Before owning the Chicago White Sox, Charles Comiskey was a ballplayer and a manager. He owned the Chicago White Sox from 1900 until he died in 1931. As a first baseman, he is credited with being the first to play defense behind the base.  He is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1910 Comiskey built Comiskey Park for his White Sox. He began to seek out the best players for his club, and he found them. In 1915 he purchased Joe Jackson, Happy Felsch, and Eddie Collins. He turned the White Sox into a powerhouse, winning the World Series in 1917 and having the best record in the American League in 1919.

Despite these powerful ball clubs, Comiskey was very cheap with his players. His cheapness is highlighted, by some, to be a major factor in the 1919 World Series scandal. I’m going to have Rhonda dig around for a Chicago White Sox payroll and you will see what I’m talking about. It is also rumored that the term “Black Sox” came into being because Comiskey charged the players to clean their uniforms. They decided not to clean them and would take the field with dirty uniforms. There is also a rumor that he benched Eddie Cicotte so that he could not win 30 games and get a $10,000 bonus.

These low salaries for some players led to a very unhappy locker room. The White Sox were split into two teams, one underpaid while the other, able to negotiate higher salaries, were well paid. Players like Eddie Collins and Ray Schalk had yearly salaries more than double what their teammates made.

Below is Charles Comiskey’s baseball card.