I listened to this on Audible while driving from work and playing in the background during breaks. It's really interesting if you have any interest in baseball or even in popular culture history. I can't say it's a great read. It's a little slow in places and the characters are not always as developed as they should be. Arnold Rothstein a New York gambler more than likely had a bigger more involved role than the author gives "credit" for. You have to understand this is not modern day sports. These are not rich superstars. These are working class men trying to play a game they loved under careless treatment from the owners. No free agency. No guarantees and no long term no trade no cut contracts. They were treated like business assets and the bottom line was company comes first. So, the temptation to get a few thousand dollars for missing a double play or losing a fly ball in the sun was huge. Not to say they were not responsible. Just to say if you do decide to give this a try and the only thing you know of baseball is the modern era you will be surprised at the reality. It's tough for me because I grew up hearing about the "Grand Old Game." The romance of the early players who played only for the love and glory of the game. Also, being from the south and being a Braves fan I don't think this will be a really entertaining baseball season for me. So, while I technically didn't "read" it. It's a good story and a good listen which is great for me. I recommend it if you like early 20th century history or baseball. ( )

Disappointing. ( )

Short, sweet and simple. Loved the book, intrigued by the whole Black Sox scandal of 1919.

LET JOE INTO THE HALL OF FAME, COMM MANFRED !!! ( )

One of the classic baseball books... great research and detail... written in the early 60's, still stands! ( )

The story of the 1919 White Sox and the throwing of the World Series, this book might seem like a weird choice for me, considering I know little and care less about baseball. But I do know and love Chicago, and I am slowly building up a collection of books about my city, and this seemed like a good addition.

The book tells the story well. It digs in, gets facts that were hidden for years, and presents everything in an orderly fashion. It even explained how the baseball parts worked to me, a consummate non-baseballer. What I didn't anticipate, however, was how sad this book would make me. Based on th information available, not a single person who most deserved punishment received it. The baseball players themselves were treated poorly from all sides, and I had no idea how incompetent they were at the whole fix itself. They barely received any money! And given how shittily Comiskey treated them as players, it isn't surprising that they turned on him. He bullied them into contracts they didn't want to sign, and even took advantage of some players' illiteracy. It's just, ugh, you wonder how the players could ever have been so trusting, and you have to remember it was a completely different era and almost a century ago now, but it still just boggles the (modern) mind.

Asinaf should also get a special mention for being quite talented at evoking the mood of the time. I found myself using "on the square" in my internal monologue during the time when I was reading this book, so apparently I'd really gotten into the mindset of an early 20th-century-gambler. Hilariously.

This is definitely a good read if you are interested in baseball or oppressive business tactics or just an interesting bit of American history. ( )