEW YORK (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and other players permanently banned by the sport would have their statuses restored at death. The ruling opens a path for Rose and Jackson to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Here are all of the players and other figures who have been permanently banned: Chicago Black Sox March 12, 1921 — Chicago White Sox pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude 'Lefty' Williams, first baseman Chick Gandil, shortstop Charles 'Swede' Risberg, third baseman Buck Weaver, outfielders Jackson and Happy Felsh and infielder Fred McMullen were suspended by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (The players were suspended by the team on Sept. 28, 1920, following their indictment on charges of throwing the 1919 World Series. Gandil at that time already was already on suspension in a salary dispute). The players were acquitted on Aug. 3, 1921, but banned for life by Landis the following day. 'Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ballgame, no player that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball,' Landis wrote. Philadelphia Phillies infielder Gene Paulette March 24, 1921 — Paulette was banned indefinitely by Landis for allegedly accepting a loan from Elmer Farrar of St. Louis that was tied to a gambling scheme. Paulette never was reinstated. New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff April 7, 1921 — Kauff was suspended indefinitely by Landis following his indictment on charges of auto theft and possession of a stolen car. 'An indictment charging felonious misconduct by a player certainly charges conduct detrimental to the good repute of baseball,' he said. Kauff was acquitted on May 13, but Landis refused to reinstate him. A lawsuit filed by Kauff against the commissioner for reinstatement was dismissed. New York Giants pitcher 'Shufflin'' Phil Douglas Aug. 18, 1922 — Douglas was banned for life by the club for writing a letter to St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Leslie Mann asking him to throw a game. Mann gave the letter to Branch Rickey, who sent it to Landis. The commissioner backed the ban, saying Douglas' letter was 'tragic and deplorable.' New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell and coach Cozy Dolan Oct. 1, 1924 — Both were banned for life by Landis for offering a $500 bribe to Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand to throw game on Sept. 27, 1924. Sand told Phillies manager Art Fletcher, who told Landis. Philadelphia Phillies president William D. Cox Nov. 23, 1943 — Cox was banned for life by Landis for making 'approximately 15 or 20 bets' of 'from $25 to $100 per game on Philadelphia to win.' Cox was forced to sell his share of the team to Ruly M. Carpenter Jr. Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose Aug. 23, 1989 — Rose agreed to a lifetime ban with Commissioner A. Barlett Giammati for gambling on Reds games. San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano June 3, 2024 — Marcano was banned for life by Commissioner Rob Manfred for making 387 baseball bets, including 231 related to MLB, from Oct. 16-23, 2022, and July 12, 2023, through Nov. 1, 2023, while on the roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates. ___ AP MLB:
