Dutch Leonard - 95 years ago today...

[deadballfreaK]

Originally Posted by Bosox Blair

Lovely card, Todd! If it makes you feel any better, I can't stand old Dutch for trying to destroy the reputations of Joe Wood and Tris Speaker with gambling allegations. Red Sox fans...always love/hate...lol!

Cheers,
Blair

Well, Leonard may have been a jerk, but Joe Wood admitted to the allegations to Lawrence Ritter. In his own words on tape. Cobb implicated also. Joe Wood admitted it on tape. I have it. He seemed to more concerned that Leonard was a rat.

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by deadballfreaK

Well, Leonard may have been a jerk, but Joe Wood admitted to the allegations to Lawrence Ritter. In his own words on tape. Cobb implicated also. Joe Wood admitted it on tape. I have it. He seemed to more concerned that Leonard was a rat.

Hello Ken,

Admitted to what? He certainly did not admit to what Leonard alleged...that the Indians threw a game to the Tigers and Wood/Speaker/Cobb bet on the Tigers. They denied that, and Landis pronounced that there was no evidence of it - or any evidence that any of them had fixed a game.

Wood admitted to Ritter (and in fact admitted to Landis) that he had placed a bet on baseball. He told Ritter he bet on his own team to win.

Now before everyone cries out Pete Rose, I think you have to remember the timing. The alleged betting by Wood was in the period 1919-1920. It was not until 1921 that Landis made his famous declaration damning all forms of betting on baseball and even knowledge of bets being made. I haven't studied the issue of gambling on baseball in great depth, but it is my understanding that up to 1921 at least, the crooked conduct in baseball gambling was considered to be betting against your own team and throwing games.

And a few years later, when Landis himself heard the evidence of the Leonard allegations, he found no cause to ban Speaker or Cobb or Wood.

Cheers,
Blair

[deadballfreaK]

Wood admitted that they had inside info and placed bets accordingly. It was known to be illegal at the time. Granted that was a common thing at the time. Landis was a scheming jerk. He interpreted things as he pleased. The names Cobb and Speaker closed that case.

[glynparson]

Landis was an absolute jerk. I've heard of more evidence of wood and speaker then I ever heard of weaver.

[deadballfreaK]

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[deadballfreaK]

I have no animosity towards Wood and Speaker. Great players. Too competitive to throw games I'm sure. Still it is well known that gambling was running wild at the time. I'll bet there were a lot of throws sailed into the stands for $20 by underpaid scrubs. The Black Sox just got caught.