Books and articles about Charlie Comiskey

Had the Black Sox scandal not exposed the pettiness that characterized most of Comiskey's later dealings, he might have been among the most respected elder statesmen of sport. Charles Comiskey was the son of a famous long-time Chicago alderman who represented the Irish ghettos of the near West Side. The boy rebelled against his father's plans to apprentice him to a plumber. Instead, he played semi-pro ball on the Chicago sandlots. In 1879 Comiskey hooked up with baseball promoter Ted Sullivan, who taught him the art of playing first base. Until the 1880s, most first basemen started each play with a foot on the bag. Comiskey increased his range by playing off the bag, and his success popularized that style. As a player-manager for the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, Comiskey won four league titles (1885-1888).

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RELATED LINKS Book Excerpts » "[Jackson] had nothing to do with the Black Sox scandal ... Comiskey was the guy who should have been kicked out": Elden Auker » Baseball, Chicago Style: A Tale of Two Teams, One City by Jerome Holtzman and George Vass Submissions » The 1919 Black Sox (Part I) by Harvey Frommer Ask The Experts » How did the White Sox get their name? Around the Web » A Crosstown Century from chicagosports.com » A Crosstown Century from chicagosports.com » Charlie Comiskey from baseball-reference.com » Charles Comiskey from thebaseballpage.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Comiskey's greatest fame came not as a manager, but as a mogul. When Ban Johnson took over the fledgling Western League (formed November 21, 1893), few imagined that eight years later it would challenge the National League for baseball supremacy. Comiskey assisted Johnson by purchasing the Sioux City franchise, which he shifted to St. Paul, and in 1900, to Chicago, where it was christened the White Stockings. For the next 31 years "The Old Roman" was the driving force behind the White Sox, who won championships in 1901, 1906, 1917, and 1919.

