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The Deadball Files: Book Two
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The GameKeepers: Whitewash, Blackmail, and Baseball's Darkest Secrets
Over its hundred and fifty year history, professional baseball has experienced its share of scandals and embarrassments -- sometimes involving players, sometimes teams, sometimes team owners, sometimes the leadership of the game itself, and sometimes even the fans.
There's been gambling -- The Black Sox throwing the World Series in 1919, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker betting on games the very next year, Pete Rose doing the same decades later.
There's been cheating -- Sammy Sosa's corked bat, the Cardinals hacking the Astros computers, and the Astros themselves using technology to steal opponents' signs.
There's been drug abuse -- the Pirates and others using uppers and cocaine in the 1980s, players across the game using steroids and designer drugs from Balco over the following two decades, and still others using human growth hormone from Biogenesis in the 2010s.
There's been outrageous rhetoric -- Al Campanis of the Dodgers claiming that African Americans were by nature generally unqualified to serve as managers or baseball executives, Red's owner Marge Schott praising Adolph Hitler, Mets pitcher John Rocker insulting almost everyone not named John Rocker.
There's been drunken rioting -- the 1974 Beer Night riot in Cleveland.
There's been wife-swapping -- among the 1972 Yankees.
There's been electoral abuse -- Cincinnati fans stuffing the All-Star Game ballot box in 1957.
There's been overt racism, collusion, litigation, court challenges, strikes and lockouts.
And those are just some of the things we know about. Every time something evil or untoward breaks into public view, Baseball pays a cost, often one that drives away its fans. Some never come back. And over time, the standing of The Game as our National Pastime has become imperiled.
But here's a question.
Is it not likely that there are still more scandals, still more embarrassments, that have never made it into public view -- perhaps even the worst ones of all? And is it not likely that, even for those that have been discovered, the most salacious, and therefore the most threatening, details might have somehow remained hidden?
And here's another.
Is it not likely that, over the course of all of these years and all of these challenges, some influential group of Baseball insiders, recognizing this danger for the threat to The Game that it is, might have taken it upon themselves to protect Baseball from its own worst instincts by concealing as best they can the most damaging information, keeping what they can out of view?
Enter The GameKeepers.
Whitewash.
Blackmail.
Baseball's Darkest Secrets.
There's been cheating -- Sammy Sosa's corked bat, the Cardinals hacking the Astros computers, and the Astros themselves using technology to steal opponents' signs.
There's been drug abuse -- the Pirates and others using uppers and cocaine in the 1980s, players across the game using steroids and designer drugs from Balco over the following two decades, and still others using human growth hormone from Biogenesis in the 2010s.
There's been outrageous rhetoric -- Al Campanis of the Dodgers claiming that African Americans were by nature generally unqualified to serve as managers or baseball executives, Red's owner Marge Schott praising Adolph Hitler, Mets pitcher John Rocker insulting almost everyone not named John Rocker.
There's been drunken rioting -- the 1974 Beer Night riot in Cleveland.
There's been wife-swapping -- among the 1972 Yankees.
There's been electoral abuse -- Cincinnati fans stuffing the All-Star Game ballot box in 1957.
There's been overt racism, collusion, litigation, court challenges, strikes and lockouts.
And those are just some of the things we know about. Every time something evil or untoward breaks into public view, Baseball pays a cost, often one that drives away its fans. Some never come back. And over time, the standing of The Game as our National Pastime has become imperiled.
But here's a question.
Is it not likely that there are still more scandals, still more embarrassments, that have never made it into public view -- perhaps even the worst ones of all? And is it not likely that, even for those that have been discovered, the most salacious, and therefore the most threatening, details might have somehow remained hidden?
And here's another.
Is it not likely that, over the course of all of these years and all of these challenges, some influential group of Baseball insiders, recognizing this danger for the threat to The Game that it is, might have taken it upon themselves to protect Baseball from its own worst instincts by concealing as best they can the most damaging information, keeping what they can out of view?
Enter The GameKeepers.
Whitewash.
Blackmail.
Baseball's Darkest Secrets.
There's a Key that unlocks every mystery. But where's the Lock?
Here's a hint. It's the only one you get.
