Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series

You know you've written a good book when people are still talking about it 60 years later.Six decades after it was first published, Eight Men Out remains the most popular account of the 1919 White Sox throwing the World Series. It's not hard to see why. Asinof's prose is brilliant, deftly conveying a sense of the character of the men involved against the cultural backdrop of post-WWI America and all of its contradictions. Unlike so many other baseball historians, Asinof uses statistics strategically and sparingly, and refrains from hero worship at all costs. The men described here are flawed and human, and there are really no good guys or bad guys - though Rothstein surely feels like Mephistopheles.The greatest testament of the success of this book is its continued popularity despite its obvious flaws. It's no secret that Asinof fudged things a little bit here and there to help push the story along. He also apparently possesses the uncanny ability to enter the thoughts of long-deceased historical figures. Some have termed this book "historical fiction" as a result - though, in all honesty, the story is too complex and there are too many characters to fit this book into that category.What is absolutely clear is that this is the best baseball book written before Lawrence Ritter's famous interviews. Asinof may have gotten a few details wrong here and there, but he also got quite a bit right, and demonstrates a deep understanding of contemporary newspaper articles, court documents and the culture of the sport in a very different era. He might not care for footnotes (the historian's crutch), but there is no doubt that he has done his research and knows his subject matter intimately.When your book inspires dozens of historians to prove you wrong, you know you've done something right.

"Eight Men Out" was first published in 1963 but may still be considered the definitive account of the 1919 Black Sox scandal which is often brought up in today's media as a reference to the current black spot on baseball ("steroids is the biggest scandal since 1919..."). The Chicago White Sox's loss in the 1919 World Series caused by eight (well, one of the 8--Buck Weaver--actually played to win) players who agreed to throw the series as part of a gambling conspiracy was very complex with many names involved. The strongest part about Asinof's book is how clearly he explains the workings of the series fix. The official trial documents were lost and most of the survivors of that time who were in anyway close to the fix refused to cooperate with the author.Asinof had to rely in large part on newspaper articles either contemporary or later accounts that revealed hitherto unknown facts about the case. Despite such limitations, Asinof clearly reveals the workings of the gambling world, the motivations of the players involved in the conspiracy, the suspicions of the newspapermen who covered the series, and the response of the higher ups like Charles Comiskey and AL President Byron Johnson in dealing with the scandal. Conjectures were made in the process, but Asinof includes relevant background information on the characters involved to give validity to his interpretations.The planning of the conspiracy (probably the most difficult part of the story to tell) and the games themselves are the most comprehensive and intriguing parts of the book. The trial and the aftermath were also well-written and thorough covering the fates of almost every character involved. I saw a sports memorabilia catalogue that offered a letter signed by Commissioner Landis to Joe Jackson dated April 6, 1922 which stated "In view of the crime in connection with the World's Series of 1919, of course the money about which you inquire cannot be paid to you" (the minimum bid was $5,000--half of what Cicotte received for his part in the conspiracy). This book definitely gave me a better understanding of what that 1919 scandal that ruined the careers of Jackson and seven of his teammates was about. If one is really interested in this subject, I would recommend also looking at other more recently published books to see if there has been more information unearthed since "Eight Men Out."

A must read for every American, whether or not they love baseball or not. This book should be required reading, in schools or just for the sake of understanding a dark chapter in the Great American Pastime, baseball. No doubt, many Americans are aware of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox Scandal. Many probably ask how could members of the Chicago White Sox deliberately lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Eliot Asinof basically writes where one could only say why not. The 1919 Chicago White Sox were a great baseball club, but they were horribly underpaid by team owner Charles Commiskey. They were also caught in the middle of a terse relationship between Commiskey and American League top brass Johnson. When the whole affair was over, despite being found not guilty in a court of law eight members of the White Sox: Eddie Cicotte, Claude Williams, Arnold Gandil, Charles Risberg, Fred McMullin, George Weave, Oscar Felsch, and Joseph Jackson were expelled from baseball for life. Six of the eight named were undoubtably guilty. However, George "Buck" Weaver and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were innocent: simply guilty by the fact they associated with the other six players. In this book Asinof gives a blow by blow account of the infamous 1919 World Series. The seedy, dishonest gamblers involved, and the sense of denial that what was occurring was going on. The tragedy of this tale is that several of the banned players were most likely headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson could be made a case for was the greatest baseball player of all time, third highest batting average of all time. Yet, his legacy is forever stained by something he was simply caught up in. As a White Sox fan I do feel the 2005 World Series Championship finally exorcised the demons of 1919. Read this book and make a case for baseball doing the right thing, exonerating "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver. Only then will the United States and MLB finally right the wrongs committed by the Black Sox and MLB itself back in 1919.

The 1919 baseball World Series has become synonymous with corruption after several players from the Chicago White Sox were found to have thrown the series in return for payment. Eliot Asinof takes us through the history, beginning with the background, then moving on to the plot, the series and the aftermath. He is broadly sympathetic to the players without seeking to excuse them for what they did. An extremely readable history of one of the lowest points in American sports history.

Having read this I can't see how the court could find ban the players when there was not enough evidence,but it lets you knowwho had an Iron grip on baseball at the time (the owners) yet they and the gamblers got away scott free and almost covered it up

An excellent account of the corruption behind the scenes and how it was a 'dog eat dog' world that transformed into an octopus with the ever-reaching tentacles of bribery, fixes and counter-fixes, leaving none of the main players immune from the clutches of promises of quick cash and a better life!

Almost 100 years ago but still remembered. Incredible that corruption was so prevalent and accepted by people. The book was an easy read and provided a good background of the times. Shows how the temptation can turn peoples' greed - even today

A great read for anyone who loves the game of baseball.How times have changed in 106 years and counting.The way of sport business changed forever with the advent of television in the early 50s.Before that, baseball owners were strictly in control.However, when the images of players became widely known via TV, the power switched over to their side.Caught in the crossfire during all this time have been the fans.They will ultimately rise up against, among other things, inflated ticket prices aiding insane salaries in the sport.Only then will things change yet again.