Eight Men Out (1988) - full transcript

Bucky!

Bucky!

Bucky!

Bucky!

I got it, Bucky!

I got together two bits. We're in.

How'd you get it?

Hawkin' papers. Come on! It's starting!

-We're goin' to see the Sox!
-Come on!

-Two bleachers.
-Two bleachers.

Thank you.



Three, please.

Safe!

-Two bills says he does.
-Two bills says he don't.

-These are the best seats in the joint.
-You bet.

If Cicotte's arm holds up, it'll be murder.

Better get movin', boys.
Commie's pourin' in the clubhouse.

Commie, he sure knows the way
to a writer's heart.

The sportswriters of the world unite.

You have nothing to lose
but your bar privileges.

Quiet. Here comes the Old Roman.

Hello, boys.

Hi.

Everybody happy? Hi, Billy.

Tommy. Smitty.



Hey, sourpuss.

Let's go, Hughie.

Ban Johnson's going to be
pretty sore if your boys win.

No question, if my boys'll win.

It's just a matter of how many games
it's gonna take.

Think it could go the full nine?

Nine games? Not a chance.

You sound pretty cocky.

I got the horses, Smitty. I got the horses.

And more than that, I got the team, fellas.

Kid Gleason's done a heck of a job
at the helm this year

bringing these boys together,

smoothing out the defense,
building up the offense,

getting the boys
to think and move together.

Hell, they eat together, travel together,

room together on the road,
and when it's time to play

they let off steam together.

No room for prima donnas in this ball club.

Every man for the good of the team.

Out.

You're out of there.

That one wake you up, Collins?

Hey, College Boy needs his beauty sleep.

What for? He goes to bed at 9:00.

Wouldn't hurt you guys
to get a little sleep once in a while.

Shove it, College Boy.

It's like a family, you know.

What about the odds on your boys?

It's already three to one in their favor.

They are underestimating us.

Any bet against my Sox this series
is a sucker bet.

Of course, I'm not a gambling man.

-Collins?
-Nah.

College Boy is the only one on the club
gettin' paid what he's worth.

Had it in his contract when he got traded.

Hey, mister. Hey, mister,

you made my brother
spill his Cracker Jack.

Mister!

Here, kid. Shut him up, will you?

What about Chick Gandil?

He might do business. Chickie's a sport.

Gandil? Only first sack in the league
doesn't need a glove to play.

Hands of steel.

I'll put my Joe Jackson
up against any player in the circuit.

The boy can hit. He can run. He can throw.

If he could read, he'd be perfect.

Come on, Betsy.
A big, big wallop, now. Big wallop.

Tell me when, Betsy.

She ever talk back to you, Joe?

Probably sleeps with it, too.

Lay off, you guys.

You crackers stick together, huh?

Ask her for a triple, Joe. Did you hear me?

Been 60 years since the Civil War, Lefty.
Ease up.

Besides, you guys lost.
It was in all the papers.

That wouldn't help Jackson none.

Just leave him be.

What are you lookin' at, busher?

Here he comes.

Come on, Joe! Nail it!

Hey, Professor,

read any good books lately?

Hey, Professor!

Run, Joe! Run!

Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
Come on, come on, come on!

Come on! Bring it here, bring it here.
Come on, dig! Dig! Dig!

Come on, Joe! Slide! Slide!

Safe!

Whoopee! Whoopee! Way to go, Joe!

Jackson! Hey, Jackson!

Can you spell "cat"?

Come on, Shoeless Joe,
can you spell "cat"?

Hey, Mister, can you spell "shit"?

Buck Weaver?

Bucky's one of the boys.

But the thing about Bucky is,
he don't like to lose.

Everyone's standing up.

Here.

Come on, Buck. Rip into it.

You're out of there!

Can't stand to lose.

Put him on the "maybe" list.

What about Schalk?

Not a prayer.

Listen, Ray, settle a bet
between me and Hap, will you?

He says everybody knows how to smile,
even you.

And I said that your puss would crack
if you ever tried.

Go piss up a rope.

Okay, Eddie!
Come on, blow it by him, Eddie.

Blow it by him. Here we go, Eddie!

Eddie Cicotte has his control back
this year.

And I think his record speaks for itself.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's got two,

maybe three good seasons
left in that arm.

Foul ball!

Okay, come on, Eddie. It's just a lot of
noise. He's just making a lot of noise.

Eddie. Come on. Get it in here, Eddie.

Here we go. Here we go, Eddie. Come on.

Bring it in. Bring it in.
Burn it by him, Eddie. Here we go!

Let's get him now. Let's get him.

Foul ball!

Come on, Knuckles.
Don't make me nervous.

Keep it down there,
keep it down there, Eddie.

Hey, rag arm! Rag arm!

Hey, old man, get a rocking chair!

Okay, Eddie. One more strike.
Don't worry about it.

You're lucky he's swinging the timber.
Come on, Eddie, come on.

Pitch it right in there. One more, Eddie.
Come on!

Okay, let's do it, Eddie.

Right by him, right by him, Eddie.

Here we go. Right by him, Eddie.

Strike three!

Fifty years of baseball,

he's got the best knuckle ball
I've ever seen.

If he's such a fan,
why doesn't he pay him a living wage?

Eddie's gettin' old for this game.

I know the feeling. You walk out
on a mountain with your arm hanging.

You couldn't pitch
when you were young, Burnsy.

Eddie is the key.
We don't get Eddie, we forget about it.

Okay, Eddie. Let's finish him off here, now!

Way to go!

Guy could knock his brains out doing that.

What brains?

Shoeless Joe is ignorant.
Hap Felsch is dumb.

Jesus, Hap. Save it, will you?

Save it for what?

Stay hungry, guys, stay hungry.

Oh, whoa.

Well, what's the scoop, Harry?

Mr. Comiskey sent these down for you.

His congratulations
for a successful pennant race.

Well, that's white of him.

He didn't happen to mention when we
could expect that bonus he promised us

if we took the flag, did he?

This is your bonus.

Cheap bastard.

Fellas, if it was up to me...

Kid, we got no beef with you.

It's flat.

To the Old Roman, Charles Comiskey.

-To Commie.
-To Commie.

Beat their pants off, Commie.

-To the Sox.
-Yeah.

-Hey, Buck.
-Come over here, please.

Give me three rows, fellas.

-Hey, Winslow.
-Gentlemen.

-Hey, Winslow, your boys look sharp.
-Yeah.

They're the best I seen yet.

Best white folks' team anyways.

I say they're the best, Hughie.
The best ever.

Time will tell, kid.

Time will tell.

Just relax.

Come on, fellas.
Pretend it's Commie's wake.

Hold it.

Now, listen, honey while I say

How can you tell me
that you've gone away?

Don't say that we must part

Don't break this achin' heart

I've loved you truly all these years

Loved you night and day

How can you leave me?
Don't you see these tears?

Now listen while I say

After you've gone, and left me cryin'

After you've gone, there's no denyin'

You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad

"Sox sure shot in series."
That's the headline.

Now want me to skip
to the part about you?

Start from the beginning.

"Now that we've put the Hun in his place,

"it is time for Americans
to turn the attention

"to more pleasurable pastimes."

They're sayin' we got no bench, Freddie.

That's you they're talkin' about.

Hey, if Gleason puts me,
I'm gonna put a hole through them Reds.

