Ed Cicotte T205 Tobacco Reprint Baseball Card with Gold BordersEd Cicotte, one of the most dependable pitchers on the staff of the Boston Americans, had several years experience in the minors before his purchase by that team, some of his best work having been done for the De Moines team, for whom he won 18 games out of 27 in 1906. In 1907 his good record with the Lincoln Club of the Western League caused his being taken up by the Red Sox.Had Eddie Cicotte not possessed a character flaw that resulted in his failure to resist temptation, he may have ended up a Hall of Fame pitcher. With an assortment of pitches that included a knuckleball and spitter, Cicotte was a winner with the Red Sox and an even bigger winner for the White Sox when he was purchased by them in the midst of the 1912 season. With Chicago White Sox, the right-hander won 20 games three times and led the league in victories twice, each time flirting with 30 wins. Unhappy with his salary, Cicotte accepted bribe money to throw the 1919 World Series, and was the key member of the plot, losing twice in the Fall Classic as his honest teammates watched in amazement. He was subsequently banned from baseball, his reputation tarnished forever.
"I don't know anyone who ever went through life without making a mistake. Everybody who has ever lived has committed sins of their own. I've tried to make up for it by living as clean a life as I could. I'm proud of the way I've lived and I think my family is, too." Cicotte, in 1965 
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