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.
Cavman Considers 