Yeah? You gonna fart at 'em
or swing a bat?

Hey, wise guy, pow.

Hey, Freddie got the best hands
in the league.

I never once seen him drop a mug of beer
once he got his mitts on it.

Look at the way he sits in the stool, huh?

That's a professional benchwarmer's butt
if ever I seen one.

I hear you're quite a performer, Mr. Gandil.

Yeah, I ain't bad on the diamond, neither.

They say you don't even need a glove
to catch the ball.

Let me see your hands.

Look at them mitts, ladies.

You should have been a pug, Chickie,
mitts like that.

Oh, I done some scrappin'.

Spiffy-lookin' bird is Sport Sullivan.

Anything that moves in Boston,
he's got a bet down on it.

You think he's beat us to it?

Nah. He's just fishin' around
for some inside dope, is all.

My nose is broke,

my eyes are swelled up
so bad I can't hardly see,

and somehow I bust the guy
square with an uppercut.

He goes down.

Somebody stuffs 50 bucks in my hand.

Fifty bucks.

I'm steppin' on something,
and it's the other guy's teeth.

"What's he get?" I said.

Referee kneels over the guy and says,

"From the look of this jaw,
he gets a liquid diet for six weeks."

Now what we should have done

was waltz around for a few rounds,

then one of us hit the canvas,

and we split 25 bucks apiece later,

and nobody gets hurt.

Chickie's smart money.

Whenever I'm in town, he's the man I see.

You don't play the angles,

you're a sap.

Say, why don't you ladies
go powder your noses for a while?

The way I figure it is, that son of a bitch
Comiskey's the only one

going to make a killing on this series.

His ball club, his stadium.

His grass, his dirt, his air.

In fact, Commie owns you, Buck.

I'm surprised he ain't got you all doin'
yard work for him in the off-season.

-Nobody owns me.
-Claude?

That's a laugh.

Claude?

Bein' paged, Lefty.

It's time, Claude. You promised.

Gleason caught him sneakin' back
after curfew one night in Philly,

asked him what his wife would think.

And he said that's who he'd gone to see.

His own wife on the road?

Pitiful.

Just supposin'?

Yes.

You need at least two starting pitchers,

a couple of infielders,

a couple of heavy hitters.

I mean, if you really want to be sure.

What about the Sox?

Six, maybe seven that'd go for it.

I'd say you'd need at least $10,000 a piece.

Of course, who could put
that kind of money together?

I could.

You go back to Boston
and turn 70 grand at the drop of a hat?

I find that hard to believe.

You say you can find seven men

on the best club that ever took the field

willing to throw the World Series?

I find that hard to believe.

You never played for Charlie Comiskey.

I see you flirt

With some frail skirt

And I'm in a purple rage

This white-hot passion

Been the fashion

Since the olden golden days

It'd take me four seasons sweatin'
it out for Commie to make 10 grand.

Now, if we get it in advance,

we'll put it down on the Reds.

It gets heavy odds,
and it starts to multiply.

Just a couple games,
we're talkin', or the whole series?

That's one thing we'd have to work out.

Now, the way I figure is...

Hey, guys.

Damn.

Freddie.

You oughtn't to creep around
like that, pal.

You made Chick wet his pants.

How about lettin' me in?

In what? What are you talkin' about?

Whatever you guys got goin'. The fix.

You're in, Freddie.

What?

You want in, Freddie, you're in.

Now, if you could leave us alone here,

we got some things to iron out.

Sure, Swede.

Freddie.

Keep a lid on it, huh?

Sure, Swede. You know me.

Listen, I know he's your buddy
and all, but...

He's in.

Swede, hey, he's not even going to play.

Chick, he's in.

Okay, he's in.

What next?

Chick Gandil, hey.

Long time no see.

Bill Burns. Remember me?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, right. That's right.

Listen, Chick,

as long as we're here, there's a couple
of things I'd like to pitch to you.

He'll chase after almost anything
with two strikes on him.

I saw him whiff on a curve
in the dirt against the Cubs last month.

Congratulations, fellas. Hell of a season.

Thanks, Hughie.

Surprised to see you fellas in a gin mill.

It's a celebration.

The whole team should be here.

Ginger ale, eh? I had some of this once.

I think I was six. Maybe seven.

Suppose that's what
they're drinking over there?

Everybody's got their own way
of letting off steam, Ring.

It's what you do on the field that counts.

So if the thing with Sport falls through,
then we can try them two birds.

Why don't we just deal with them both?

That way, it's twice the payoff
for the same games.

Well, what if they find out
about each other?

Big deal.
What are they gonna do, call a cop?

Six or seven guys, $10,000 each?

Only one guy has the scratch
to back that kind of action.

Rothstein?

If we can get Rothstein
and they get Eddie Cicotte...

Eddie. Eddie's the man.

Real bad?

-No worse than it's been.
-You'll get to rest it pretty soon.

I'll go three games in the series.

You'll do fine. You always do.

Every time I throw the fastball,

I feel it all the way down my spine.

And the knuckler...

Well, you don't try to put it
where it don't want to go.

Some days, it just does what it wants to.

You always worry, and you always do fine.

Oh, hiya, girls.

Your daddy's gonna pitch
in the World Series.

Hey, Mr. Weaver.

Don't you fellas never go home?

We saw you play today.

Here's your two bits back.

I stunk up the joint.

No. You'll straighten out before the series.

Sure.

His name's Bucky. We named him after
you on account of you're his favorite.

No kiddin'?

Shoeless Joe is my favorite.

Joe's a heck of a player.

Could you show me some tricks?

No, it's gettin' kind of late.

I got to go. The wife, you know...

Please?

All right. Get in your third-sacker stance.

Sure thing, Mr. Weaver.

Buck. Call me Buck.

Ready? Bend your knees.

Forget it, I make six grand a year.

A lot of people are out of work.

How old are you, Eddie?
How long is the arm gonna hold up?

Arm's fine.

You got hurt, Commie wouldn't even
pay your train fare home.

What do you do then?

I hear you plan on sendin'
those girls of yours to college.

Look, Chick, will you just get off my back?

Just hear me out, will you?
Hey, what's your hurry?

I got a meeting with the old man.

-Right now?
-Five, please.

You wouldn't say nothing,
would you, Eddie?

You said if I won 30 games this year,
there'd be a $10,000 bonus.

So?

I think you owe it to me.

Harry, how many games
did Mr. Cicotte win for us this year?

Twenty-nine, sir.

You had Kid bench me for two whole
weeks in August. I missed five starts.

We had to rest your arm for the series.

I would have won
at least two of those games.

You knew that.

I have to keep the best interests
of the club in mind, Eddie.

I think you owe me that bonus.

Twenty-nine is not thirty, Eddie.

You will get only the money you deserve.

Anything else?

No, Mr. Comiskey, that's it.

Ten grand.

Huh?

Before the first game.

Cash.

What?

You heard me.

I seen him, Burnsy. Seen him fight once,
just before he lost the featherweight title.

Held some kid up for three rounds,
just so he could to drop the decision.

It takes a real artist to dump a fight
without hitting the canvas.

I told you, Bill, it's the little champ.

They don't take
nickel bets down here, fellas.

Abe Attell, right?

You. You were a ballplayer.

Bill Burns.

