KARIN (7 years old): Why'd they called him Shoeless Joe?
RAY: When he was still in the minors, he bought a new pair of spikes and they
hurt his feet. About the sixth inning he took them off and played the outfield
in just his socks. The other players kidded him, called him Shoeless Joe, and
the name stuck. Then in 1919, his team, the Chicago White Sox, threw the World Series.
KARIN: What's 'threw'?
RAY : They lost it on purpose. Gamblers paid them to. Except Shoeless Joe. Nobody could prove
anything one way or another, but he was the one guy who probably wasn't in on it. I mean if he
was supposed to be throwing it, how do you explain the fact he hit 375 for the series and didn't
commit one error? Huh?
KARIN: I can't.
The movie has a strong connection to what was called the "Black Sox Scandal" that occurred during the 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball for life for intentionally losing games, allowing the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series. A great deal of money was made by those that were in on the "fix" and bet on the Reds to win. I bet you thought this cache was going to be placed near a baseball diamond, didn't you? Nope. Just consider this training for the baseball season.