Eight Men Out (1988)

Clifton James: Charles Comiskey - The Owners

Quotes 

• [the owners are discussing the commissioner's job with Judge Landis] 

  Judge Friend : We felt that with your record of service, and with the high esteem the public...

  Charles Comiskey : We need a commissioner. Someone outside of baseball who'd have certain powers to rule...

  Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : Absolute power.

  Charles Comiskey : Absolute powers?

  Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : Won't work any other way. People won't believe it. Absolute power.

  Charles Comiskey : Well, anyhow, we felt that the man that cleaned the Reds out of the country during the war was the right man to clean up baseball. We are prepared to offer you a two-year contract...

  Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : Lifetime contract.

  Judge Friend : Lifetime?

  Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : A man worried about his job - is bound to play favorites. Now you gentlemen don't want that do you?

  Charles Comiskey : Well a lifetime contract seems...

  Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : [slaps flyswatter down on the desk]  I'm back in the courtroom in 5 minutes gentlemen, let's talk salary.

• Eddie Cicotte : You said if I won 30 games this year there'd be a $10,000 bonus.

  Charles Comiskey : So?

  Eddie Cicotte : I think you owe it to me.

  Charles Comiskey : Harry, how many games did Mr. Cicotte win for us this year?

  Harry : 29, sir.

  Eddie Cicotte : You had Kid bench me for two whole weeks in August. I missed five starts.

  Charles Comiskey : We had to rest your arm for the series.

  Eddie Cicotte : I would have won at least two of those games. You knew that.

  Charles Comiskey : I have to keep the best interests of the club in mind, Eddie.

  Eddie Cicotte : I think you owe me that bonus.

  Charles Comiskey : 29 is not 30, Eddie. You will get only the money you deserve.

• Austrian : What's important is that your business, baseball, is going to take a shellacking at the ticket window unless you and you fellow-owners make the public think that you are absolutely clean in this matter.

  Charles Comiskey : How do we manage that?

• Charles Comiskey : We felt that the man that cleaned the Reds out of the country during the war was the right man to clean up baseball.

• Charles Comiskey : A man who, in the dark days of the last great conflict, made use of his official trust to fight the Hun on these very shores. A patriot of the first order.