First Baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil was known to be closely connected to the gambling scene. He persuaded his friend Joseph "Sport" Sullivan, who was also a professional gambler, that they could fix the World Series. "Gandil told Sullivan, 'I think we can put it [the Series] in the bag.'"(Linder, 2010). Gandil originally wanted "$80,000 in cash for himself and whatever other players he might recruit"(Linder, 2010).
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| Chick Gandil |
Gandil approached his teammates Oscar "Happy" Felsh, Buck Weaver and Eddie Cicotte about joining the possible fix. Gandil then moved on to shortstop "Swede" Risberg, utility infielder Fred Mcmullin and pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams. Pitchers would be a crucial part of Gandil's plan because without them it would be almost impossible to pull off. Gandil's last recruit in the World Series fix would be Joe Jackson, the teams best hitter. These eight players agreed to throw the World Series for $80,000. With word of a fix circulating other professional gamblers were eager to be involved. "Sleepy" Bill Burns and Billy Maharg decided to approach Eddie Cicotte and offered to top Sullivan's offer. Burns and Maharg would also approach Arnold "Big Bankroll" Rothstein, "the most prominent gambler-sportsman in America"(Linder, 2010) about the idea of fixing the World Series.
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| Arnold "Big Bankroll" Rothestein |
Rothstein would negotiate with Sullivan to pay the players $40,000 as long as the Series went as planned. As word continued to spread of the fix, dozens of gamblers became involved. "Rumors of fixing the 1919 World Series were swirling before the first game. The Chicago White Sox were heavily favored over the Cincinnati Reds, but the odds mysteriously began to shift away from Chicago prior to the first game"(Payne). According to the book
Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof, the players were unhappy before the start of the World Series that they would not be paid in advanced and questioned throwing the games.
