法律英语The Black Sox Trial.docx

法律英语The Black Sox Trial.docx

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法律英语TheBlackSoxTrial

2019年法律英语：

TheBlackSoxTrial

TheplayersontheCharlesComiskey's1919ChicagoWhiteSoxteamwereafractiouslotwithplentytocomplainabout.Theclubwasdividedintotwo“gangs”ofplayers，eachwithpracticallynothingtosaytotheother.Togethertheyformedthebestteaminbaseball——perhapsoneofthebestteamsthateverplayedthegame——，yettheywerepaidafractionofwhatmanyplayersonotherteamsreceived.Comiskey'scontributionstobaseballwerebeyondquestion，buthewasbothatightwadandatyrant.TheWhiteSoxownerpaidtwoofhisgreateststars，outfielder“Shoeless”JoeJacksonandthirdbasemanBuckWeaver$6000ayear，despitethefactthatplayersonotherteamswithhalftheirtalentweregetting$10，000ormore.Onroadtrips，Soxplayersreceiveda$3adayallowance，eventhoughalmostallotherteamsgavetheirplayers$4.ForSoxpitcherEddieCicotte，therewasanothersourceofirritation：

inthefallof1917，whenCicotteapproacheda30-winseasonthatwouldwinhimapromised$10，000bonus，Comiskeyhadhisstarpitcherbenchedratherthanbeforcedtocomeupwiththeextracash.Theplayershadfewoptionsindealingwiththeirpenuriousowner.Becauseofbaseball'sfamousreserveclause，anyplayerwhorefusedtoacceptacontractwasprohibitedfromplayingbaseballonanyotherprofessionalteam.

ThebitternessSoxplayersfeltfortheirownerledeightmembersoftheteamtoenterintoaconspiracythatwouldforeverchangethegameofbaseballandberememberedasthegreatestscandalinthehistoryofprofessionalsports.TheywouldagreetothrowtheWorldSeries.

TheFix

AccordingtoEliotAsinof，authorofEightMenOut（thebestofthebooksaboutthe1919scandal），theideaoffixingtheSeriessprangintothemindofatoughthirty-one-year-oldSoxfirstbasemannamedChickGandil.Asinof'splacesthebeginningofthefixinBoston，aboutthreeweeksbeforetheendofthe1919season.Gandilaskedanacquaintanceandprofessionalgamblernamed“Sport”Sullivantostopbyhishotelroom.Afterafewminutesofsmalltalk，GandiltoldSullivan，“Ithinkwecanputit[theSeries]inthebag.”Hedemanded$80，000incashforhimselfandwhateverotherplayershemightrecruit.（In1950，Gandilwouldofferhisown——somewhatdifferent——account，creditingSullivanandnothimselffortheidea.GandilclaimsheinitiallytoldSullivanafixinvolvingsevenoreightplayerswasimpossible.Sullivanreplied，“Don'tbesilly.It'sbeenpulledbeforeanditcanbeagain.”）

GandilknewthattheChicago'sacepitcher，EddieCicotte，hadnoloveforCharlesComiskey.Moreover，Cicottehadmoneytroubles，havingboughtafarminMichiganthatcamewithhighmortgagepayments.CicotteatfirstresistedGandil'ssuggestionthathejoininafixoftheSeries，buteventuallyhisscruplesgaveway.HetoldGandil，“I'lldoitfor$10，000——beforetheSeriesbegins.”

WithCicotteonboard，Gandil'seffortstorecruitadditionalSoxplayerstookoff.Shortstop“Swede”RisbergandutilityinfielderFredMcMullinsaidthattheywerein.Startingpitcherswouldbecriticalinanysuccessfulfix，soGandilwentafter——andsoonconvinced——Claude“Lefty”Williams.Toroundoutthefix，Gandilapproachedthreeoftheteamsbesthitters，BuckWeaver，JoeJackson，andandoutfielderOscar“Happy”Felsch.Thethreeagreedtomeetwiththeotherfiveplayersthenextnight，September21，atGandil'sroomattheAnsoniaHotelinNewYork.Itwasameetingthatwouldeventuallyshatterthecareersofeachballplayerinattendance.

Inhis1956articleinSportMagazine，GandiloffersthisaccountoftheSeptember21meeting：

Theyallwereinterestedandthoughtweshouldreconnoitertoseeifthedoughwouldreallybeputontheline.Weaversuggestedwegetpaidinadvance；thenifthingsgottoohot，wecoulddouble-crossthegambler，keepthecashandtakethebigendoftheSeriesbybeatingthe[Cincinnati]Reds.Weagreedthiswasahellofabrainyplan.

GandilmetwithSportSullivanthenextmorningtotellhimthefixwason，providedthathecouldcomeupwith$80，000fortheplayersbeforetheSeriesbegan.Sullivanindicatedthathemightbedifficulttoraisethatmuchcashsoquickly，butpromisedtomeetwithGandilwhentheteamgotbacktoChicagoforthefinalgamesoftheregularseason.

Thenthingsstartedtogetcomplicated.Anothergambler，“Sleepy”BillBurns，havingheardtalkofapossiblefix，approachedCicotteandofferedtotopanyofferSullivanmightmake.Gandil，meetingwithCicotteandBurns，announcedthattheywouldworkafixwithBurnsforanupfront$100，000.Burnsandanassociate，BillyMaharg，setoffforNewYorktomeetwiththemostprominentgambler-sportsmaninAmerica，Arnold“BigBankroll”Rothstein.

