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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 8 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Entertaining and educational account of the year baseball almost died and two curses may have begun Dec 07, 2009
By cs211
"cs211"
"The Original Curse" dives deep into the 1918 baseball season, the year before the Black Sox World Series-throwing scandal, and poses the provocative question: is it possible that the White Sox were not the first and only team to throw a World Series - and could their crosstown rivals, the Cubs, have done so the previous year? What sounds, at first blush, like a White Sox fan's fantasy, appears to be plausible or even likely after reading Sean Deveny's book. There's not nearly enough evidence to conclusively prove Deveny's hypothesis, but if the case Deveny assembles were to be heard by a grand jury, they would certainly call for further investigation. Unfortunately, too much time has passed and there is no smoking gun (such as a deathbed confession) to conclusively prove Deveny's case.
A good history book shatters myths and provides a much more detailed, nuanced, complex picture of a particular situation. Deveny certainly achieves this in "The Original Curse". Almost all baseball fans know of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, and think of that White Sox team as committing the biggest possible sin against the game, for purely selfish reasons. 1918 is also wistfully known by Red Sox fans as the last World Series won by their dominant early-twentieth century team before an 86-year drought. However, what Deveny shows is that 1918 was one of the strangest, most dysfunctional years in all of major league baseball history. Yes, the Red Sox did win the World Series that year, but it was anything but a competition between the best, most talented teams and players. Because of the ramp-up of the United States' participation in World War I, the war cast a huge cloud over the entire season, continually pulling (or threatening to pull) players out of the game, shortening the season, and almost cancelling the Series itself. Fans lost interest, players did too, and due to severe financial shortcomings, and the threat of never earning another decent baseball paycheck, some players likely were tempted to take money from gamblers to throw one or more World Series games.
Besides telling the story of the 1918 baseball season, Deveny also details the underlying causes of baseball's early twentieth century gambling problem and the inaction and cover-ups of baseball's powers that be when presented with evidence of the problem. Gamblers and players mingled freely, and gamblers openly conducted their business in major league parks. Should a player desire to make some illicit money from gamblers, there were plenty of opportunities to do so. Deveny also describes multiple acts of suspicious in-game behavior, and multiple cases of players developing bad reputations after being suspected by their managers for having thrown games. With this strong gambling culture as background, it is certainly true that the amount of gambling in baseball far exceeded the amount that has been publicized, investigated and punished.
Deveny writes in an entertaining style, and the book progresses at a fast pace. I actually wish it had been longer and provided even more detail. And, of course, if Deveny had been able to unearth a smoking gun, it would have made the book a must-read by all baseball fans. I definitely do recommend it for serious baseball fans with an interest in the history of the game, and especially fans of the three teams featured most prominently: the Red Sox, the Cubs, and the White Sox. Red Sox and Cubs fans may not like what they learn about their teams, but it is more important to know the facts than the myths.
11 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Original Curse Sep 30, 2009
By Queen Mother
A wonderfully conceived and written book about throwing the 1918 World Series. As an avid Red Sox fan, I didn't want to believe it. Yet the case is presented so convincingly by the author, we may have to take down the 1918 pennant at Fenway. A great read;I couldn't put it down.
11 of 15 found the following review helpful:
So much for Yankees fanChanting 1918 Oct 02, 2009
By Henry Arthur
"Hank"
Up until 2004, a favorite chant of Yankees fans was "1918", reminding Red Sox fans about the last year they had won the Series. Now, we learn that even the 1918 series win was probably bogus! Here's a most convincing tale - a great blend of sports and U.S. /world history and coming at a perfect time when the stars are once again aligned ... with the Yankees taking the East, the questionable Red SAWX heading to the post season as the Wild Card. The Cubs end up in 2nd place and the Wrigley faithful are sadly licking their season ending wounds! All is not lost, because we have books like THE ORIGINAL CURSE to get fans through the long winter months. But, first an exciting postseason that the serious fan - despite not having a team in the running - will embrace,but with a more objective, less frenetic point of view.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
No smoking gun, but plenty of questions Mar 28, 2010
By Barry Sparks
"freelance writer"
Author Sean Deveney raises some interesting questions about whether the 1918 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs was played on the up-and-up.
Although the circumstances were right for crookedness in baseball and some regular season games were definitely fixed in 1918, according to Deveney, he admits that it's debatable if the World Series was fixed.
Given the circumstances, however, no one should be shocked if the World Series was fixed. Gambling was one of baseball's greatest negatives and rumors persisted about players throwing games. Gamblers were active and open at the ballparks. But baseball refused to confront the problem, choosing instead to sweep it under the rug. If a player was suspected of throwing games, he most likely was quietly traded.
The Cubs had a number of players with shady pasts, including Lee Magee, Claude Hendrix, Fred Merkle and Phil Douglass.
Uncertainty dominated baseball and the World Series in 1918. The advent of World War I siphoned the talent from many teams. Secretary of War Newton Baker declared the season would end on Sept. 1. The World Series was scheduled to begin Sept. 5, yet no one was quite sure if it would be allowed to be played.
The 1918 World Series suffered from reduced fan interest and limited projected revenues, based on lower ticket prices and 10 percent of the gate receipts slated to go to charity. For the first time, players in the World Series were to split 60 percent of the revenue from the first four games (with a $2,000 per man cap for the winners and $1,400 per man for the losers), while the remainder was to be split among the teams that finished second, third and fourth in the two leagues. When the players were informed that the winners would receive $1,200 per man and the losers would receive $800, they were understandably angry.
The first three games were poorly attended in Chicago and the quality of play slipped afterwards when the players found out they would be receiving considerably less money. The players threatened to strike before Game 5, demanding more money.
In addition to the players named above, Deveney points fingers at infielder Charlie Hollocher and outfielder Max Flack for their suspicious play.
Although there's no smoking gun of evidence, Deveney raises enough questions to make one doubt that the Series was played on the level.
6 of 9 found the following review helpful:
AWESOME BOOK! Oct 02, 2009
By Anastasia Beeverhausen
"SuperGirl"
The Original Curse is a great book! It paints a vivid picture of the time and fascinates even non-sports fans. I loved the personal touches weaved in with the history. I would highly recommend The Original Curse to anyone looking for a good read. I couldn't put it down.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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