Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History
by Jonathan Weeks
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GENRE: Sports History
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BOOK BLURB:
Mays’s spectacular catch in 1954, Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in 1960, and Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit blast in 1988 are just a few of the memorable moments that have dominated highlight reels. The outcome of the Series has not always been terribly surprising—especially during the late 1940s and early 1950s when the Yankees captured five consecutive championships, breaking their previous record of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. But despite its predictability at times, the Fall Classic has taken many unexpected turns. The 1906 Cubs lost to the weak-hitting White Sox after establishing a new regular season record for
wins. The 1955 Dodgers avenged seven prior October failures with an improbable victory over the seemingly invincible Yankees. And in 1969, the Mets finally shed their image as “loveable losers,” dethroning the powerful Orioles. In more than a century of World Series plays, a number of similar scenarios have emerged; twenty-two of those stories are told in Shocktober.
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EXCERPT ONE:
To understand why members of the White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, one must take into account the financial climate of baseball in the early-20th century. Players weren’t paid exceptionally well (at least in comparison to today). Before the advent of free agency, owners held most of the advantages when it came to negotiating contracts. Players were more or less stuck with the clubs they had signed with until team executives decided it was time to get rid of them. Typical deadball stars were minimally educated and rough around the edges. In their free time, many gravitated to bars and pool halls, where men of questionable integrity could be found. Some players developed relationships with members of the underworld—especially bookmakers who were willing to tamper with the outcome of games in order to turn a profit.
Ty Cobb, one of the biggest names of the era, was paid $20,000 in 1919—equivalent to about $348,000 today. No one else was making that much at the time—not even Babe Ruth. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, at a little over $9,000, was the highest paid member of the Chicago conspirators. The others were earning significantly less.
A common misconception among contemporary fans is the idea that Chicago team owner Charles Comiskey was a nefarious miser who drove his men to commit the crime of the century. Multiple myths have persisted regarding Comiskey’s penny-pinching ways—the most salacious being the story about how he delivered a case of flat champagne to his players as a World Series bonus in 1917. Other fallacies have been handed down over the years.
In reality, Comiskey was prone to acts of generosity. He allowed a number of Chicago organizations to use his ballpark for free and gave out complimentary grandstand tickets to school children. During World War I, he donated a significant portion of his annual income to the Red Cross. While it’s true that he could also be frugal, charging players for laundry fees, he actually paid his men pretty well. The White Sox Opening Day payroll in 1919 was among the highest in baseball.
While the specific motivations of each conspirator have been endlessly debated, it’s safe to assume that the primary incentive was financial gain. By his own account, it was first baseman Chick Gandil who approached gamblers with the idea of a fix. At the time, the club was divided into two social cliques with tension existing between the two. The educated players fell under the influence of Ivy League graduate Eddie Collins. The rest of the joiners cast their lot with Gandil—a former boxer with an attitude toward authority. Shortstop Swede Risberg played a major role in the fix as well, helping Gandil lure other players (ones who could be trusted to keep their mouths shut) into the fold. Boston-based bookmaker Joseph “Sport” Sullivan convinced New York underworld kingpin Arnold Rothstein to bankroll the plot. Others involved included “Sleepy Bill” Burns (a former pitcher) and Abe Attell (a former featherweight boxing champion). Both were associates of Rothstein’s.
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GUEST POST:
What’s in a Title? How to Create an Intriguing and Eye-catching Book Title
One thing for authors to keep in mind before they begin marketing their work is the fact that (including self-published projects) there are about 2.2 million books released every year. One way to set your masterpiece apart from others is to pick a clever and catchy title. We see this in popular music—especially the rock genre, where two particular albums stand out for me:
--“The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get” By Joe Walsh
--“You Can Tune a Piano But You Can’t Tune a Fish” By REO Speedwagon
Not only are both albums full of great songs, but they have the most memorable titles in rock history—Far superior to the drab austerity of “Van Halen II” or “Led Zeppelin III” (What were those guys thinking? C’mon, man—put a little effort into it!!)
Before we have listened to the first song on an album or read the first paragraph of a book, we gauge our interest by the title. The cover art is a critical factor too, but that comes later—after we’ve evaluated the title. So, it’s important to come up with something that instantly grabs the attention of readers. Unfortunately, writers don’t always have the final say.
When you submit your work to publishers, it carries what’s known as a “working title.” This is merely a suggestion to the editor. There is no guarantee that a working title will survive the editing process. And that can be very frustrating.
Believe me, I know! I have haggled with editors and lost.
That’s why you should come up with more than one title for your book before you submit your work. My own rule of thumb is three: one primary title and two alternates. In choosing a title, I try to inject a little humor with word play—something offbeat that will stand out. But the title must also capture the essence of what’s in the book. And that can be tricky. There have been a few instances in which I think I may have nailed it:
--Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History
--Mudville Madness: Fabulous Feats, Belligerent Behavior, and Erratic Episodes on the Diamond
--The Umpire Was Blind! Controversial Calls by MLB’s Men in Blue
--Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History
But no matter how clever I think I am, I will never come close to matching the sheer brilliance of the greatest baseball title in history: Red Sox Fans are From Mars, Yankee Fans are From Uranus: Why Red Sox Fans are Smarter, Funnier, and Better Looking.
I don’t mind plugging Andy Wasif’s work because he’s hilarious! And his book belongs in the Working Titles Hall of Fame.
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his late father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.
Blog:
Goodreads Author Page:
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