Considering the Original Curse

I’ve enjoyed sports and history as long as I can remember.  As a kid I would read lots of sports biographies- including some of the dreaded Yankees.  My dislike for the Yankees didn’t keep me from appreciating the skill of some of their players.  Of course most of the ones I appreciated were from eras when the Red Sox were essentially uncompetitive.

Sometimes books come along that allow me to revisit sports and history.  Sean Deveney’s The Original Curse is one of those books.  Deveney puts the 1918 World Series into its historical context, and that context is vital to his main thesis.  His thesis, which he admits cannot prove, is that the Cubs threw the 1918 World Series.  This is particularly intriguing as a result of the futility that plagued both teams since that World Series.  The Red Sox’ futility has only recently ended, but the Cubs’ continues.  Such utter inability to win championships is astounding to say the least- particularly since they were both so successful before that time.  This was the 5th World Series victory for the Red Sox.

“Prosperity tends to provide a pretty big blind spot.”

Deveney focuses on a few things outside of baseball.  World War I wrecked havoc on the world economy.  While ball players were well paid, inflation in the few years leading up to the 1918 World Series was about 55%.  Their good paychecks did not go as far as they used to go.

World War I put pressure on the players themselves as well as the game.  Some of the players were drafted during the season.  There was controversy as to whether or not to end the season.  Players were viewed as slackers because they were not directly assisting the war effort.  The War Department had underestimated what it would take to get fully involved in the conflict.  They put off requests from baseball for clarification repeatedly.  Some players left the pros to work in the shipyards which often had ball teams.  Many of these guys didn’t work but just played ball.

Finally the War Department and baseball agreed to end the season early and have the World Series.  After the Series, the players would either find “legitimate” work or be listed as 1A draft status.  Many of the players were worried about their future.  They started to see men come home “invalided” from the war.  They weren’t sure if there would be a season in 1919 or ever.  Their good paycheck would disappear.  Little could they know that the war would end about 2 months after the World Series.

There were also factors inside of baseball that are important to consider.  Game-fixing was like steroid use in the 1990’s.  Baseball essentially refused to admit its existence.  Players suspected of throwing games would be traded away to other teams.  Gamblers often consorted with players- on trains, in bars and at parties.  In other words, they had easy access to one another.

Deveney lays out these historical factors, some of the rumors that circulated about the possibility of players fixing the games and the actual games themselves.  There were rumors- players shuffled around for involvement in fixing other games.  Eddie Ciccotte, one of the 1919 Black Sox, testified that he heard it was fixed.  But the commissioner never followed up.  He wanted the suspicion to end instead of tarnishing all of baseball.

It all pivots on the train ride from Chicago to Boston.  Players become aware that the gate, and therefore their share, would be substantially lower than anticipated.  In light of their fear, fixing made sense.  In Boston, there were a number of suspicious plays as opposed to the well-played games in Chicago.

Deveney has written a very interesting book.  I enjoy the mix of history and sports.  He follows particular players after the 1918 series to show how they changed.  He tells of how Grover Cleveland Alexander was never the same man, or pitcher, after his time at the front with an artillery division.  It has a personal element blended in with the historical element.

He provides a compelling case, but there is no smoking gun, no irrefutable proof.  I think he’s right, but even if he didn’t he wrote an interesting and informative book about baseball in the early 1900’s.  For that, I’m grateful.  And I’m glad CavWife bought me this for Father’s Day.