Subway Series Quiz: 1) On the 1969 World Champion Mets, 6
pitchers threw 100 innings or more. Name them. [Hint: One was
a full-time reliever.] 2) Between 1985 and 1988, four players
who spent parts of their respective careers with the New York
Mets were selected as World Series MVPs. Name them. [Hint:
To jog your memory, two A.L. and two N.L. teams won the
championships during this period.] Answers below.
The Black Sox, Part II
[We continue with Johnny Mac”s account of the 1919 World
Series. If you missed Part I, 10/20, go to the archives which can
be found at the bottom of the page.]
Scandals hinting at players throwing games were not all that
uncommon. Hal Chase, a slick fielding first baseman with a
larcenous heart, was perhaps the most notorious among those
players. He was later implicated in the Black Sox scandal (as one
who helped arrange meetings between players and gamblers) and
banned for life, but that was hardly his maiden voyage. While
playing for the Reds under manager Christy Mathewson, perhaps
the greatest gentleman ever to play the game, he was implicated
by Mathewson of throwing games and influencing others to do
the same. These charges were never directly proven, but given
the character of the men involved one would be inclined to take
Mathewson”s word for it. Even with such charges hanging over
his head, Chase was nonetheless hired by John McGraw to play
for his Giants. As in today”s world, if a player is perceived to
have value on the field, most manner of impropriety is
overlooked. Don”t take my word for it, just ask Steve Howe or
Darryl Strawberry or Ray Lewis or Latrell Sprewell or Dennis
Rodman or…you fill in the blank.
However, the Chase deal still surprises me. It”s one thing for a
player to act up off the field, even if that includes things as
hideous as murder (or obstruction of justice in a murder
investigation anyway). It”s quite another to be accused of
throwing games and still be hired. That goes to the core of the
sport. I will get into this aspect later on, but suffice it to say that
gambling, more than drinking or drugs or wife-beating or income
tax evasion or whatever, can ruin the public”s confidence. We
can forgive personal weakness but do not and should not
overlook any situation in which the outcome of the game is
predetermined. But I digress.
The fact remains that even Hall of Fame greats like Ty Cobb and
Tris Speaker were implicated in scandal. Those charges were
never substantiated and were made after the fact by Dutch
Leonard (a hell of a pitcher in his time) in a letter to the
commissioner, but they were nonetheless made. And they were
not alone…in addition to the eight Sox players and Chase, players
such as Heine Zimmerman, Jean Dubuc, Joe Gedeon and Lee
Magee were banned for life in gambling related incidents and
others were implicated but acquitted. Most of the offenses were
for throwing regular season games but Chase went so far as to
bribe an umpire in a Pacific Coast League game, where he played
after his major league career ended.
This chumminess with gamblers and the accepted way they
moved among the social circles of the ballplayers served as a
perfect backdrop for the 1919 scandal. Chick Gandil, the Sox
first sacker and acknowledged mastermind behind all this, was
able to inquire among his cronies for the best deal possible. The
one name always mentioned was New York big shot Arnold
Rothstein. He was reputed to be the biggest gambler around and
would have the best chance of fronting the money needed to
insure the fix. Rothstein was no fool…like any smart politician or
businessman involved in wrongdoing, he sent underlings to do the
actual dirty work. This set up a layer of fall guys that later
proved valuable (at least to Rothstein).
The cast of characters reads like a Damon Runyon novel. I
would suggest to any of you interested in the particulars to read
“Eight Men Out” by Eliot Asinof or, at the very least, rent the
film of the same name.
Gandil requested $10,000 per man to throw the Series, with the
lineup of players swelling eventually to eight. Knowing he
needed pitchers above all else, he approached the underpaid and
in debt Cicotte. Undaunted by the initial reservations of the crafty
right-hander, he fell back on an age old trick…he lied. He told
Cicotte he had enough guys on board already, including Jackson,
so he could either join in for the money or lose the Series anyway
and get nothing. That line of reasoning, coupled with a big
mortgage on a new farm, eventually wore Cicotte down. With
Cicotte in tow and Risberg already with him, Gandil used Cicotte
as leverage to get Lefty Williams. Now he was in full swing.the
2 best starting pitchers in the fold.next stop Shoeless Joe
Jackson. Jackson initially balked, but the logic Gandil used to
lure Cicotte and Williams wore Joe down too. Fred McMullin, a
reserve player, overheard some conversations and had to be
included, Hap Felsh just went along with the crowd, and Buck
Weaver was in on the meetings but never really agreed to it. In
fact, Gandil never felt that Weaver was part of the plot or could
be trusted (so to speak) in any way. There you have ”em…the
eight men out. The conclusion on Wednesday.
1956
The last time there was a Subway Series, the minimum major
league salary was set at $5,000. In 2000, the minimum is
$210,000.
Mickey Mantle made $32,500 and Jackie Robinson $42,000 back
then. Today, both Bernie Williams and Mike Piazza will earn
over $12 million for this season.
The editor of StocksandNews, on the other hand, will LOSE $12
million…slight Al Gore-like exaggeration.
