Spitball Ethics Guest: Dale Murray, Professor, Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Spitballs have been illegal in MLB play for almost 100 years. Are they unethical, or have they been unfairly banned from the game? The 1919 World Series and the Betrayal That Forged Modern Baseball Guest: Charles Fountain, Professor, Journalism, Northeastern University, and author, "The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball" Rumors, betrayal, and intrigue characterized the 1919 World Series, known as the Black Sox scandal, when several White Sox players threw the championship. These players went into the tournament hoping to make it big, only to be banned from the game for life.