(from Local Legends I Our area can boast many great baseball players, including local

legends Don Mattingly, Gil Hodges and Andy Benes, to name a few. But perhaps the best of
them all was Edd Roush of Oakland City. Edd was a pioneer near the turn of the 20th century,
and he was a major player in one of the biggest sports scandals of all time.)

Edd Roush: The $10,000 Man

In the early twentieth century, baseball was king, and its roots were deeply entrenched
in small town America. Rural Indiana was no exception, and one of our areas greatest baseball
stars began his career on the dusty fields of Gibson County. With an Oakland City gal serving as
his inspiration, Edd Roush fashioned an amazing career and was a key player in the most famous
World Series in baseball history. In the process, he distinguished himself among all others who
followed him from southern Indiana and set some precedents along the way.

At age sixteen, Edd was literally tall, dark and handsome, but the muscular farm boy was
also very shy. He spent many an evening waiting at the movie theater for a pretty girl named
Essie Mae Swallow, who accompanied the silent films of the time by playing the piano. Essie
was shy herself, but the two loners grew close as they walked the quiet streets of Oakland City.
Edds first paying baseball gig was with the Oakland City WalkOvers, sponsored by the
WalkOver Shoe Company. Edd earned a dollar a game and quickly established himself as an
outstanding player. As Edd and Essie grew closer, he often shared his dream with her of
becoming a big league player. During one conversation, Essie told him that she had heard that
Ty Cobb was earning $10,000 just for playing ball. As the two shared the dream, she began to
refer to Edd as her $10,000 man, and together the couple began a journey that would take Edd
all the way to Cooperstown.

Because Edd was underage, his father accompanied him on the trip. As the two chatted
and watched the cold January landscape pass by, Edd learned a valuable lesson from his father.
Although Edd loved baseball and would probably have played for nothing, his father convinced
him that baseball was also a business.
Decide how much youre worth, Will instructed his son. As the two discussed the
situation, references to Cobb and his $10,000 salary became a point of reference. When all was
said and done, they decided to settle for $2,000.
In July of 1916, Roush was traded to Cincinnati and was placed in the #2 spot in the
batting order. He didnt disappoint, going three for four with a triple in his debut. Edds new
roommate was Heinie Groh, a little man with a big personality who was known as the heart of
the Reds. Christy Mathewson, known as Matty, was Edds manager, and he spent a lot of
individual time with Roush.

(Ty) Cobb took a liking to Roush and watched him as the 1917 season began. Early in
the season, Edd injured his foot while sliding, and Jim Thorpe was called up. Roush was hitting
a torrid .451 at the time and was still battling for the hitting title after his return. In August, he
was hitting .347 when a youngster named Rogers Hornsby joined the race. Roush won the
batting crown in 1917 with a .341 average, but Hornsby would eventually win seven titles on his
way to the hall of fame.
In 1918, Roush began to notice that something wasnt right, and he began to suspect that
good friend and teammate Hal Chase was possibly throwing games. Edd explained after his
retirement that, Hed be just a couple seconds too late to the ball, or the ball would deflect off
his mitt, or the sun would get in his eyes on a pop-up..
Prior to the 1919 season, gamblers were spreading the word to bet on the Reds to win the
Series, and Jimmy Widmeyer had overheard many such conversations. Widmeyer had a shady
past and had worked his way up into Cincy society after moving across the river from Newport,
Kentucky. Newport was known for its gambling casinos and the questionable clientele that
frequented Sin City. Widmeyer had established a popular newsstand and had lots of contacts.
He would also play a key role in the notorious Series that was about to begin.