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White Washing the Black Sox:

A Tale of Gamblers, Gamers, Guilt, and Greed

My New Novel, Hot Off the Press!

I’m happy to report that my first venture into novel writing, White Washing the Black Sox: A Tale of Gamblers, Gamers, Guilt, and Greed is finished and is now available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book versions.

Those of you who have read my essays over the years on the Black Sox scandal will be familiar with my “take” on the events that rocked the baseball world to its core in the 1919 World Series. You’ll probably remember that I don’t subscribe to what I call the superficial “Eight Men Out” version.  My view is certainly unconventional, and it’s my hope that I’ve presented a deeper, more nuanced version that I believe is more in tune with the actual eye-witnesses’ accounts: the umpires, the official scorer, most of the sports writers, the Reds players, the league officials, and other assorted baseball dignitaries and baseball lifers on hand for the Series.  It’s admittedly a fictionalized account, reflecting my view of what actually transpired between the white lines in October 1919. 

(On a personal note, I can say that for someone like me who has been writing baseball essays for many years, novel writing was completely different and was quite an exhilarating experience.  If any of you have ever contemplated writing a novel,  I’d highly recommend it). 

Anyway, to give you the “flavor” of the book, here’s a brief summary of the plot, taken from the description found on Amazon: 

Set in 1956 Chicago following the death of Black Sox Buck Weaver on January 31, 1956, young Chicago Tribune reporter Matt Flynn sets out on a quest to discover the truth about the 1919 World Series. Were the games actually thrown, as the conventional wisdom has always said? Or was the fix called off before the start of Game One on October 1, 1919? He soon discovers that the superficial, Eight Men Out version of the scandal does not jive with what he uncovers through interviews with eyewitnesses still alive in 1956. He also interviews surviving Black Sox Chick Gandil and Eddie Cicotte, Mrs. Joe Jackson, and even the Official Scorer, James Hamilton. His investigations lead to the unlocking of an unconventional, previously unconsidered version of the events that rocked the baseball world to its very core in 1919, including a cover-up orchestrated by the Old Roman, Charles Comiskey.

Along his journey to discover the truth, his life is transformed from a young, cub reporter into a seasoned veteran as he follows a fascinating — often harrowing — path of intrigue, murder, faith, and love, with a religious sub-theme running through the novel. Readers from the “Windy City” will enjoy the many references to life in Chicago in the 1950s.

For any of you who decide to read the novel, I hope that if nothing else you’ll at least agree with me that there’s a lot more to the story of the 1919 Black Sox scandal than the conventional wisdom has led us to believe. I hope it will prompt you to take another look. If you click on this link, you’ll be able to read a sample from the book. 

Thanks to our resident baseball artist, Don Stokes, for the artwork that appears on the cover and the title page. Don graciously provided a beautiful colorization of the 1919 White Sox team photo (and I’ve included complete identifications of the players in the photo section).

Thanks!

Gary Livacari 

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