"I've loved baseball ever since Arnold Rothstein fixed the World Series in 1919."
--Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth to Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather, Part II."
Crookedness is a part of our culture we honor with a wink and a nod. Why be so subtle? C'mon, celebrate it!
If the Black Sox are now reinstated, let's put Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein, mastermind of the fix, in a "Fuhgeddaboudit!" wing at Cooperstown, sponsored by Draft Kings, an official partner of Major League Baseball. The Brain could be part of an inaugural class that could include Rose's bookie or bookies as well as Howie Spira, the known gambler and mob snitch who conspired with and was paid hush money by Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III in a scheme to defame then-Yankees star Dave Winfield.
Fun fact: Mr. Steinbrenner's "lifetime" ban for that incident was commuted to time served by then-acting commissioner Bud Selig, who presided over "The Steroid Era" in baseball. Different standard for owners than players, apparently. Selig, a Milwaukee car dealer who owned the Brewers, is already in Cooperstown but could easily be moved over to the "Fuhgeddaboudit!" wing.
Pete Rose got more "fame" out of NOT being in the Hall than if he'd gone in on the first ballot. Before his passing, on his website you could buy autographed "I'm Sorry I Bet on Baseball" balls for $199! For $399 you could get one autographed by Rose AND....wait for,it, wait for it...current Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred!
Fuhgeddaboudit!
In an era where presidential pardons are handed out like Tic Tac breath mints, why should baseball be any different?
Fuhgeddaboudit!
P.S. Arnold Rothstein was murdered in 1928 over $325,000 in gambling debts -- in a poker game that was apparently fixed. What goes around comes around.
And another Iowa connection: My grandmother's maternal cousin, White Sox pitcher Urban "Red" Faber of Cascade, Iowa just 15 miles east of Field of Dreams on Highway 20, was NOT part of the fix. He missed the World Series due in part to injuries and influenza resulting from his World War I service. He went on to pitch 20 years, won 20 games three years in a row from 1921-23, is one of the winningest pitchers in team history - and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.
It's ironic that when it comes to sports, many folks these days only care about the betting lines. Gambling used to be considered a sin...now we can't get away from it. I wonder if the PED guys will get a HOF pass after they die?
Good pick-up, Jeff, to go to the Field of Dreams for fans’ reactions right after MLB’s announcement.
"I've loved baseball ever since Arnold Rothstein fixed the World Series in 1919."
--Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth to Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather, Part II."
Crookedness is a part of our culture we honor with a wink and a nod. Why be so subtle? C'mon, celebrate it!
If the Black Sox are now reinstated, let's put Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein, mastermind of the fix, in a "Fuhgeddaboudit!" wing at Cooperstown, sponsored by Draft Kings, an official partner of Major League Baseball. The Brain could be part of an inaugural class that could include Rose's bookie or bookies as well as Howie Spira, the known gambler and mob snitch who conspired with and was paid hush money by Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III in a scheme to defame then-Yankees star Dave Winfield.
Fun fact: Mr. Steinbrenner's "lifetime" ban for that incident was commuted to time served by then-acting commissioner Bud Selig, who presided over "The Steroid Era" in baseball. Different standard for owners than players, apparently. Selig, a Milwaukee car dealer who owned the Brewers, is already in Cooperstown but could easily be moved over to the "Fuhgeddaboudit!" wing.
Pete Rose got more "fame" out of NOT being in the Hall than if he'd gone in on the first ballot. Before his passing, on his website you could buy autographed "I'm Sorry I Bet on Baseball" balls for $199! For $399 you could get one autographed by Rose AND....wait for,it, wait for it...current Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred!
Fuhgeddaboudit!
In an era where presidential pardons are handed out like Tic Tac breath mints, why should baseball be any different?
Fuhgeddaboudit!
P.S. Arnold Rothstein was murdered in 1928 over $325,000 in gambling debts -- in a poker game that was apparently fixed. What goes around comes around.
And another Iowa connection: My grandmother's maternal cousin, White Sox pitcher Urban "Red" Faber of Cascade, Iowa just 15 miles east of Field of Dreams on Highway 20, was NOT part of the fix. He missed the World Series due in part to injuries and influenza resulting from his World War I service. He went on to pitch 20 years, won 20 games three years in a row from 1921-23, is one of the winningest pitchers in team history - and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.
It's ironic that when it comes to sports, many folks these days only care about the betting lines. Gambling used to be considered a sin...now we can't get away from it. I wonder if the PED guys will get a HOF pass after they die?