1918 World Series Fixed?

Everyone that knows baseball knows of the infamous Chicago Black Sox scandal of 1919. Eight players, most notably Shoeless Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte, were banned from baseball for life as a result of their throwing the World Series. However, a court disposition from 1920 shows that Cicotte and the others may have gotten the idea from an outside source - the cross town Chicago Cubs.

While he did not name any specific players and was intentionally vague, Cicotte mentions how during train rides to the east coast, players would discuss how a member or members of the Cubs got $10,000 for throwing the series. Incidentally, $10,000 is the same amount of money that was left in Cicotte's hotel room for him to throw the 1919 World Series.

Going through the statistics for the 1918 World Series, there are no significant dropoffs in production for any of the players. Despite this, research on plays during the 1918 World Series shows that there were several suspicious incidents involving outfielder Max Flack. During game 4 of the series, Flack was picked off twice. In game 6, he turned a catchable fly ball into an error, leading to two runs scoring in a 2-1 defeat, causing the Cubs to lose the World Series. There was another instance where Flack was playing Babe Ruth shallow in the outfield, and the pitcher, Lefty Tyler, waved for him to move back. Flack stayed where he was, and Ruth hit a two run triple over his head.

Major League Baseball did not investigate the 1918 World Series, as they claimed that gambling was removed from the game following the banishment of the eight players from the White Sox. However,  one former member of that team, Phil Douglas, was banned from baseball for 'treachery,' as he was reported as saying that another team in the pennant race pay him to leave and 'go fishing'. Douglas faced one batter in the 1918 World Series, and committed an error on a comebacker, throwing the ball far over the first baseman's head.

Perhaps the 'curse' on the Cubs is not the result of a goat. Perhaps it is karma striking back for the forgotten misdeeds of the Cubs players over nine decades ago.

Card of the Week - Part 1

Above is the Shoeless Joe Jackson bat card from 2001 SP Legendary Cuts. The card was a part of the Debut Game Bat set, featuring players who had yet to have a game used card produced.

The card has an interesting history. As Jackson was banned from Major League Baseball due to his alleged involvement with the 1919 Black Sox scandal, he was not able to be on any cards licensed by Major League Baseball or the Player's Union.  As such, this card ended up being pulled from production, making it a difficult card to locate.

Jackson was also a very good player, and one that would have ended up in the Hall of Fame had he not be banned. He left baseball with the third highest all-time batting average at .356. He had a career total of 1772. However, he is best known for his alleged role with the Black Sox, a matter that he was found innocent after a trial in 1921. Despite this, the commissioner of baseball, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned him and the other seven players, stating that baseball needed to clean up it's image.

Jackson's tale is rather tragic, and this card, and the history surrounding it, reinforces the absurdity of his suspension.