Police Officers Needed!
I saw an ad in the sports section of Sunday”s Star-Ledger here in
New Jersey where the Portland, Oregon police department is
recruiting. Actually, it sounds pretty good.
“Come live in one of the finest places in the country…Ski 9
months of the year…World-class fishing & hunting…Countless
rivers and lakes…80 degree summers, 40 degree winters…Low
humidity.”
Hey, low humidity normally means not as many mosquitoes! I”m
there!
“www.portlandpolicebureau.com”
Antwaan Randle El
Randle El is Indiana University”s QB and he had himself a nice
little ball game on Saturday as IU upset #22 Minnesota, throwing
for 263 yards and running for 210.
Paterno #2
It”s been a horrible year for Joe Paterno but, nonetheless, he is
now #2 on the all-time coaching list as he chalked up win #320 in
Penn State”s victory over Illinois. Paterno passed Pop Warner.
Bear Bryant stands at 323. Joe will have to wait until next year,
however, before breaking that mark.
Actually, I had no idea that all of those 10-12-year-old league
wins that Warner racked up counted!
Andrew Golota
I didn”t watch the Tyson-Golota fight but I was talking to a
fellow in the liquor store the next day (your editor was purchasing
Slim Jim”s) and this guy was fuming, as I”m sure any of you who
paid for it are.
Bill Pennington, writing in the New York Times, summed it up.
“Golota proved that even in boxing there is always room under
the big top for another carnival act.”
Daniel Snyder
Let”s see what Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney has to
say when asked whether Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is a major
league a——. “Oh yeah, big time.”
The NFL fined the Redskins organization $20,000 for its actions
in the Skins-Ravens game of last week.
The main infraction was the blasting of music as the Ravens
would break from their offensive huddle and approach the line of
scrimmage, a major no-no. We”re talking the music was playing
sometimes when the quarterback was calling out his signals.
This was actually the second time this season the Skins were
guilty of this. If they violate the policy a third time, it”s another
fine. But the 4th infraction would result in the loss of a draft pick.
In addition, the Redskins public address announcer yelled a vulgar
remark about Ravens fans over the p-a system. The Skins also
didn”t announce the names of Ravens starters nor any Ravens
player who made a tackle or offensive play during the game.
But here”s the payoff. When the Ravens team buses arrived at the
Skins stadium, they were charged for parking. Washington
officials agreed to reimburse the $120 only after the action
became public. [Source: Mike Freeman / New York Times]
Allen Iverson
The Philadelphia 76ers Mr. Iverson still doesn”t know what”s
about to hit him unless he pulls his upcoming CD, the one with
the incredibly offensive lyrics. The Star-Ledger”s Dave
D”Alessandro had the following comment, in reaction to
Iverson”s habit of always blaming others.
“Iverson – whether it”s driving around the beltway with a loaded
gun, or arriving late for 40-something practice sessions last
season, or cursing his coach on the bench, or any of the other
transgressions he is now famous for – has run out of excuses.
Indeed, his formative years were among the worst imaginable,
filled with poverty and degradation, and for that many of us have
given him the benefit of the doubt over the years. But now he”s
25, and he has run out of mulligans.”
And as D”Alessandro concludes, Iverson is about to be “engulfed
in a moral inferno of his own invention.”
Charlie Brown
In February of 1969, after the “Year of the Pitcher” in baseball,
Charlie Brown is hard at work on the pitcher”s mound when he is
approached by Lucy.
Lucy: What in the world are you doing?
CB: I”m lowering the pitcher”s mound…According to the new
baseball rules, the pitcher”s mound must be lowered this year.
It seems we pitchers dominated the game too much last year.
Lucy: Ha Ha Ha Ha
CB: I knew I shouldn”t have said that.
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/24/70: #1 “I”ll Be There” (The
Jackson 5) #2 “Cracklin” Rosie” (Neil Diamond)
#3 “Green-Eyed Lady” (Sugarloaf…one of the great openings of
all-time).
Subway Series Quiz Answers: 1) On the ”69 Mets staff, the
following threw 100 innings or more: Tom Seaver (273), Jerry
Koosman (241), Gary Gentry (234), Don Cardwell (152), Jim
McAndrew (135) and Tug McGraw (100).
2) 1985 – Bret Saberhagen / K.C. 1986 – Ray Knight / N.Y.
1987 – Frank Viola / Minnesota 1988 – Orel Hershiser / L.A.
*If you”re a baseball fanatic, you must read the 10/23 issue of
Sports Illustrated and William Nack”s story on the 1960
Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the best pieces of this kind ever
written. And yes, Bill Mazeroski should be in the Hall of Fame!!!
**College Football Alert – Oklahoma / Nebraska next week. The
Game of the Year. Just like old times.
Last Word…Tim Russert
NBC”s Russert, the best interviewer in the business, is often
asked whether he wants to run for high office someday.
“Why should I run? So I can be on ”Meet the Press?” Think
about it.”
Next Bar Chat, Wednesday.
