The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time - Elliott Kalb [91]
After one season, Chase was replaced as manager but kept as a player. Because he refused to take himself or his duties seriously, Chase passed up the opportunity to be the manager for many years.
Yankees manager (the Highlanders became known officially as the Yankees in 1913) Frank Chance, nicknamed “The Peerless Leader,” suspected Prince Hal of throwing games in the summer of 1913. Some think what Chase did was arrive at first base a step late for a throw from an infielder. For a great defensive player, he was never a good target. Infielders threw to an empty bag. No other first baseman played as deep or as far off the bag as Chase did. Only the most suspicious of men would dare accuse Chase of not getting to the bag on time. But most fans and media members believed at the time that, at the least, Chase had “laid down” on the job.
Chance simply would not stand for Chase’s indifference. He had to go. One newspaper account wrote that “ [Chase] displayed toward Chance a disposition like that of a pampered child toward its governess.” Chance took a chance and was able to chase Chase off the team. The Yankees traded the first baseman to Charles Comiskey’s White Sox in return for two average ballplayers.
On July 23, 1913, Chase proved that like a leopard, he couldn’t change his spots. That day he committed four errors in one game, arousing suspicion in the stands. By the next season, Chase got into arguments with White Sox owner Comiskey over his contract. He jumped the White Sox, and signed to play with Buffalo in the newly-formed Federal League. Most of the other big American League stars (like Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb) were given raises to stay with their teams. The White Sox, with the help of American League president Ban Johnson, fought in the courts to prevent Chase from jumping teams. It was said that the White Sox were fighting not to keep Chase, but rather to prevent him from playing elsewhere. By now, people wanted to run this character out of the game. The courts ruled that Prince Hal was able to play in Buffalo in the new Federal League. The league folded after the 1915 season, as most of the owners got what they wanted—the ability to buy shares in established Major League clubs.
In February of 1916, Chase was looking for a job back in Major League Baseball. “There is no baseball ‘blacklist,’” wrote sportswriter Frank G. Menke at the time, “but there is a gentleman’s agreement.” Most of the American League clubs—having seen Chase up close for many years—stayed away, but the Cincinnati Reds picked him up for the 1916 season. Most talented and troubled ballplayers wind up with an opportunity like this: the chance to kick-start a disappointing team and refurbish the player’s own image. The Reds were coming off a fifth-place finish in 1915, and the thirty-three-year-old Chase led the NL in batting with a .339 average.
Although Chase had a tremendous 1916 season, the Reds were still floundering in the middle of June. In an effort to salvage their season, the Reds traded with the New York Giants, acquiring the great pitcher Christy Mathewson (essentially in return for middle infielder Buck Herzog), and naming him manager.
On August 9, 1918, Chase was suspended from the Reds without pay for the remainder of the season. Chase told the press the reason. “Let’s not beat around the bush,” he said. “I’m accused of betting on ballgames and trying to get a pitcher to throw a game for money.” Chase, of course, denied everything.
The National League finally had a hearing on the matter in January of 1919. Pitcher Jimmy Ring, a Reds teammate,