Cheating in Baseball: It's Not New

Recently I was reminded of the so-called steroids scandal in MLB by an article about Mark McGuire joining the St. Louis Cardinals as a batting coach. The issue of his alleged "performance-enhancing drug use" was brought up and whether fans would forgive him. The issue of steroids has given MLB a bad reputation to a degree but has not really adversely affected attendance that much. If you explore the history of baseball there are plenty of examples of unethical or "seedy" behavior going on in professional baseball, besides other pro and college sports. Doing a bit of reading opens up some of these examples.

From the very beginning of the National Association, the predecessor of the National League, questionable performances were raising red flags in the minds of those following the game. Some of what caused the collapse of the first real major professional league, the National Association, came from undesirable acts of "throwing games" and were reported. The formation of the National League out of its ashes came about with the hope that gambling and other unwanted behavior could be curbed. It did not have that effect, although the new league at least was better prepared to survive it. Some of the pennant races in fact were suspected of being influenced by dirty money, including the race of 1877.

At times during the last portion of the 19th century players were banned or ejected from their teams. Even one umpire, a man by the name of Richard Higham, was banished from baseball for more than a suspicion in throwing or influencing the outcome of games. Many reporters continued to follow suspicious characters, sometimes being able to expose them in their papers.

As the old century came to a close there were even teams that were considered "dirty" in their playing, including playing to intentionally hurt opposing players and committing acts of cheating on the field. One of the greatest teams of the early baseball years, the Baltimore Orioles, were notorious for these kinds of acts. It was even suspected that some of the players on the Orioles actually would sharpen their spikes to slide into opposing fielders to injure them. This behavior was carried into the 20Th century.

With the advent of the American League and competition between the two existing major leagues heating up, less attention was payed to the effects of gambling on baseball. In many books of the era, the years between 1900 and 1927 were filled with evil and inferiors characters, including one who was eventually banished from baseball. Hal Chase was a talented and popular player in baseball who showed signs of promise to become a superstar. The problem was that he could not apparently keep from the temptation of gambling on games, especially ones he played in. Early on as a player with the New York Highlanders (the future Yankees) his manager was quoted as saying that Chase's erratic behavior on the ball field was proof that he was throwing certain games. One story was even told that he bragged about how he would throw games, or at least affect play. Eventually he was targeted by the new commissioner, Kenesaw M. Landis, and thrown out of baseball.

Some individuals were alleged at attempting to affect batting races, as in one race between popular star Nap Lajoie and the hated but super-talented Ty Cobb. Some players were supposedly asked to make an extra effort to make plays on Cobb's shots off the bat, but to "lay down" on some of Lajoie's. All of this did not succeed: Ty Cobb won the batting crown in spite of it. He is still the only player ever to win twelve batting crowns.

All of this culminated in the eventual Black Sox Scandal of 1919. What is not familiar to fans is that the Reds, winners of the NL pennant that year, may have been aided in winning their pennant by controversial play by some teams, possibly and suspiciously influenced by gambling money. Nonetheless, the World Series that year, and possibly the AL pennant race of the following year, were evidently effected by gambling. Most baseball fans are familiar with the story and the names of the guilty players, but some of the details are not familiar. For instance, most of the so-called confessions made by the players vanished from the records, and strangely some of the "guilty" players such as Joe Jackson played very well in a majority of the games. There is even a story that Joe Jackson wrote a letter to his team's owner warning him of the potential fix. Such was the climate of the game back in those days.

An interesting sidelight is whether or not players in the first half of the 20Th century used any kinds of "performance-enhancing" drugs or chemicals. It is not known whether there was even anything available to the ballplayers in those days, but it is known that alcohol played a large part in the play of many. Some players, such as Babe Ruth, Paul Waner, and Jimmie Foxx, were constantly tied to widespread and continued alcohol use and abuse. One story in Pittsburgh actually suggests that Paul Waner, known here as "Big Poison" and brother to Lloyd, or "Little Poison", attempted at one point of his career to stop playing under the influence. After the experiment failed, as his batting average dropped, he returned to drinking and began hitting again. Such was the opinions and beliefs of the players of that day. Most players would probably admit that alcohol would adversely affect their performances but some seemed to think and prove otherwise.

The more recent story of Pete Rose, still-reigning hits king of MLB, is both well-known and controversial. Opinions are strong by many on whether or not he should be forgiven and someday admitted to the Hall of Fame, where his numbers suggest he deserves to be. There is a strong body of fans and officials who refuse to forgive Rose for his "alleged" gambling in baseball. Even though a bulk of evidence has pointed to Rose being guilty, he has never really admitted fully his guilt to the public. The fact that he has no apparent remorse has bothered some fans and has not collected him much sympathy. Although the future may find enough forgiveness for him, it continues today to be an emotional issue to many.

The somewhat recent story of Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers is also a rather sad one. At the top of his game, and in spite of his impressive performances, he has never been officially forgiven for his suspected and suggested gambling crimes. It seems that McLain was accused early on in his career and the issue was not pressed until after his questionable performance at the end of the 1967 pennant race, when it is suspected he did not pitch well down the stretch. He also was eventually banished from baseball.

Whether it's steroids, gambling, dirty play or something else, the fans of baseball seem to be very forgiving, in most circumstances. Players with questionable pasts are many times invited into the clubhouses and onto the playing fields of baseball enthusiasts who are simply looking for a winning team. Sometimes this enthusiasm borders on the level of insanity. If a player can affect the fortunes of a bad luck or losing franchise, most of their sins can be forgiven. Winning seems to heal all, or at least most, and it hits home in many ball fields and cities today. It remains to be seen whether the "steroid-era" players will be completely forgiven and granted kudos for their performances, but it would not be surprising to expect that they would. Americans seem to be willing to forgive and forget when it comes to their sports heroes. We will see.

Sources: Thorn, J., Palmer, P., Total Baseball: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Baseball, Third Edition, Harper Collins Publishers, 1993.

James, B., Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Villard Books, New York, 1988.