Comiskey's own greed is considered to have been the real motivation for the "Black Sox" selling out to gamblers in 1919. When it was revealed that the players threw the Series for $10,000 because Comiskey had underpaid them for years, his sterling reputation was tarnished. Nonetheless, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939, as an executive. (RL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » November 4, 1891: Charlie Comiskey, having had enough of Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe, signs to manage and captain the National League Cincinnati Reds. » December 22, 1899: AL magnates meet to map out a line of action based on results of the NL meeting. They plan to place a team in Chicago with Charles Comiskey the owner-manager. » January 29, 1901: Newly named Rules Committee of Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Charles Comiskey, after rejecting a proposal to ban the bunt, recommends no changes at this time. » November 5, 1901: Sportsman's Park in St. Louis is leased for five years by Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey for an American League team; two weeks later the Milwaukee franchise is officially transferred. » April 23, 1902: Let the injunction wars begin: The Supreme Court of the District of Columbia issues a restraining order returnable May three against the National Baseball League stopping that organization from interfering with the four Washington AL ball players. In Chicago, Charles Comiskey comes to the defense of Eddie McFarland saying the White Stockings just won't play him in Pennsylvania. In St. Louis, lawyers for the NL Cardinals initiate proceedings in the circuit court of St. Louis to restrain Harper, Wallace, and Heidrick from playing with the St. Louis American League team. All three have signed contracts with the Cards. In Philadelphia, President Shibe of the AL Athletics says, according to his lawyers, the Supreme Court ruling applies only to Nap Lajoie and has no reference to any other player. » June 26, 1903: Veteran SS George Davis, 1900-1901 Giants manager who played for the White Stockings in 1902 and was awarded to them as part of the peace treaty, gets the approval of NL president Harry Pulliam to play for the Giants. After Davis plays in four games, including today, for the Giants, Chicago's owner Charles Comiskey gets an injunction preventing Davis from playing. On July 20th the NL directors vote that Davis cannot play for any team except the White Stockings. Davis sits out the rest of the season but rejoins Chicago in 1904 and finishes a 20-year career with them in 1909. » June 30, 1903: The Cards bunch three hits and a George Davis error in the 6th for three runs and beat Christy Mathewson, 4-2. Davis will appear in just four games in 1903, all for the Giants, before White Sox owner Charles Comiskey secures an injunction to keep him off the field. He'll be back with the Sox next season. » October 1, 1903: In the first City Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Nationals, Jack Taylor shuts out the Sox, 11–0, on three hits at the West Side Grounds. The Colts win the next two games, but Taylor will lose his next three starts and the series will end tied at seven apiece on October 15. Sox owner Charles Comiskey is willing to play it out but the Colts Jim Hart is not (according to historian Benton Stark). Hart is convinced that Taylor lost his games deliberately for money and will trade the star in two months. » September 20, 1905: Chicago President Charles Comiskey orders a houseboat built for the express purpose of transporting and housing the team during spring training. » May 18, 1912: The $400,000 Redland Field is dedicated in Cincinnati. A number of dignitaries, including Pennsylvania governor John Tener, AL Prexy Ban Johnson, and White Sox owner Charles Comiskey are on hand. Designed by Harry Hake at a cost of $225,000, the field replaces the aging Palace of the Fans on the same site, and looks very much like the Crosley Field that will eventually replace it. The Reds then delight the 20,000 fans by beating Christy Mathewson and the Giants, 4–3. » December 17, 1914: Charles Comiskey pulls a surprise, reaching down to Peoria and naming Clarence "Pants" Rowland, scout and minor league executive, to manage his White Sox. » December 19, 1914: Washington manager Clark Griffith meets with Walter Johnson in KC and convinces the star to re-sign for $12,500, considerably less than his recent contract with the Chifeds, with the assurance that Griffith would convince the Washington management to spring for a bigger contract later. Washington will later sign Johnson to $16,000 a year for five years. Griffith gets $6,000 from Charles Comiskey to allow Johnson to repay his Chifed signing bonus. » September 1, 1917: AL president Ban Johnson instructs umpires not to tolerate unnecessary delays. His statement is an outgrowth of a complaint by Charles Comiskey that protests of some managers and players about the condition of the ball in recent games has made it necessary to play two hours or more. The New York Times writes that, "Johnson said he would enforce the rule about discoloration of the ball but he has given out no bulletin on the 'shine ball.'" » October 6, 1917: Before the World Series starts, Charles Comiskey offers one percent of his team's World Series share to Clark Griffith's Bat and Ball Fund for American soldiers in France. In Chicago, Happy Felsch's home run is the difference as Ed Cicotte beats the Giants' Slim Sallee 2–1 in the Series opener. » September 18, 1920: National League directors meet in New York, joined by Jacob Ruppert, Cap Huston, Charles Comiskey, and Harry Frazee of the American League. They name a committee to draw up an agreement along the lines of Albert Lasker's proposal, and give the five AL clubs still backing Ban Johnson an ultimatum: come in by November 1st or the Yankees, White Sox, and Red Sox will pull out of the AL and join a 12-team NL (with a team in Detroit to complete the roster). The AL five turns it down, and bluff and counterbluff blow through the autumn air. » September 28, 1920: The Illinois grand jury indicts the eight Chicago players in the 1919 World Series scandal, and Charles Comiskey immediately suspends the seven players (Chick Gandil had retired before the season). Yankees owners Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston send a telegram to Chicago owner Charles Comiskey offering to place their entire team at his disposal, following the suspension of eight players in the scandal. Comiskey says he cannot accept the proposal. » January 5, 1925: During the White Sox' and Giants' tour of Europe, the French Baseball Federation awards silver medals to John McGraw, Charlie Comiskey, and Hugh Jennings for their efforts to advance the game in France. » June 10, 1952: After an absence of 5 months, Charlie Comiskey, Jr., rejoins the White Sox as vice president after he was reelected to the board. » September 23, 1955: After a running feud with owner Charlie Comiskey, Jr., Frank Lane resigns as GM of the White Sox. » December 19, 1957: In a continuing family squabble, Charlie Comiskey, Jr. denies his sister's, Mrs. Dorothy Comiskey Rigney, allegation that he used the "rule or ruin" tactic to gain control of the club. » February 7, 1959: White Sox President Mrs. Dorothy Rigney agrees to sell the team to Bill Veeck for a reported $2.7 million. Chicago insurance broker Charles O. Finley allows that he can match the price. Charles Comiskey will try and stop Veeck from buying the Sox but will be unsuccessful. » March 6, 1959: Charlie Comiskey loses his bid to stop the sale of the White Sox to Bill Veeck. » January 14, 1960: Charles Comiskey, Jr., says Bill Veeck has turned down his offer to buy the White Sox. » January 29, 1960: The Illinois Appellate Court says Dorothy Rigney, sister of Charles Comiskey, Jr., was entitled to sell her mother's shares of White Sox stock to Bill Veeck. Her brother brought suit in an effort to gain control of the club. » March 9, 1960: Hank Greenberg says efforts to settle the Veeck-Comiskey dispute have failed and that Charles Comiskey refuses to become a minority partner of the Veeck-Greenberg syndicate that controls the White Sox. » December 15, 1961: Charles Comiskey, Jr., sells his 46 percent interest in the White Sox to a group of 11 investors.