Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey

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Charles Albert The Old Roman Comiskey was a larger-than-life figure; a man who had precision in his speech and who could work a room with handshakes and smiles. While he has been vilified in film as a rotund cheapskate and the driving force, albeit unknowingly, behind the actions of the 1919 White Sox, who threw the World Series (nicknamed the Black Sox scandal), that statement is far from the truth.

In his five decades involved in baseball, Comiskey loved the sport through and through. It was his passion, his life blood, and once he was able to combine his love for the game with his managerial skills, it was the complete package for him. There was no other alternative. He brought the White Sox to Chicago in 1900 and was a major influential force in running the American League from its inception. From changing the way the first base position was played, to spreading the concept of small ball as a manager, to incorporating the community in his teams persona while he was an owner, Comiskeys style and knowledge improved the overall standard for how baseball should be played.

Through rigorous research from the National Archives, newspapers, and various other publications, Tim Hornbaker not only tells the full story of Comiskeys incredible life and the sport at the time, but also debunks the Black Sox controversy, showing that Comiskey was not the reason that the Sox threw the 1919 World Series.

Reviews

"Hornbaker makes a sound case for why Comiskey has long been an inappropriate fall guy for the [1919 'Black Sox'] scandal. . . . His depth of knowledge of this era of baseball history shines through."
Kirkus Reviews

It is engrossing and provides a much-needed reassessment of the man and his impact on the sport. Verdict: A worthy read for Black Sox buffs and baseball history fans.Library Journal

In Turning the Black Sox White, Tim Hornbaker reviews Comiskeys entire career and restores his reputation to its former state, with clear eye, fair mind, and thorough study.
John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of Baseball in the Garden of Eden

Ive always been a sucker for stories about Charles Comiskey and the 'Black Sox' scandal of 1919. Tim Hornbaker takes a new and different look at the situation. Its a pleasure to come along for the ride.
Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam

Charlie Comiskey is one of the giants of baseball history: a remarkable innovator as a player, manager, and mogul; a fierce competitor yet an extraordinarily charismatic fellow. In this richly detailed work, Tim Hornbaker makes an open-and-shut case that, contrary to modern depictions of Comiskey as a greedy villain, he deserves to be remembered as a good as well as a great man.
Edward Achorn, author of The Summer of Beer and Whiskey and Fifty-nine in 84

As a portrait of a major league baseball mogul in the early 20th century and as a cutaway view of the game before World War II, Turning the Black Sox White works well.Allen Barra, Chicago Tribune

Those who revile Comiskey see this as a gross injustice. After reading this book, they just might change their minds.Paul Hagen, MLB.com

Succeeds in humanizing an important-yet-oversimplified figure in baseball history.SB Nation
"Hornbaker makes a sound case for why Comiskey has long been an inappropriate fall guy for the [1919 'Black Sox'] scandal. . . . His depth of knowledge of this era of baseball history shines through."
Kirkus Reviews

It is engrossing and provides a much-needed reassessment of the man and his impact on the sport. Verdict: A worthy read for Black Sox buffs and baseball history fans.Library Journal

In Turning the Black Sox White, Tim Hornbaker reviews Comiskeys entire career and restores his reputation to its former state, with clear eye, fair mind, and thorough study.
John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of Baseball in the Garden of Eden

Ive always been a sucker for stories about Charles Comiskey and the 'Black Sox' scandal of 1919. Tim Hornbaker takes a new and different look at the situation. Its a pleasure to come along for the ride.
Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam

Charlie Comiskey is one of the giants of baseball history: a remarkable innovator as a player, manager, and mogul; a fierce competitor yet an extraordinarily charismatic fellow. In this richly detailed work, Tim Hornbaker makes an open-and-shut case that, contrary to modern depictions of Comiskey as a greedy villain, he deserves to be remembered as a good as well as a great man.
Edward Achorn, author of The Summer of Beer and Whiskey and Fifty-nine in 84

As a portrait of a major league baseball mogul in the early 20th century and as a cutaway view of the game before World War II, Turning the Black Sox White works well.Allen Barra, Chicago Tribune

Those who revile Comiskey see this as a gross injustice. After reading this book, they just might change their minds.Paul Hagen, MLB.com

Succeeds in humanizing an important-yet-oversimplified figure in baseball history.SB Nation

Author Bio

Tim Hornbaker is a lifelong sports historian and enthusiast who attended his first baseball game at the old Comiskey Park in 1981. His booksWar on the Basepaths:The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobband Fall From Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of "Shoeless Joe" Jacksonwere recieved with critical acclaim, the latter being a finalist for the SABR Ritter Award.He continues to research sports history and lives in South Florida with his wife, Jodi.

Bob Hoie is a baseball historian and member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). He has appeared in two documentaries on the Black Sox produced by ESPN (2001, 2005), and another by the MLB Network (2010). His article 1919 Baseball Salaries and the Mythically Underpaid Chicago White Sox was a finalist for the 2013 SABR Analytics Research Award, and was the third person to ever win SABRs Bob Davids Award for meritorious service (1987). Hoie resides in San Marino, California.