Sleepy Bill Burns.

Strictly bench material.

I won a few games.

You lost a few more.

And you, my friend,
did not get that nose bobbing for apples.

I'm a fighter, sort of.

Sort of. Let's see.

-Philly?
-Yeah.

Billy Maharg.

-You seen me fight?
-Yeah, I seen you. You're a bum.

-Hey.
-Yeah.

So what do you two birds want with me?

Word is you work for Arnold Rothstein.

We got a proposition to make.
Could be big money.

Well, I'm Mr. Rothstein's ears,
so let's hear it.

No dice.

No dice.

You're a practical man, Lefty.
You can see the advantages.

Claude, who's that?

We got Cicotte in the bag already.

-The hell you do.
-He's in, Lefty. You can ask him.

Eddie can dump three games
all on his own.

The thing is done, Lefty,
with or without you.

We just didn't want to leave you
out of the payday.

If you got Eddie,

you got me, too.

Claude! Claude, who is that?

Salesman.

Well, whatever he's sellin',
we don't want none.

Maxie Schwartz and Irish Tommy Flynn.

Pretty tough boys.

What's the action on them?

Both are young and stupid,
tryin' to make it the hard way.

I'd lay off, I was you.

Fight's on the level, huh?

Listen, A.R. This series thing,
those ham-and-eggers pitched...

Not interested.

We could see a good hunk of change on it.

If it's Burns and Maharg
you're worried about,

we could just cut them out
and do it ourselves.

Word gets out Arnold Rothstein's
betting against the Sox,

what happens to the odds?

They drop down the john.
But I could bet through these guys.

How long do you think
they're gonna keep their mouths shut?

Twenty minutes? Half-hour? What?

Yeah, but they got six guys, maybe seven.

Doesn't surprise me.

But they're the champs.

You were the champ once, Abe.

You went down for the bucks.

This is different.

Look, champ, I know who these guys are.

I grew up with guys like that.

I was the fat kid they wouldn't let play.

"Sit down, fat boy."
That's what they'd tell me.

"Sit down. Maybe you'll learn something."

Well, I learned something, all right.

Pretty soon, I owned the game.

And those guys I come up with,

they come to me now
with their hats in their hands.

Tell me, champ.

All those years of puggin',
how much you make?

The honest fights or the ones I tanked?

Altogether, I must have made
10 times more

betting on you than you did sluggin' it out.

And I never took a punch.

Yeah, but I was champ.

Featherweight champion of the world.

Yesterday.

That was yesterday.

No, A.R., you're wrong.

I was champ,
and can't nothin' take that away.

-About this fix thing, maybe if we...
-I'm not interested, Abe.

I'm gonna go get me some air.
I'll see you later.

Gramercy 8439.

8-4-3-9.

Right.

Nat? A.R.

Tell your Mr. Sullivan
he can stop by tonight.

Have him use the servant's entrance.

Yeah, he's in,
but he wants his name kept out of it.

-Mr. Rothstein don't like publicity.
-No problem.

'Cause if this gets out,
the odds go to shit, the deal's off.

Gandil wants $100,000 for the players.

That shouldn't be any problem
for Arnold Rothstein.

No. It's a cinch.

Yeah, yeah, I understand, Joey.
My heart bleeds.

But Mr. Rothstein's been carrying you
on this for months now.

You ain't come back with a nickel.

That's right. I'm collecting for him now.

What, you'd rather talk
with Monk Eastman?

No, no, Joey, I don't expect
the whole 40 grand right up front.

But listen, Joey, how about 10 or 15
as a gesture of good faith?

It makes me happy
to hear you say that, Joey.

Come in.

Mr. Rothstein.

Let's hear it.

It's the series, Mr. Rothstein.

Seems to be a popular topic today.

I can get eight men in, including Cicotte.

So what do you need me for?

Well, I'm a big man in Boston,

but Boston's a small town.

The kind of cash that I need...

A man shouldn't bite off
more than he can chew.

People watch what you do
real close, Mr. Rothstein.

If you or one of your people
were to bet heavy on the Reds, well...

If I lay the action, the odds stay fat.

And there's no direct link...

Go home.

Don't do anything till you hear from me.

Yes, sir.

Good night, Mr. Rothstein.

Big man in Boston.

You should have seen his place, Jimmy.

The big bankroll.

I never seen the like of it
outside of a museum.

Message from Mr. Rothstein.

You, go away.

Jimmy, go get me
some cigarettes for the trip.

Sure.

Mr. Rothstein says he's in.

Forty grand to the players up front.

You hold the other 40
till they blow the series.

Tell Cicotte to hit the first batter
if the fix is on.

Anybody connects Mr. Rothstein with this,

I come see you again.

You don't want that.

You tell Mr. Rothstein he's got my word.

I never knew you smoked, Sport.

Holy mother.

Will you look at it, Jimmy?
All spread out like that.

-Whose is it?
-Who do you think?

I want you to take
this $20,000 back to Boston.

I want you to go over to Mulcahy,
you know the password,

I want you to put it all down
on Cincinnati for the first game.

-Tell him it's just a hunch I've got.
-Some hunch.

Then, I want you to take this to McGinnis.

You tell him you're sure I've gone crazy,

but I want to place
10 big ones on the Reds

for the whole show.

-I'm laying bets for Rothstein?
-You're laying bets for me.

That thieving Jew don't know it,
but he's just given me a loan.

What's left for the players?

Jimmy, you know what you feed
a dray horse in the morning

-if you want a day's work out of him?
-What?

Just enough so he knows he's hungry.

-Guys.
-Hey, Ring.

-Hey, boys.
-Hughie.

Hey, you guys want in on this?

No. I hear Gandil deals from the bottom.

-Good luck with the Reds, fellas.
-Thanks, Ring.

-Hey, fellas.
-Hi, Ring.

-Good luck. Knock 'em dead.
-Thanks, Ring.

Hi, Eddie.

-How's the old soup bone feeling?
-Not bad.

Hughie's bringing his nest egg down
to lay it on you birds for the series.

He shouldn't ought to do that.

Anything can happen in baseball.

Hughie's a lucky man.

Hope won't have nothin' to do with it.

Eddie?

Excuse me, Ring.

Come on. It's in the bag.

I just wanted to let you
and Buck in on the take.

In on what take?

Well, it sounds like
you're already in pretty deep.

Come on, Hap. We lose a couple games,
we make $20,000.

A couple or the whole bit?

Hey, whoa, whoa.
What are you guys talking about?

What about Jackson?

The Swede's pitching him right now.
He'll come around.

If Joe ain't in, I ain't in.

So what if they found out
that you're dealing double, huh?

You cross a guy like Rothstein,
they're gonna find you in the gutter

with your little toes curled up.

Say, fellas.

Who's this?

Anyone care for a drink?

Hey, Joe.

Hi.

I stare at it till the eye goes blind.

Oh.

What then?

I do the other one.

Oh.

It's good for my batting eye.

Something wrong?

Hey, you're the doctor.

Listen, Joe,
we got together most of the guys.

The thing is,

we're going to drop
a couple of games in the series.

-Who?
-Everybody.

Chick, me, Cicotte, Lefty...

-Lefty?
-Sure.

Lefty and Fred and Hap and Bucky.

Everybody.

And, Joe, some of them...

I won't name names
but I had to tell them, "No.