OnSeptember23，BurnsandMahargapproachedRothsteinashewatchedhorsesatJamaicaRaceTrack.Rothsteintoldthetwomenthathewasbusy，andthattheyshouldwaitinthetrackrestaurant，wherehemightgettothemlater.Instead，Rothsteindispatchedhisright-handman，AbeAttell，tomeetwithBurnsandMahargandfindoutwhattheyhadinmind.WhenAttellreportedbackthatnightabouttheplantofixtheSeries，Rothsteinwasskeptical.Hedidn'tthinkitcouldwork.AttellrelayedthenewstoadisappointedBurns.Undeterred，BurnsandMahargcorneredRothsteinlaterthatnightinthelobbyoftheAstorHotelinTimesSquareandpressedtheirplantofixtheSeries.Rothsteintoldthetwomen，for“whatevermyopinionisworth，”toforgetit，andBurnsandMahargdid——forawhile.

AbeAttell，orthe“LittleChamp”asex-prizefighterwascalled，sawanopportunitytomakesomebigbucks，andhedecidedtotakeit.UnbeknownsttoRothstein，AttellcontactedBurnsandtoldhimthatRothsteinhadreconsideredtheirpropositionandhadnowagreedtoputupthe$100，000tofundthefix.Burnswhirledintomotion，callingCicotteandwiringMahargtotellthemthefixwason.

SportSullivan，meanwhile，continuedindependentlytopursuehisownfixplans.HealsocontactedRothstein.Sullivan，unlikeBurnsandMaharg，wasknownandrespectedbyRothstein.WhenSullivanlaidouthisplansforthefix，Rothsteinexpressedaninterestintheschemehehadpreviouslywithheld.Rothsteinsawthewidespreadtalkofafixasablessing，notaproblem：

“Ifnineguysgotobedwithagirl，she'llhaveatoughtimeprovingthetenthisthefather！

”Hedecidedtosentapartnerofhis，NatEvans，toChicagowithSullivantomeetwiththeplayers.

OnSeptember29，thedaybeforetheSoxweretoleaveforCincinnatitobegintheSeries，SullivanandEvans（introducedas“Brown”）metwiththeplayers.Evanslistenedtotheplayers'demandfor$80，000inadvance，thentoldthemhewouldtalktohis“associates”andgetbacktothem.WhenEvansreportedback，Rothsteinagreedtogivehim$40，000topassontoSullivan，whowouldpresumablydistributethecashtotheplayers.Theother$40，000，Rothsteinsaid，wouldbeheldinasafeinChicago，tobepaidtotheplayersiftheSerieswentasplanned.Rothsteinthengotbusy，quicklylayingatleast$270，000ontheRedstowintheSeries.

Withforty$1，000billsinhispocket，Sullivandecidedtobetnearly$30，000ontheRedsinsteadofgivingittotheplayersasplanned.Theycouldgetthemoneylater，hethought.OddsweredroppingquicklyontheonceheavyunderdogRedsteam——thebestSullivancoulddowasgetevenmoney.Sullivanpassedtheother$10，000toGandil，whoputthemoneyunderthepillowofthestartingpitcherforgameoneoftheSeries，EddieCicotte.Cicottesewedthemoneyintotheliningofhisjacket.

Frustratedandangryatgettingonly$10，000fromSullivan，sevenoftheplayers（onlyJoeJacksonwasabsent）metonthedaybeforetheSeriesopenerattheSintonHotelinCincinnatiwithAbeAttell.Attellrefusedtopaytheplayersanycashinadvance，offeringinstead$20，000foreachlossinthebest-of-nineSeries.Theplayerscomplained，butdecidedtothrowthefirsttwogameswithCicotteandWilliamsasthescheduledstartingpitchers.

TheSeries

October1，1919，OpeningDay，wassunnyandwarm.Thegamewasasell-out，withscalpersgettingtheunheardofpriceof$50aticket.AttheAnsoniaHotelinNewYork，ArnoldRothsteinstrodeintothelobbyjustbeforethescheduledopeningpitch.ForRothsteinandtheseveralhundredotherpersonsgatheredinthelobby，areporterwouldreadtelegraphedplay-by-playaccountsofthegameasbaseballfigureswouldbemovedaroundalargediamond-shapedchartonthewall.RothsteinhadsentwordthatEddieCicottewastohitthefirstRedsbatterwithapitch，asasignthatthefixwason.Thefirstpitchtolead-offbatterMauriceRathwasacalledstrike.Cicotte'ssecondpitchhitRathintheback.ArnoldRothsteinwalkedoutoftheAnsoniaintoaNewYorkrain.

Thegamestood1to1withoneoutinthefourthwhentheRed'sPatDuncanlinedahangingcurvetorightforasingle.Thenextbatter，LarryKopf，hitaneasydoubleplayballtoCicotte，buttheSoxpitcherhesitated，thenthrewhightosecond.Therunneratsecondwasout，butnodoubleplaywaspossible.GreasyNealeandIvyWingofollowedwithsingles，scoringtheReds'secondrun.ThentheReds'pitcher，DutchReuther，droveatripletoleft，scoringtwomore.ThebottomoftheCincinnatiorderwasteeingoffontheSox'sace.ThegameendedwiththeRedswinning9to1[gamestatslink].MeetinglaterthatnightwithCharlesComiskey，SoxmanagerKidGleasonwasaskedwhetherhethoughthisteamwasthrowingtheSeries.Gleasonhesitated，thensaidhethoughtsomethingwaswrong，butdidn'tknowforcertain.

Thefourthinningturnedouttobedeterminativeingametwoaswell.LeftyWilliams，renow