Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey Author: Visit Amazon's Tim Hornbaker Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1613216386 | Format: EPUB
Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey Description
Review
"Hornbaker makes a sound case for why Comiskey has long been an inappropriate fall guy for the [1919 'Black Sox'] scandal. . . . His depth of knowledge of this era of baseball history shines through."
—Kirkus Reviews
“It is engrossing and provides a much-needed reassessment of the man and his impact on the sport. Verdict: A worthy read for Black Sox buffs and baseball history fans.”—Library Journal
“In Turning the Black Sox White, Tim Hornbaker reviews Comiskey’s entire career and restores his reputation to its former state, with clear eye, fair mind, and thorough study.”
—John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of Baseball in the Garden of Eden
“I’ve always been a sucker for stories about Charles Comiskey and the 'Black Sox' scandal of 1919. Tim Hornbaker takes a new and different look at the situation. It’s a pleasure to come along for the ride.”
—Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam
“Charlie Comiskey is one of the giants of baseball history: a remarkable innovator as a player, manager, and mogul; a fierce competitor yet an extraordinarily charismatic fellow. In this richly detailed work, Tim Hornbaker makes an open-and-shut case that, contrary to modern depictions of Comiskey as a greedy villain, he deserves to be remembered as a good as well as a great man.”
—Edward Achorn, author of The Summer of Beer and Whiskey and Fifty-nine in ’84
About the Author
Tim Hornbaker is a lifelong sports historian and enthusiast who attended his first baseball game at the old Comiskey Park in 1981. Turning the Black Sox White is his third nonfiction title, which also includes Legends of Pro Wrestling. He continues to research sports history and lives in South Florida with his wife, Jodi.
Bob Hoie is a baseball historian and member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). He has appeared in two documentaries on the Black Sox produced by ESPN (2001, 2005), and another by the MLB Network (2010). His article “1919 Baseball Salaries and the Mythically Underpaid Chicago White Sox” was a finalist for the 2013 SABR Analytics Research Award, and was the third person to ever win SABR’s Bob Davids Award for meritorious service (1987). Hoie resides in San Marino, California.
- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Sports Publishing (March 4, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1613216386
- ISBN-13: 978-1613216385
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
First let me state this entire book does not deal with the Black Sox scandal. This is a biography of Charles Comiskey covering his years playing for owner Chris Von der Ahe of the St. Louis Browns of the American Association and then on to Chicago as a player, manager, and finally an owner of the South Side Pale Hose.
Author Tim Hornbaker has written a detailed account of the much-maligned Comiskey who has been often portrayed as a tight-fisted skinflint with his players in the book and movie version of "Eight Men Out." It's only fair that we have an author who gives an opposing side to these beliefs. If you have preconceived beliefs regarding "The Old Roman" you owe it to yourself to read this book. The author lists several examples of Comiskey's generosity towards various organizations both in the Chicago area and nationally as well. As far as fairness to his players is concerned the reader needs to have the opposing side presented to themselves with regard to each individual player's contract.
This is also the story of a strong friendship between Comiskey and American League President Ban Johnson which became fractured over time when Johnson fought an unsuccessful attempt to remain in control of the American League when Comiskey, along with Red Sox owner Harry Frazee and Yankees' owners' Ruppert and Huston, were aligned to have Johnson removed from office. Following the Black Sox scandal new Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis began ruling baseball with an iron fist.
We will continue reading conflicting versions regarding the Black Sox scandal and the guilt or innocence regarding the individual members. I have a letter sent to me dated February 25, 1961, from J. G.
Author Tim Hornbaker's "Turning The Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy Of Charles A. Comiskey", is the first major modern biography of Charles Comiskey, the star player/manager of the famous 19th Century St. Louis Browns, and the founder of the Chicago White Sox. Today most people look at Comiskey as the so-called evil skinflint who "forced" Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other players to lose the 1919 World Series on purpose in exchange for money from various gamblers.
Hornbaker tries to present a fair and more roundly-balanced look at Comiskey's total life, not just his actions during the 1919 Series. The author covers Comiskey's upbringing in Chicago, his entry into professional baseball, his rise to stardom with the St. Louis Browns, and stints with the Chicago Players League team, the Cinncinati Reds, and his eventual ownership of the St. Paul team in the Western League. Comiskey would move the St. Paul team to Chicago in 1900, and the Western League would become the American League. As a powerful force in the new major league, Comiskey would become one of the most important and influential men in the early 20th Century world of professional baseball.
Hornbaker has obviously done a lot research (each chapter in the book has numerous footnotes at the end--a nice idea which saves the reader from going back and forth to the end of the book). Comiskey certainly wasn't a saint--but Hornbaker makes the case that Comiskey's contributions to the game of baseball deserve more respect than they are now given.
When it comes to the Black Sox scandal, Hornbaker attempts to put Comiskey's actions during it in a new light. Hornbaker points out that there was plenty of animosity between all owners and players in the late 1910s--not just Comiskey and his White Sox.
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