CINCINNATI — On Thursday, the Reds will face off against the Cubs in the MLB Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa.
The movie "Field of Dreams" focuses on the idea of second chances. One of the main characters who gets another chance is the ghost of White Sox legend 'Shoeless Joe' Jackson. Jackson, along with seven of his teammates were permanently banned from baseball because they accepted money to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. Widely regarded as the biggest scandal in sports history, all the drama happened in the Tri-State.
Cincinnati won its first World Series in 1919. Edd Roush and Heine Groh were the heroes of the squad, immortalized in the Reds Hall of Fame. The team's win, though, what most know about the series.
“One of the many unfortunate legacies of the 1919 World Series scandal is a great Reds team has been overshadowed over history,” said Chris Eckes, Reds Hall of Fame museum curator.
Instead, many remember the White Sox players who accepted bribes to lose — commonly known as the Black Sox Scandal. Shoeless Joe sits at the center of the controversy.
“Building this myth around Shoeless Joe, W.P. Kinsella took that to a whole new level with his book,” Eckes said.
The book Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella later turned into "Field of Dreams," where Jackson's ghost — played by the late Ray Liotta — helped amplify the belief that Jackson was innocent.
“Shoeless Joe, he has what a .300-something batting average, he has no errors, he has the only home run of the entire series,” said Craig Maness, history expert and director of American Legacy Tours. "Sure he took money but he did not throw anything."
But where was the decision to throw the game made? According to Eckes, it unfolded in the Queen City. Specifically, downtown on the corner of 4th and Vine.
“This would have been the site of the Sinton Hotel," Maness said. "The Sinton Hotel played great importance to the 1919 World Series, this is where the White Sox stayed during the series."
Setting up in a glorified broom closet, Maness said former World Featherweight Champion Abe Attell — known friend of gangster Arnold Rothstein — had players come into the room for a meeting before Game One. The fix was on.
“After the first game, you have Abe Atell waiving $1,000 bills taking all the bets he could take on the Reds,” Maness said.
“That’s kind of taking it to a level that is not as well known,” Eckes said.
The White Sox's involvement in gambling is what the history books remember. However, the Reds were approached by gamblers as well.
“We do know that the Reds were approached by gamblers," Eckes said. "Our understanding is that they were very steadfast and consistent and pretty emotional in turning those overtures away. That is our understanding to how that unfolded."
Among baseball fans, the 1919 World Series champs will forever have an asterisk, while Shoeless Joe is ... “Stuck in purgatory in Dyersville, Iowa,” Eckes said.
At least according to “Field of Dreams."
