{"product_id":"this-never-happened-the-mystery-behind-the-death-of-christy-mathewson","title":"This Never Happened: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt seems so simple, so pure. But behind the green grass and iconic heroes, professional baseball has always been driven by greed, ambition, a thirst for fame, a lust for power, and a ceaseless conflict of motives that go far beyond winning and losing. Peel back the veneer with The Deadball Files.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis critically acclaimed series features present-day mysteries and legal dramas grounded in events and personalities from the early days of baseball.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe series opens with a genuine mystery. History tells us that baseball legends Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb volunteered as Captains in the World War I Chemical Warfare Service (CWS). After the 1918 baseball season ended, both shipped out for France where they were exposed to poison gas during a training exercise. Mathewson got the worst of it and died in 1925 of tuberculosis brought on by his exposure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory has it wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to recently discovered military records, Cobb, Mathewson, and other future Hall of Famers were together in June 1918, training on chemical weapons as part of a \"show\" unit - a propaganda unit designed to attract young men into the CWS. But the unit disbanded early, and news accounts, even in the local press, make no mention of it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA propaganda unit, but no propaganda? A recruiting tool, but no recruiting?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSomething happened that was not in the script, something that has been the subject of an elaborate coverup for more than a century. But what?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscover the history as you unravel the mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Milford House Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41927178780757,"sku":"9798888190821","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0617\/0211\/1317\/files\/imageloader_76be3b43-3390-437c-b592-1ddcf4872412.jpg?v=1764638366","url":"https:\/\/shopchapterbookstores.com\/products\/this-never-happened-the-mystery-behind-the-death-of-christy-mathewson","provider":"Chapter One","version":"1.0","type":"link"}