Photo by Tracy Greer

During the centennial anniversary of the Black Sox Scandal, SABR members Jacob Pomrenke and Chris Kamka met up to watch Eight Men Out, the critically acclaimed film by John Sayles on the fixing of the 1919 World Series.

Over a few boxes of Chicago pizza, they decided to have a little fun and record their commentary, Mystery Science Theater 1919-style, as they discussed what the film got right and wrong about the Black Sox, the legacy of Eight Men Out, and the memorable cast of characters on and off the screen.

Click here to listen to the audio file (MP3)

You can queue up the film at the 2:03 mark, if you’d like to follow along in real time. Here are some highlights from Chris and Jacob’s conversation (with timestamps if you’d like to skip ahead):

• 2:05 – The first time Chris and Jacob saw the film
• 4:59 – Eight Men Out as the “elephant in the room”
• 8:48 – Shoeless Joe Jackson’s portrayal by D.B. Sweeney
• 10:42 – Hollywood and historical accuracy
• 14:23 – Charles Comiskey and Black Sox salaries
• 21:39 – Fred McMullin and Pacific Coast League corruption
• 24:58 – Buck Weaver as Hollywood heartthrob
• 26:51 – “29 is not 30, Eddie”
• 28:53 – Gambler Billy Maharg (NOT Peaches Graham)
• 31:32 – Arnold Rothstein and the big bankroll from … Des Moines?
• 36:58 – Baseball’s loss of “innocence”
• 41:40 – Buck Weaver’s involvement in the fix
• 45:36 – Happy Felsch’s Hall of Fame case
• 46:44 – Christy Mathewson’s missing cameo
• 50:52 – An infamous double-play turn
• 55:07 – Shoeless Joe’s “dirty envelope” payoff
• 59:45 – Dissension in the White Sox clubhouse
• 1:05:47 – The White Sox’s “lost” 1920 season
• 1:08:27 – Stan Musial’s connection to the Black Sox
• 1:14:53 – Moonlight Graham and A League of Their Own
• 1:21:38 – The hitman “Harry F.” and Lefty Williams
• 1:31:04 – Charles Comiskey’s detectives
• 1:35:53 – The “stolen” grand jury confessions
• 1:39:46 – “Say it ain’t so, Joe”
• 1:41:24 – Eliot Asinof’s writing of Eight Men Out
• 1:46:39 – Dick Cusack’s cameo
• 1:48:20 – Kid Gleason’s kids, Niles and Frasier
• 1:53:32 – The jury’s celebration party at Al Capone’s hangout
• 1:55:21 – Shoeless Joe in Hackensack
• 2:01:55 – Final thoughts