"We can't leave Joe out of this.
He's one of us." I says...

-You want me?
-We need you, Joe.

I don't know.

You'd be an awful sap
to turn it down at this point, Joe.

Lefty and Eddie?
I mean, it would just be stupid not to do it.

You don't want to be stupid, do you, Joe?

I don't know.

People are gonna be awful pissed
if you fuck up their plans, Joe.

You don't want
to piss everybody off, do you, Joe?

You don't want me mad at you, do you?

Everybody else is in?

Everybody we need.

Okay.

There's a good boy.

You won't have to look bad,
just ease off a bit.

-That's all we want.
-Yup.

Oh, about the money,

at least 10 grand,
on top of your regular series pay.

Chick's working on it.

Hey, Bucky. Welcome to the club.

Now, Sport, how about it here?

If your fellas come through, Chickie,
you'll see the rest of it.

-But you gotta show something first.
-Now, listen, I told you...

Hey, Swede. You're looking fit, boy.

-He come through?
-Yeah, everything's swell.

Listen, Burns and Maharg are in
the bar car with this Abe Attell character.

They say they got the jack lined up,
so go have a couple of pops with them

till I'm through
with the boys in here. Okay?

Sure. Hey, what's with Bucky?

No problem. Bucky's one of the boys.

-Hughie.
-Ring.

Did you get it all down?

I go to bed last night,
it's seven to three on the Sox.

Now it's even money.

-You're kiddin'.
-No, I'm not kiddin'.

Some very big money from New York
went down on the Reds.

-Maybe they know something we don't.
-Think Cicotte's arm is sore?

Eddie's had a sore arm for 10 years.
Something's up.

-Hey, Bill. Not a trace of Attell.
-Where is that little rat?

It's all out on bets.

But that's not good enough.

Jesus. You'll get it soon enough.

-When?
-How much?

Hundred grand, like I said.
20 after each game.

Now, wait a minute. That's five games.

I thought we were just gonna dump a few.

You lose the first three.

Kerr's going in the third. He's not with us.

So what? We don't hit for him, he'll fold.
He's a busher.

After that, we'll play it by ear.
We got to make this look good, see?

Burns'll bring the money...

-I said before the first game, Chick.
-...after each game.

-Look under your pillow.
-Huh?

Compliments of Sport Sullivan.

When Rothstein fixes something,
it stays fixed.

Getting the jump on us, Bucky?

Oh, hey, Kid.

No. It's just all them reporters
at the hotel.

I couldn't think.

I hear some of you fellas
got together on the train last night.

Pep talk, you know?

Something on your mind, Bucky?

You don't look so good.

Kid, what would you...

Forget it. It's just nerves. Nerves is all.

Remember all them ground balls
I hit you when you first come up?

Yeah.

-You made a ballplayer out of me.
-You were a ballplayer all along.

I just took some
of the rough edges off, that's all.

You miss it, Kid, playing?

Every day and every night.

Yeah, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Better go back and get some sleep.

You got to be sharp
for them Reds tomorrow.

All right.

-See you in the morning.
-Good night, son.

These guys don't look so tough.

That's what Custer said
when the Indians took the field.

Hey.

-Today's the day.
-A fine day.

A beautiful day for it, huh?

I heard the same thing, fellas.

Every series I've been to
there's some rumor about a fix

just to shake up the odds.

You hang out in bars,
you hear a lot of screwy things.

Doesn't mean they're not true.

My guys would have told me
something was up.

Sure they would. Give them hell out there.

Let's keep separate scorecards.

You circle every play that smells fishy.
I'll do the same.

We'll compare them after the game.

Probably nothing to it.

Yeah, nothing to it.

How's it feel, Joe?

-I don't want to play.
-What?

I don't want to play.

And you can tell the boss that, too.

You'll play, Jackson! You'll play!

I been hearing a lot about odds lately,

like this is a racetrack,
everybody's a damn handicapper.

Sometimes the smart money
gets a little too smart for its own good.

But I'll tell you,
I've been in this game over 30 years,

I've never yet seen a club
could hold a candle to you fellas.

That's the straight dope.

The way I figure, we can't be beaten.

We can only beat ourselves.

You fellas know what I mean.

All right, let's get 'em!

Excuse me.

Weaver flies out to Roush.

Sox, no score, first half-inning.

Cincinnati coming to bat.

Would you like a seat, Mr. Rothstein?

I won't be here that long.

All right, let's play ball!

Let's go, Eddie. Let's go, now. Let's go.

Here we go, Eddie.
Right in here, blow it by him, Eddie.

Strike!

Take your base!

Rath, hit by a pitched ball,

advances to first.

Put it in here, Eddie. Let's go.
Let's do it, Eddie.

Come on. Right in here, Eddie.
Throw it by him, Eddie.

Okay. Bring it in here, Eddie,
bring it in here.

Come on, Eddie.

Back! Back!

Way to go, Happy.

-What the hell's he doin'?
-No one wants to look bad.

Eddie's going
to have to do it all by himself.

Safe!

Off the bag!

Come on, guys,
that should have been two!

One out.

Swede! Swede!

Risberg, you moron, what are you doing?

You had him!

Come on, Eddie. Cut him down!

-You okay?
-Give me the ball.

-Take it easy.
-Give me the ball.

Come on, Eddie! Keep it down!

Cut! Cut! Cut!

Eddie, he's the goddamn pitcher!

Get a pitcher in there.

Guess it's not your day, Eddie.

Guess not.

Gandil grounds out to second base.

Final out.

Red Legs 9, White Sox 1.

So what's the story, Buck?

-What does it look like?
-It looked like you skunked out on us.

Look, I haven't taken a nickel.
I don't owe anybody a damn thing.

We let you in on the meetings.

Look, you just play your ball game,
and I'll play mine,

and we'll see how it comes out.

Come on in.

-Ring.
-Hi, Eddie.

Have a seat.

Thought Cincy was a dry town.

Laws were made to be broken.

Catch.

What's this?

It's a new ball
they're thinking of using next year.

It's wound tighter.

This thing will take off like a rabbit.

Word is they'll outlaw
the spitter next year

and your shine ball.

Things will be tough for pitchers.

Things are always tough for pitchers.

You really took a shelling out there today.

They got their raps in.

That one Reuther caught hold
of looked like you tossed it in underhand.

Didn't break.

You didn't put anything on it.
Why should it break?

Did you bring me up here
to tell me I had a lousy day?

I want to know if the series
is on the level, Eddie.

What if I told you we're doing our best?

I'll believe you.

We played like a bunch of bushers today,

but nobody's in the bag.

Don't be sore at me for asking, okay?

No. We're just dumb ballplayers.

We need a mug like you to keep us honest.

Yeah.

It's me, Joe.

I got something for you, Joe.

On the dresser.

Swede said he'd appreciate it
if you'd ease up a little on the field.

You looked awful good out there today.

Hey, come on, Lefty. Let's groove one.
Let's get this guy.

Ball!

Just stick it where
I put the glove, will you?

Get a hit!

Come on, Claude, let's go.

Get it in here.

Safe!

Time!

-I called for a curve ball.
-That's what I threw.

Looked pretty straight to me.

Two outs!

Let's go.

Go ahead.

-Safe!
-Curve ball, damn it!

You guys stink! You stink!

