Eddie Cicotte: The Life and Career of the Banned Black Sox Pitcher

by David L Fleitz

Eddie Cicotte, who pitched in the American League 1905-1920, was one of the tragic figures of baseball. A family man and a fan favorite, he ascended to stardom with nothing more than a mediocre fastball, endless guile and a repertoire of trick pitches. He won 29 games in 1919 and led the Chicago White Sox to the pennant. Although he pitched poorly in the World Series that October, fans did not hold it against him--a slump can happen to anybody. A year later, the public learned the Cicotte's poor performance was no slump. He had taken a bribe to throw the Series. Along with seven teammates, he was implicated in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal, the most disgraceful episode in the history of the sport. Overnight, he became a pariah and would remain so for the rest of his life. This is the first full-length biography of Cicotte, best known today not as a great pitcher but as one of the "Eight Men Out."

Genres: Baseball, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2020

Reviews

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Episode 277: “Eddie Cicotte” BASEBALL BY THE BOOK OCT 12, 2020 ⋅ 48:45 Eddie Cicotte was a stocky right-hander who used a dizzying array of junk pitches to become one of the Deadball Era's top hurlers. Then he threw it all away. Author David Fleitz joins us to discuss the sad tale of "Knuckles," the man who played a key role in fixing the 1919 World Series ― and a key role in exposing the scandal.

[Dale Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d be closer to 4.5 stars since 5 stars is a very rare rating from me. This book is essential for anyone wanting to really understand what went on in 1919 and why Cicotte did it.

FYI, my copy was from the Chicago Public Library. Apparently, this is a tough book to find and often expensive. You might want to consider inter library loan if your local library doesn’t have it and buying it is cost prohibitive

[Debbie Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised about the scandal and how he defended his role.

I think about how he snitch on his teammates.Now there has been many books written about the scandal,they all focused on how cheap Mr.Comiskey was for the reason they threw the 1919 world series.

[Jane]

Well-researched, very detailed. A bit more detail than I’m interested in.