Book: The Original Curse by Sean Devaney
Posted by Michael Hanns on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Did the 1918 Cubs throw the World Series? And is there a curse connected to it?
In 1918, the Cubs played the Boston Red Sox in the World Series to cap off a tumultuous war-torn season that left baseballs future in real doubt. It was a series the Cubs lost in ragged fashion. Even though the Red Sox won, it would be 86 more years before they won again and the Cubs are still looking for another championship.
In Sean Devaneys new book, he suggests that the Cubs may have thrown the Series and that may have precipitated a curse on both sides. And, he also suggests that the 1919 Black Sox may have gotten the idea from the Cubs.
Now, as I have stated elsewhere on this website, the whole idea of curses is so medieval its hardly worth mentioning and thats the main problem I have with Devaneys book. The last thing Cubs fans need is more impetus to blame something other than simple mismanagement. And why should Boston be cursed, just because they were beneficiaries of the fix?
Thats actually a minor quibble, though, because I thought this was a well done look at 1918 baseball. Devaney does an excellent job of setting the scene for what was a difficult period in baseball history. The war was having a negative effect on all aspects of American life, with baseball especially being impacted. I also like how Devaney goes into the gambling scandals. The irony is, if it werent for the investigation of the 1918 Cubs, the Black Sox scandal may have just faded, yet as the Black Sox were banned from baseball, the 1918 Series investigation was dropped and soon forgotten. As Devaney reveals, it was Eddie Cicotte, one of the 8 men in the Black Sox scandal, who says in his deposition that they got the idea from the Cubs.
Its a fascinating book that should be of interest to anyone who has read Eight Men Out or is interested in the game fixing issue or anyone interested in war time baseball. Or anyone interested in so called "curses".
In 1918, the Cubs played the Boston Red Sox in the World Series to cap off a tumultuous war-torn season that left baseballs future in real doubt. It was a series the Cubs lost in ragged fashion. Even though the Red Sox won, it would be 86 more years before they won again and the Cubs are still looking for another championship.
In Sean Devaneys new book, he suggests that the Cubs may have thrown the Series and that may have precipitated a curse on both sides. And, he also suggests that the 1919 Black Sox may have gotten the idea from the Cubs.
Now, as I have stated elsewhere on this website, the whole idea of curses is so medieval its hardly worth mentioning and thats the main problem I have with Devaneys book. The last thing Cubs fans need is more impetus to blame something other than simple mismanagement. And why should Boston be cursed, just because they were beneficiaries of the fix?
Thats actually a minor quibble, though, because I thought this was a well done look at 1918 baseball. Devaney does an excellent job of setting the scene for what was a difficult period in baseball history. The war was having a negative effect on all aspects of American life, with baseball especially being impacted. I also like how Devaney goes into the gambling scandals. The irony is, if it werent for the investigation of the 1918 Cubs, the Black Sox scandal may have just faded, yet as the Black Sox were banned from baseball, the 1918 Series investigation was dropped and soon forgotten. As Devaney reveals, it was Eddie Cicotte, one of the 8 men in the Black Sox scandal, who says in his deposition that they got the idea from the Cubs.
Its a fascinating book that should be of interest to anyone who has read Eight Men Out or is interested in the game fixing issue or anyone interested in war time baseball. Or anyone interested in so called "curses".