Okay, let's go, Lefty, come on!

Bring it in here. Let's go! Let's go!

Okay, come on, Lefty.
Hum, babe. Hum, babe!

Out!

All right, Bucky!

You guys see that? Way to go, Buck!

-Nice grab.
-Yeah.

-Go back to Chicago!
-Go back!

You got shit for brains!

Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!

Go! Go!

Safe!

All right, fellas. Come on! Come on!

Ask it if it can pitch.

Williams, you son of a bitch!

-What's the matter with you guys?
-You son of a bitch!

He wouldn't throw
his goddamn curve ball!

-What's this, Williams? What's this?
-Hey, how about it, Lefty?

There he is. Hey, Kid!

How about a few quotables, Kid?

We have nothing to say.

-Hey, come on. Don't be a sore loser.
-I got nothin' to say! Get off my back!

What's the scoop, Buck?

Print what you want, Smitty.

You have a good day, Gandil?

Not bad. Did you?

I know what you're doing,
you son of a bitch!

I know what you're doing!

Let go of me!

-Gandil! Gandil!
-Come on, Kid! Let's go!

Hey, Gleason! Comiskey!

We got one of your stiffs down here!

-Mr. Comiskey?
-Who is it?

Gleason.

I got to talk to you.

This better be important.

If I'm being robbed of my World Series,

he damn well better
do something about it.

-What do you two birds want?
-We need the rest of the players' cut.

It's all out on bets.

-What's this?
-You heard me.

I made an agreement with those guys.

Well, that's your problem, ain't it?

You little prick.

Hey.

A couple of Boy Scouts here,
they made a deal.

The players are in now. Get it?

We got 'em by the short ones.

What are they gonna do, call a cop?

Here.

Ten grand.

That's all of it. That's the end.

-Here, you give it to 'em.
-No, Burnsy, not me.

Come on, Billy. It stinks in here.

Tell them bums
to make it look good tomorrow.

2:00 in the morning.

He's president of the league,
he has to do something.

He isn't even talking to you, Commie.

He's got to talk to me.

-What do you want?
-I just talked to Gleason.

He thinks Williams threw it all.
Now, you saw the game...

All I saw is that your boys...

-Sure thing, Sport.
-They lost it fair and square.

I'm being robbed,
and you're going to do something about it!

That's the whelp of a beaten cur.

Commie.

How you doin', Kid?

-Did you get it down?
-Every penny.

It's six to five for the Reds, though.

Even those Chicago bums
don't think Kerr will win.

How's it feel, Dickey?

My arm's great.

It's my knees.

-Just another ball game.
-Sure.

Just pitch 'em one at a time, son.

I remember the time
I threw a clean slate at the Cleveland Club.

You beat Cy Young one to nothing.

Hughie Jennings hit a homer in the ninth.

My grandfather took me.

First big-league game I ever went to.

Kid Gleason
beat the Indians with a no-hitter.

No kiddin'.

You're having a hell of a series, Buck.

What's that supposed to mean?

Nothin'. Just keep it up is all.

Well, why wouldn't I?

You'd know the answer to that
better than I would, Buck.

Take your base.

Run, damn it.

You're out.

What the hell was that?

I could've beaten that throw out
with my shoes tied together.

He'll never get work as an actor.

What's going on?

Okay, Dickey, this is it, this is it, baby.

You got 'em. Here we go.
Here we go, Dickey. Here we go.

Let's go. Let's do it, Dickey.
Here we go, Dickey. Here we go.

Strike. Strike.

You're out.

All right, Dickey! That-a way!

Attaboy, Dickey!

Slide! You got it!

Safe!

Strike! Strike!

You're out! Three!

You're out!

Nice going, buddy!

That's the way! All right, Dickey!

Bill?

Yeah?

Think you can stake me
the train fare back to Philly?

Yeah, hello, Joey.
I hate to bother you, Joey,

but it's about that 20 grand
you still owe Mr. Rothstein.

You gonna come up with it? What?

Well, if it's all cleared between you two,
I'm delighted to hear it.

Listen, Joey, since you're
sitting pretty over there,

I could use a couple of grand over...

What do you mean, "It's all out on bets"?

Kerr had the day of his life,

but if it wasn't five out of nine this year,
they'd be cooked.

We'll have to see what Eddie Cicotte
shows them tomorrow.

Yeah, Eddie's the ticket.

Oh, so that's where you went.

Keep you up last night?

Don't make any difference.

You're the one needs the sleep.

You shouldn't worry so much.

You're gonna wallop 'em today.

You got the home field,
the whole city there backin' you up.

If I tell you somethin',
you swear you'll never tell a soul?

What is it?

Some of the guys ain't playin' on the level.

Nah.

Chick, Swede, Lefty, Eddie Cicotte.
Some of the others. It's hard for me to tell.

-Eddie?
-Eddie.

-They wanted me in on it, too.
-What did you tell them?

I told them to take a hike,

but now I go out there on the field,
you know, I make the plays,

but I don't feel right.

Isn't there somebody you can tell?

Kid knows. He's got to,
except I figure he's like me.

He's waitin' for the boys to straighten up
in time to take the series.

The dugout is like...

Nobody can look each other in the eye.

You go out on the field,

and you don't know who's tryin'.
You don't know who's not.

I wish I didn't know.

Yeah, me, neither.

Come on, Eddie.
Let's get 'em now. Let's get 'em.

Throw it by him, Eddie.

Eddie! Eddie!

Cicotte, what was that?

You look like a busher.

Come on, Knuckles. Keep it down.

Come on, Eddie. Let's go.
Let's get it in here.

Joe, four!

Joe, four!

Let it go! Let it go!

Eddie, what are you doing?

How can you make a play like that?

What did you cut it off for, Eddie?

You lied to me, Eddie.

Don't worry, Commie.
The boys will be right tomorrow.

Safe.

Now it's Felsch.

You got it, Hap.

Let's go! Let's go! Come on!

Safe.

Safe? You cockeyed son of a bitch!
I had him! Who's payin' you?

Take a walk, Ray.

That's the worst call I've ever seen!
I've been in this league for seven years!

You heard me, Ray. Out of the ballgame.

They're all yours, Kid.

Get it!

Throw it!

Hey, Buck.

Hi, fellas.

-Hey, guys, look, it's Buck Weaver.
-Hey, Buck.

Tough breaks today.

-Yeah, I couldn't get the wood on the ball.
-No kiddin'.

My old man says you guys just give up.

He says the Sox just lay down
for the Reds.

-Your old man don't know beans.
-Says who?

Hey, hey. Hey, ease up.
Hey, hey, ease up. Come on.

Thanks for stickin' up for us.
A guy's got to stick up for his friends.

Even when they play like a bunch of stiffs?

Yeah. Especially then.

A guy don't stick up for his friends,
well, there ain't much to say for him.

Right, Buck?

I'm forever blowing ballgames

Pretty ballgames in the air

I come from Chi

I hardly try

Just go to bat and fade and die

Fortune's coming my way

That's why I don't care

I'm forever blowing ballgames

And the gamblers treat us fair

A crackpot.

All right! Way to go, Joey!

Quiet. Quiet.

Kerr must have got out of ninth okay.

They say it's tied, going into extra innings.

Wait a minute.

Way to go, Chick!

Play ball!

