The "Shoeless Joe Jackson: Part 1" Story

It was an ordinary day. Weather was getting warmer and my thoughts were turning to baseball. Always loved the game; as a young boy playing in the lot behind my house, as an young teen player on organized league teams, as a young man playing for the high school and legion teams, as an adult playing in summer softball leagues, and as a fan of first, the New York/San Francisco Giants (Willie Mays was my favorite player), and then the PhiladelphiaPhillies. So when I read in the papers and online about the push to have "Shoeless Joe" Jackson reinstated by Major League Baseball, so that he could be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, I signed the online letter and sent it to Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Baseball. The story about Jackson begins long ago. He was born on July 16, 1888 in Pickens County, South Carolina. As a child he worked alongside his father in a textile mill and by the age of 13 was starring on the mill's baseball team. He originally was a pitcher, but one day he accidentally broke another player's arm with a fastball. No one would bat against him after that, so they had to move him to the outfield. At about the same time, someone gave him a baseball bat which he named "Black Betsy." Joe moved from mill team to mill team and eventually played some semi-pro ball starting in 1905. He got his nickname during a mill game, when after suffering from blisters on a foot from a new pair of cleats, took his shoes off and played in his socks. An opposing fan noticed him running to third base in his socks and shouted "You shoeless son of a gun, you!" The resulting nickname "Shoeless Joe" stuck with him the rest of his life. In 1908 he debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics, playing 5 games for them and then 5 more in 1909. In 1910 he was traded to Cleveland and played 20 games that year. In his first full season, 1911, he complied a season batting average of .408, the highest batting average for a rookie in Major League history. He thrived in Cleveland and in 1912 compiled a .395 average followed by a .373 in 1913 and .338 in 1914. In August of 1915 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, a move that would forever change his life. "Shoeless Joe" settled in at Chicago and led the league in triples (11) and total bases (293). The next year he helped the team get to the World Series. That 1917 season saw him win his only World Championship. In 1918, after playing in only 17 games, he stated work at the local shipyard to work in support of World War I. The next three years would change "Shoeless Joe" Jackson's life forever. In 1919 he played in his second World Series. The White Sox lost the Series to the Cincinnati Reds, but rumors spread that the series was fixed. Late 1920 saw Joe testifying before the Cool County grand jury. In 1921, he went to trial with 6 other members of his team and they all were found NOT GUILTY. Didn't matter to the baseball Commissioner, K.M. Landis. He banished all the players from professional baseball for the rest of their lives. Wanted to set an example for the future. After his banishment, Joe played several seasons of what was termed "outlaw ball." Played for teams in Louisiana and Georgia in 1923 and in '24 and '25 played for Waycross, GA leading that team to the state championship in both seasons. He retired after the 1925 season and opened a very successful dry cleaning business in Savannah, GA. From 1938 to 1951 he lived a quiet life with his wife Katie while watching baseball games in his new hometwon of Brandon, GA. During these years he suffered several heart attacks. On December 5, 1951 he suffered a massive heart attack and died. To this day Major League Baseball continues to punish him. To his death he professed "God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise." I believe you Joe! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Today's story was a little of the history of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. Tomorrow I will finish with some of his accomplishments and a brief look at the Black SoxScandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox allededly participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. Photos from the top are: Joe's spikes circa 1900, Joe in his White Sox uniform, and Joe with his bat "Black Betsy" which was 36" long and weighed 48 ounces.