The gripping story of how one of the most infamous scandals in American history--the Black Sox scandal--continued for nearly a year following the fixed World Series of 1919 until the truth began to emerge. The Black Sox scandal has fascinated sports fans for over one hundred years. But while the focus has traditionally been on the fixed 1919 World Series, the reality is that it continued well into the following season--and members of the Chicago White Sox very likely continued to fix games. The result was a year of suspicion, intrigue, and continued betrayal. In Double Plays and Double Crosses: The Black Sox and Baseball in 1920, Don Zminda tells the story of an unforgettable team and an unforgettable year in baseball and American history. Zminda reveals in captivating detail how the Black Sox scandal unfolded in 1920, the level of involvement in game-fixing by notable players like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, and the complicity of White Sox management in covering up details of the scandal. In addition, Zminda provides an in-depth investigation of games during the 1920 season that were likely fixed and the discovery during the year of other game-fixing scandals that rocked baseball. Throughout 1920, the White Sox continued to play--and usually win--despite mistrust among teammates. Double Plays and Double Crosses tells for the first time what happened during this season, when suspicion was rampant and the team was divided between "clean" players and those suspected of fixing the 1919 World Series.
Don Zminda spent more than two decades with STATS LLC, first as director of publications and then director of research for STATS-supported sports broadcasts. He has written or edited over a dozen sports books, including The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and the SABR publication Go-Go to Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox. He has been a member of the Society for Baseball Research since 1979. A Chicago native, Zminda now resides in Los Angeles.
The 1920 baseball season--between the 1919 World Series and the expulsion of the Black Sox--was one of the most fascinating in history, as crookedness and rumors of crookedness cast a shadow over baseball and a wide assortment of its characters. With clarity and style, Don Zminda delightfully brings to life the season, its genesis, and its aftermath.--Daniel R. Levitt, author of The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy Zminda's Double Plays and Double Crosses is a fantastically researched, well-written, entertaining deep dive into the 1920 White Sox, American League pennant race, and 1919 World Series gambling scandal that finally came to light late in the 1920 season. It's an essential addition to the growing library of books about the Black Sox scandal.--Mike Lynch, five-time author and founder of Seamheads.com In order to fully understand the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, one must also closely examine the play of the Chicago White Sox in 1920. Don Zminda tells us why in compelling fashion. It makes for a fascinating read.--Rick Huhn, author, Eddie Collins: A Baseball Biography The story of the fixing of the 1919 World Series - and its substantial aftermath - has often been misleadingly written about and portrayed on the screen. Thankfully, White Sox historian Don Zminda gets it right, in the process shedding substantial and needed light on the aftermath. You want the facts about the Black Sox? Read this book.--Bill Felber, author of Under Pallor, Under Shadow: The 1920 American League Pennant Race That Rattled and Reshaped Baseball. The story of the 1919 Black Sox is also the story of the Clean Sox, and the 1920 season when the two camps butted heads in a manner not seen in the disputed World Series. Don Zminda sorts the 'laundry' of the Sox in this important extended view of the scandal that changed baseball forever.--Craig Wright, BaseballsPast.com A vital addition to the library of baseball history, Don Zminda tells the compelling story of how the 1919 Chicago Black Sox "threw" the 1920 pennant before they were "outed." Countless words have been written about the infamous 1919 World Series, and here's the first look at the great 1920 team that likely gave away a number of games. As Chicago manager Kid Gleason said, "I had the greatest ball club ever put together when those pinheads went wrong." A 96-win club could have . . . should have won well over 100. Here's how it happened.--Steve Steinberg, baseball historian and author of the award-winning Urban Shocker: Silent Hero of Baseball's Golden Age An eye-opening account of the Black Sox scandal that adds new and important information. A needed addition to any baseball library.--Mike Sowell, author, The Pitch That Killed