Come on, Chickie baby,
you got to do somethin' here now, Chick.

Come on, Chick.

Come on, Chick. Show me somethin'.

Oh, shit.

It's open.

Hey, Eddie.

-How's it goin'?
-Okay.

Still no word from Chick about the money.

I don't care about the money.

Yeah.

Peculiar way to find that out, isn't it?

What are you gonna do
out there tomorrow, Eddie?

I don't know yet.

I thought that you were supposed
to be in charge of this thing.

What happened to Sullivan?

He switched hotels.
We can't seem to track him down.

And what happened to Attell?

He says he shot his wad
in the third game when Kerr won.

He says he's busted.

-Well, the hell with them, then.
-You two made an agreement.

Hey, we lose one more game and it's over.

We dumped four games.
I only been paid for one.

You don't know what these guys are like.

Once you're in, you're in for good.
You can't welch on these guys.

It's your funeral, assholes.

Problems?

Nah. We still got Eddie.

Put it away, Eddie.
I'm going with Wilkerson today.

Why?

You haven't had the stuff lately, have you?

But I feel right today.

I can't take any chances. I'm sorry.

Like I can't lose, that's how right I feel.

Sure you do, Eddie.

Kid?

I can't miss.

Watch him.

It's your move, Eddie.

Okay, let's see that knuckle.

You're a bum, Eddie! Eddie, go home!

How long you think he'll go
before he dumps it?

Play ball.

Okay, Eddie baby, this is it.

It's up to you, Eddie baby.
Let's go! Let's go!

Let's get this guy, Eddie!

Strike.

Forget it, Morey.

Strike.

Strike three. You're out of there!

You're out.

You're out.

-One more!
-One more!

Okay, Hap! That's the way!

Strike!

Strike!

Strike!

Two more men, huh?

Yeah, go. That's a beauty.

Come on, Eddie. Bring it on in there.
You got the power, baby. You got the fire.

Yeah! Another one!

Come on, Eddie! One more batter!

Throw him the shine ball,
then blow it right by him.

Okay, Eddie baby, this is it.
It's up to you, Eddie baby!

Let's get this guy, Eddie!

Go, Eddie, you got the fire!

Strike two.

Did you see that pitch?

Okay, one more, Eddie! One more, Eddie!

Let's go! Let's get him!

Get him, Eddie! Get him, Eddie!

You got him. Come on, bring it
in here, Eddie. Bring it in here!

Here we go, Eddie!

You're out!

Good one, Eddie!

And I figured I had to stay
with my blue chip ballplayers.

You have faith in your fellas,
they come around.

The Reds only need
one more game to take the series.

-That's do or die for your club.
-No sweat.

What makes you so confident, Kid?

I think the boys are back in their form.

They got a look at Moran's staff now,

and they'll be swingin' free
from this point on.

I tell you, class always comes through
in the clinches.

Eddie came to me this morning.
He says, "Kid..." He says, "I can't miss."

We got Lefty Williams
hurlin' for us tomorrow.

One of the finest pitchers I ever seen.
Still for a big game, Lefty.

How do you explain the way
your boys laid down in the other games?

What do you mean, "laid down"?

Well, they didn't seem too
enthusiastic about their jobs.

Nobody did any layin' down.

Might have been a little overconfident,

maybe we didn't have the fine edge,
but the boys have been puttin' out.

The boys been put out
more than they been puttin' out.

You really think
you can turn this series around, Kid?

No sweat.

-The odds are pretty steep.
-My boys don't care about the odds.

Anything can happen
in this game. Anything.

So you figure
the boys'll be hitting tomorrow?

I sure hope so.

You got to pitch better
than your last time out.

I suspect I will.

-Thank you very much.
-You're welcome.

Hello, friend.
Who do you want me to sign this to?

You're gonna lose tomorrow.

-Oh, is that so?
-I know it for a fact.

That your wife?

Yeah. What's it to you?

You don't lose tomorrow, she dies.

-Who sent you?
-You made a promise to certain people.

-You son of a bitch.
-You can't protect her.

If I don't do it, somebody else will.

First inning, Mr. Williams.

What did he want, honey?

Oh, nothing.
He was just givin' me some advice

on how to pitch the game tomorrow.

Everybody's an expert.

O say can you see

By the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed

At the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars

Through the perilous fight

O'er the ramparts we watched

Were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare

The bombs bursting in air

Gave proof through the night

That our flag was still there

O say, does that

Star spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free

And the home of the brave?

Excuse me, sir.

I would like to bet you that my husband,
Lefty Williams, will pitch a no-hitter game.

Ma'am, in my opinion
it won't go past the very first inning.

I will bet you $5.

Okay, bring it in, Lefty. Bring it in.
Bring it in. Let's go, Lefty!

Take a shower, Williams!

Bear down, Lefty! You can do it!

Ball.

Pitch over the plate!

James, get your arm ready!

Shit! What the hell are you throwin'?

Nothin' but fastballs.

Slow ones.

James, you're in.

Didn't take you long, did it, Lefty?

Told you it wouldn't go past the first.

Got a tip on it.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Cincinnati scores again.

Score is four-nothing.

-Tough inning, huh?
-Yeah. They'll come back.

Comeback! Comeback!

Come on!

These five. Maybe more.

You prove it,
this town will never forgive you.

Yep.

You had a damn fine series, Bucky.

We lost.

We didn't get the breaks.

Maybe we just weren't good enough.

That's a load of bull, Kid, and you know it.

Game two.

Who's the best control pitcher
in the league?

Lefty Williams, right?

The guy's throwin' it all over
the fuckin' ballpark.

I'm asking him for curve balls all day.

A high fly ball, and Hap...

"Question: Did Gandil say anything?

"Answer: Yes, he wanted to know
if they were being double-crossed."

Sign the petition here!
Show the Sox we're behind them.

Stop the lies! Sign this letter now!

Will you please sign, ma'am?

Sign the petition!

"Such writers are leeches,

"sucking the lifeblood
of honest sportsmen,

"and should never again
be allowed to darken

"the threshold of a professional arena."

You're a leech, Hughie.

Keep reading.

"These writers use up
valuable newspaper space

"that would be better employed
for an exposé of the long-nosed,

"thick-lipped gambling elements
that prey upon the boys in the field."

Makes you proud
to be a sportswriter, doesn't it?

Now I don't want any
reward money, Mr. Comiskey.

I just figure you should know what's what.

Why did you wait till now to tell me this?

Well, I thought maybe it was
only one or two games,

that they'd straighten it out themselves.

I didn't want to be a squealer.

I'll take it under advisement.

What's that mean?

You're the college boy. You tell me.

It's your ball club, Mr. Comiskey.

Harry, get me Alfred Austrian.

Protecting the organization

that you've built and maintained
is what's best for baseball.

Now, some kind of investigation
is gonna be launched.

Our job is to control that investigation.

In fact, to appear to be
leading that investigation.

Albert, if I lose those players...

-You might not have to.
-They are guilty.

That, from a business
point of view, is irrelevant.

What's important
is that your business, baseball,

is going to take a shellacking
at the ticket window

unless you and you fellow-owners
make the public think

that you are
absolutely clean in this matter.

How do we manage that?

We felt that with your record of service,
and with the high esteem the public...

We need a commissioner.

Someone outside of baseball
who'd have certain powers to rule...

