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My Book on the 1919 Black Sox Scandal Now Available on Amazon!
I’m happy to announce that my book Reflections on the 1919 Black Sox: Time for Another Look is now available on Amazon in e-book form. The paperback should also be available shortly.
The book is a collection of all the essays I’ve written on the Black Sox scandal and posted on our “Old-Time Baseball Photos” Facebook page over the past couple years. Many of you suggested that I put them all together into a single book…and I’ve done just that!
Those of you who read the essays will be familiar with the general them of the book, which is that the conventional wisdom isn’t telling us the complete story. Anyone relying on “Eight Men Out” for his or her view of the scandal will have only a very superficial understanding of this sordid episode in baseball history.
You’ll be pleased to find that there are contributions from Bill Gutman and beautiful colorizations from our resident baseball artist, Don Stokes.
It was never my intention to whitewash or exonerate the Black Sox. They got what they deserved and they knew it. I just wanted to show that there’s a lot more to the story than we’ve been led to believe. And also to show that there were different levels of guilt. Judge Landis’ one-size-fits-all verdict somehow does not seem justified.
And to complete my “Fifteen Minutes of Fame!” I’ll have autographed copies available.
Just to whet the appetite, here’s an excerpt from my conclusion:
So what really happened? No one will ever know for sure. But after reading the first-hand accounts of those involved and those who were actually there, it’s my contention that In the days before the start of the1919 World Series, the entire sordid episode became a blurred, surreal sequence of events where no one really knew what anyone else was doing or thinking. A few may have cracked under the intense mental stress. Conflicting stories and emotions were rampant. Here’s some thoughts that had to be running through their minds:
“Is it really worth the risks? Who’s still in? Who’s out? Are you even sure we’re getting the dough? Is it too late to call it off? We took money. Now what? Is it too late to give it back? We made a ‘devil’s bargain’ with gamblers. What happens when you double-cross gamblers? Can we even get away with it? There’ll be thousands of people watching our every move, so how do you throw a game, anyway? Which games do we throw? I’m scared!”
All this and much, much more had to be mentally tormenting them as the crucial hour approached. Who could possibly concentrate on winning baseball with this mental baggage? On a national stage, no less, and against a strong team like the Reds. With rumors of a fix flying around, it was easy to spot what appeared to be suspicious play, even if it was just poor play by pre-occupied players saddled with extreme mental baggage.
The situation was ripe for upset…
Anyway, thanks to our readers for all your encouragement and support in this endeavor. I hope you’ll consider reading Reflections on the 1919 Black Sox: Time to Take Another Look, and that you’ll come away with a much deeper understanding of this sad chapter in baseball history, one that rocked the game to its very core back in 1919.
Gary Livacari
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Photo Credits: Cover colorization by Don Stokes
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Check out my latest books both now available on Amazon in e-book (paperback soon to follow), Reflections On the 1919 Black Sox: Time to Take Another Look. All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation
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