On this day in 1921 the Commissiner of Baseball- Kenesaw Mountain Landis {who looked like what you would think a baseball commissioner should look like} bans the eight Chicago Black Sox, who were involved in throwing the 1919 World Series. A day earlier they were acquitted by a Chicago court. The players and the jury partied at an Italian Restaurant late into the night. Their joy would end the next day when they were hammered by Landis. Landis did the right thing, the players were crooked.  This decision and a fellow named George Ruth would save baseball.

Below is the statement that Judge Landis issued 91 years ago today.

“Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player that throws a ball game; no player that undertakes or promises to throw a ball game; no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing ball games are planned and discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball. Of course, I don’t know that any of these men will apply for reinstatement, but if they do, the above are at least a few of the rules that will be enforced. Just keep in mind that, regardless of the verdict of juries, baseball is competent to protect itself against crooks, both inside and outside the game.”

A great book about the Black Sox Scandal- “Eight Men Out” by Eliot Asinof… and one of the greatest sports movies ever- “Eight Men Out” which came out in the late 1980’s starring the underrated John Cusack.