Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00IRJLHSA | Format: EPUB
Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey Description
Charles Albert "The Old Roman" Comiskey was a larger-than-life figure - a man who had precision in his speech and who could work a room with handshakes and smiles. While he has been vilified in film as a rotund cheapskate and the driving force, albeit unknowingly, behind the actions of the 1919 White Sox, who threw the World Series (nicknamed the "Black Sox" scandal), that statement is far from the truth.
In his five decades involved in baseball, Comiskey loved the sport through and through. It was his passion, his life blood, and once he was able to combine his love for the game with his managerial skills, it was the complete package for him. There was no other alternative. He brought the White Sox to Chicago in 1900 and was a major influential force in running the American League from its inception. From changing the way the first base position was played, to spreading the concept of "small ball" as a manager, to incorporating the community in his team's persona while he was an owner, Comiskey's style and knowledge improved the overall standard for how baseball should be played.
Through rigorous research from the National Archives, newspapers, and various other publications, Tim Hornbaker not only tells the full story of Comiskey's incredible life and the sport at the time, but also debunks the "Black Sox" controversy, showing that Comiskey was not the reason that the Sox threw the 1919 World Series.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 13 hours and 33 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Audible, Inc.
- Audible.com Release Date: March 4, 2014
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00IRJLHSA
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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