Absolute power.

-Absolute powers.
-Won't work any other way.

People won't believe it.

Absolute power.

Well, anyhow, we felt that the man

that cleaned the Reds
out of the country during the war

was the right man to clean up baseball.

We are prepared to offer you
a two-year contract...

-Lifetime contract.
-Lifetime?

A man worried about his job
is bound to play favorites.

Now you gentlemen don't want that,
do you?

Well, a lifetime contract seems...

I'm back in court
in five minutes, gentlemen.

Let's talk salary.

A man who, in the dark days
of the last great conflict,

made use of his official trust
to fight the Hun on these very shores.

A patriot of the first order, a family man...

Landis used to lead the league
in reverse decisions.

He says he's gonna clean up baseball.

He can start with the birds
up on the stairs with him.

...over our all-American
pastime of baseball.

It gives me great honor to introduce

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

Read all about it!
Baseball on the ropes. Read it here!

Grand jury called! Read all about it!

So long, suckers.

Wait here, Mr. Cicotte.

Eddie.

This is the man
handling the grand jury, Eddie.

He's got the goods on you.
You come clean, he'll take care of you.

-Eddie.
-Sign this, Eddie.

I know what you want to know.

I know.

Yeah, we were crooked.

We were crooked.

What's the story? What'd you tell 'em?

-Was it fixed, Eddie?
-Who was the brains, Eddie?

Did you get immunity, Eddie?

For spilling the beans,
did you get immunity?

What's that?

They just want to clean out
the gamblers, Joe.

Not the ballplayers.

I got to stay out of trouble.

They don't want you in jail,
they want you to be a witness.

Now, you just sign right there.

-My wife usually...
-You got to sign to be a witness, Joe.

Everybody does. Eddie signed it. Lefty.

-What's the scoop here, Hap?
-Yeah, the word is, you made a bundle.

Yeah, sure, I saw some cash.

They promised us all $20,000 each
but all I saw was five.

What am I gonna do, call a cop?

You looked pretty good out there
for a guy dumpin' games.

-Somethin' must've come over me.
-You double-crossed the gamblers?

No, no, I'm a man of my word.

So why did you do it, Hap?
Did somebody lean on you?

Everybody else was gettin' some.

I figured, without the pitchers,
we're gonna lose anyway.

So why shouldn't I get fat, too?

I may be dumb, fellas, but I'm not stupid.

Well, that wasn't so bad, was it, Joe?

Kind of felt good to get it off my chest.

You did the right thing, Joe.
We're proud of you.

Joe, over here.

What did you say, Joe? Were you in on it?

-What's the story?
-Hey, Joe.

Come on, who was the big cheese?
Who did all the brainwork here?

Why'd you wait so long to spill it, Joe?

-Swede is a hard guy...
-Joe.

Say it ain't so, Joe.

Say it ain't so.

Hey, Joe!

I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Ben Short,

Mr. Tom Nash, and Mr. Michael Ahearn.

You may not be familiar with their names,

but I would say they're the Ty Cobb,

Tris Speaker, and Zack Wheat
of the legal world.

Who's the Babe Ruth?

That's me.

Now, these are the men who are gonna be
taking care of you during the trial.

You have only two choices,

do exactly what we tell you to do
or go to jail.

You guys are such hotshots,
you don't come cheap.

Who's footin' the bill?

You boys have a lot of fans in this town.
Some of them are very wealthy people.

How about a name?

Rule number one in a conspiracy trial,
the less you know, the better off you are.

Mr. Rothstein feels
that he and your Mr. Comiskey

have certain interests in common.

Negative publicity can be very bad
for both of their businesses.

What does he want?

The confessions.

And the players?

I'm certain that you can help them
understand where their best interests lie.

They'll do what they're told.

If I had the jack,
I'd get my own damn lawyer.

Only Commie won't let us
have our series bonuses.

Who do you think is payin'
for the guys you got?

You think it's Commie?

Put your shoulders back.

Of course it's him.
You think he's gonna let

the best ballplayers in the game
slip away without a fight?

You look handsome.

I look like a future jailbird.

Sox trial starts today! Get the news!

Trial starts for Black Sox!

Sox trial starts today!

Looks like school's out.

There's Commie's lawyer.
He's got counsel lined up for the boys.

I thought Commie
was testifying against them.

Depends which way the ball rolls.
If Commie says one thing

that'll hurt him in the cash register,
I'll eat my hat.

Three signed confessions,
that's a tough hand to beat.

This is Chicago, my friend.
Anything can happen.

Here they are!

Edward Cicotte, Joseph Jefferson Jackson,

Arnold Gandil, Charles Risberg,

Oscar Felsch, Frederick McMullin,

Claude Williams and George Weaver
are hereby accused

of conspiracy to commit
a confidence game

on one Charles Nims.

Who the hell is Charles Nims?

Some sucker who bet on us in the series.

When did you first become
aware of the conspiracy?

You mean the possibility of a conspiracy?

Oh, pardon me.
The possibility of a conspiracy?

Shortly after the series began.

And you took no action?

I informed Commissioner Ban Johnson,

I hired private detectives
to check on the players,

and I personally kept
a scorecard of every game.

What did you find?

Hearsay. Nothing that would warrant
publicly slandering honest ballplayers.

-If they're honest.
-So you think they're innocent?

I'll abide by the ruling of the court.

Why are you appearing today
for the prosecution?

-I owe it to baseball.
-So you are making an accusation.

-Not if they're innocent.
-But you have suspicions.

They have been indicted
by a criminal court.

If that isn't suspicious,
I don't know what the heck is.

They pitched it to me.

They asked me if I knew somebody

willing to put up money
if they dumped the series.

-And you made this connection?
-I know a few people.

Did you ever stop to think
about the legality of your action?

Introducing people
who want to get together?

Bettin' on the Reds?

I'm just actin' on a tip, some inside dope,
like any guy would.

And how much did you profit
from your inside dope?

Not a red cent.

They busted me in the third game.

So the players double-crossed you?

There's no honesty in this world.

In fact, your reason
for testifying is revenge, isn't it, Bill?

If the players had really been crooked
and lost the third game,

you would have been satisfied.

You think you're even with them now?

I will be before I leave here.

You don't like me much, do you, Bill?

Sure I do, Ben.

If we'd had a smart fellow like you
at the head of this deal,

we'd all be rich now.

Who was present at this meeting?

Chick Gandil, Risberg, Hap Felsch,

Cicotte, Williams, McMullin
and Buck Weaver.

Joe Jackson was not present?

No, but he knew what was goin' on,
just like he said in the confession.

To what confession are you referring?

The confession he gave to the grand jury.

Can I ask that the prosecution
produce these alleged confessions?

Please bring them forward.

We don't have them, Your Honor.
They've been stolen.

Order!

Order! Sit down,
or I'm going to clear this court!

Must have cost somebody
an arm and a leg.

-Rothstein's?
-Or Comiskey?

Or maybe Rothstein's arm
and Comiskey's leg.

I want you to move out to the farm
if I go to jail.

You think they'll decide guilty?

I always figured it was talent
that made a man big, you know?

If I was the best at something.

I mean, we're the guys they come to see.
Without us, there ain't a ball game.

Yeah, but look who's holding the money
and look at who's facin' the jail cell.

Talent don't mean nothin'.

And where's Comiskey and Sullivan,
Attell, Rothstein?

Out in the back room,
cuttin' up profits, that's where.

That's the damn conspiracy.

You would have won, too.
You would have beat those guys so easy.

Well, won't nobody ever know that now.

You lived and worked
with these men every day.

You shared trains,
and hotels, and locker rooms.

And they never purposely
or inadvertently let slip of their plans?

I find that hard to believe.

Relations between me and most
of the defendants were strained.

Why was that?

Personal differences.

And yet you were positive
that there was a fix on.

It sounds like you had it in
for the defendants.

-I suspected there was a fix.
-You said you were positive.

No, you said that.

And if you want, I can show you where,
in the court transcript.

On what were these suspicions based?

Some of the guys
didn't seem to be putting out 100%.

Mr. Collins, have you ever played a game

when you were not in peak mental
and physical condition?

Occasionally.

Have you ever played a game
where you were distracted or upset,

and couldn't find it in you
to give your best effort?

No.

Couldn't or didn't put out 100%?
Didn't give it the college try?

No, never.

Then you're a very
remarkable man, Mr. Collins.

Well, you said it, I didn't.

Your Honor, please, could I say something,
please? This man is not asking...

Could we have some order here, please?

He's bunchin' us all together.
Who's he to talk?

Collins wouldn't even hit his own weight!

Your Honor, if it pleases the court...

-Sit down, Bucky.
-Shut up!

If it pleases the court,
I would like to take the stand.

You'll take the stand when you're called.

What if they don't call me?

Please be seated.

Wait a minute now.
What if they don't call me?

Be seated!

Your Honor, I want a separate trial!

The fact that I never took a penny
hasn't been brought up once.

I hit 327 in the series.
I didn't make an error!

I'm being charged with a conspiracy
I didn't have nothing to do with!

Sit down, Mr. Weaver.

I'm going to have to hold you
in contempt of this court.

Come on, Buck, sit down.

Nobody's interested
in your batting average.

Will the prosecution
care to cross-examine?

No, Your Honor.

"The trial will continue tomorrow,

"with Black Sox manager, Kid Gleason,
expected to take the stand."

What's all this "Black Sox" stuff?

Smart guys.
Reporters think they're smart guys.

All I want to do it go back
and play ball and forget about it.

I don't know if they're gonna let you
do that, Joe.

There's all this stuff about how baseball
can't have no cheaters.

I played good. They gotta let me play.

If they don't, what ware y'all gonna do?

I don't know.

How long were you a player
in the big leagues, Mr. Gleason?

Long time. Over 20 years. I was a pitcher.

As a pitcher, you had a great deal
of control over the outcome of a game.

Well, sometimes the other team
had more control than I did,

but, yeah, the pitcher, catcher,
they had the most control.

Were there gamblers involved
in sports in your day, Mr. Gleason?

Sure. How are you gonna keep them out?

Were there incidents
where games were thrown?

I heard stories.

Were you ever approached personally?

Oh, no, no, not personally.

I had a, you know, a reputation

for bein' the kind of guy
who wouldn't go for something like that.

So, you never had any thought
of instigating a deal?

Oh, no, no, I never...

I mean, I can see though where...

Well, maybe if a guy
feels he's bein' underpaid, and...

Maybe falls in
with the wrong kind of people,

and they feed him a line how he could...

You know, people are human.

But I never...

Not that I'm a Holy Joe
or nothin' like that...

You don't have to apologize
for being honest, Mr. Gleason.

Yeah.

Well...

What do you think of these players
of yours now, Mr. Gleason?

I think they're the greatest ball club
I ever seen. Period.

Hey, Buck.

Hi, fellas.

Seen you outside court today.

Some circus, huh?

Is it true what they're sayin' in there?
About Joe and the others?

Don't be too down on the guys, fellas.

When you grow up,
things get complicated.

You didn't do nothin' wrong,
did you, Buck?

Guess I never grew up.

I still get such a bang out of it. Playin' ball.

Same as I did when I first come up.

You get out there, and the stands are full,
and everybody's cheerin'.

It's like everybody
in the world come to see you.

Inside that, there's the players,
and they're yakkin' it up.

The pitcher throws,
and you look for that pill,

and suddenly,
there's nothin' else in the ballpark

but you and it.

Sometimes, when you're feelin' right,
there's a groove there,

and the bat just eases into it
and meets that ball.

And when that bat meets that ball,
and you can just feel that ball just give,

and you know it's gonna go a long way,

damn, if you don't feel like
you're gonna live forever.

I couldn't give that up.

Not for nothin'.

How do you think
they're gonna call it tomorrow?

Look down to third base next year.

You're gonna see Buck Weaver
playin' his butt off.

Yeah.

"The aforementioned parties
are also accused

"of conspiracy to commit
a confidence game,

"on offense which in this case carries
a maximum penalty of five years in jail

"and a $2,000 fine."

Does anyone have a statement to make
before the final verdict is made?

I do, Your Honor.

Very well, Mr. Weaver.

I want it put on the record somewhere

that I asked for a separate trial,
and I was refused.

That evidence of my play in
the World Series games was not admitted,

and I never got a chance
to take the stand on my own behalf.

It will be so noted.

A big setup.

-Will the foreman read the verdict?
-Yes, Your Honor.

We find the defendants

not guilty on all charges.

That was a bigger fix than the series.

Gamblers eight, baseball nothing.

-You got your ball club back, Commie.
-I will make them pay for this.

-Hey, Chick.
-Hey, small world, huh?

All right.

Make room for the clean Sox.

-How you feelin', Joe?
-Like a million bucks.

I seen some lawyerin' in my day,

but you people in Chicago
got some lawyerin' birds.

You could talk the buffalo
right off a nickel, you put your minds to it.

Now what did I tell you, Bucky?
It was in the bag all the time.

"Regardless of the verdict of juries,

"no player who throws a ballgame,

"no player who undertakes
or promises to throw a game,

"no player who sits in conference

"with a bunch
of crooked players and gamblers

"where the ways and means
of throwing a ballgame are discussed

"and does not promptly
tell his club about it,

"will ever play
professional baseball again."

To baseball.

Strike!

Fella's playin' shallow in center, isn't he?

He's new.

Damn if that doesn't look like him.

Look like who?

Nah, couldn't be.

He's gonna get burned playin' in so close.

-How'd he get back there?
-Who is that guy?

-It is. It's him.
-What's his name, the new guy?

-He don't look so new to me.
-Well, it says his name's Brown.

-A name is easy to change. It's him.
-Who's him?

It's Joe Jackson.

-What?
-Get outta here.

Who's Joe Jackson?

Look at how he's hitting us.
He's killing us out there.

-Double, two home runs.
-These bushers make peanuts.

Jackson made a fortune on those games.

-It's him.
-You ever see him play?

-Yeah, I saw pictures.
-Pictures.

I saw him play.

Yeah?

What do you think?

He was the best.

Run, hit, throw.

He was the best.

So what do you think? Is that him?

Nah.

Those fellas are all gone now.

Let's go! Let's go! Give it a ride!

Stand up. You got it beat.

Safe!

Yeah, Brown, huh?

Who's Joe Jackson?

He was one of the guys
that threw the series back in '19.

It's one of them bums from Chicago, kid.
He's one of the Black Sox.