“I copied Jackson’s style because I thought he was the best hitter I’ve ever seen, the best natural hitter I’ve ever seen. He’s the guy that made me a hitter.” — Babe Ruth

As most sports fans know, in 1921 a Chicago jury acquitted Shoeless Joe Jackson and his seven White Sox teammates of wrongdoing in the 1919 Black Sox scandal (they were charged to lose the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, 5 games to 3). However, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the new Commissioner of Baseball, banned the eight accused players for life, saying baseball’s need to clean up its image took precedence over legal suits. As a result, Jackson and his 7 teammates never played major league baseball after the 1920 season. A lesser-known player, Buck Weaver, was one of eight players banned for life and the only one who never took money. Jackson and the remaining 6 players took $5,000.00 (except pitcher Eddie Ciotte, who could have received $10,000) of the 20,000.00 they were promised.

Weaver batted .324 (11 hits) in the 1919 World Series, which was .28 above his season average of .296. An excellent fielder, he played the ball error-free in the Series, lending credence to his longtime claim that he had nothing to do with the fix. Weaver was ejected for knowing about the deal (he was allegedly at two of the deal meetings) and failing to inform team officials. This was unfortunate as Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey learned of the solution before the World Series began from both White Sox Manager Kid Gleason and reporter Hugh Fullerton. Weaver seems the easiest to judge: If everything I’ve read is true, then it’s obvious that Weaver was duped big time: A 10-game suspension to make a statement seems much more fair. As for reinstatement, this seems like a no-brainer, though it doesn’t sound like he was good enough to be voted into the Hall of Fame.

The same can’t be said for Jackson, who was (is) a favorite for the Hall of Fame. He was an excellent outfielder (left fielder) and hit .356 for life (.408 in 1911), the third-highest all-time in MLB history. During the 1919 Series, Jackson had 12 hits and a .375 batting average (he batted .351 in 1919), in both cases leading both teams. He made no mistakes and even threw a runner to the plate.

However, Jackson beat much worse in the five games the White Sox lost, batting .286, with no RBIs until the final game, Game 8, when he hit a third-inning home run and added two more RBIs on a double. . in the 8th, when the White Sox were far behind. On the field, some people feel that Jackson’s play was questionable as well. Triples rarely hit left field, however, in the 1919 World Series, three of Cincinnati’s nine triples hit left field, where Jackson was stationed. I remember seeing a climax in the Ken Burns movie “Baseball” where a ball is hit to left field (I think it was the first game, a game they supposedly threw) and Jackson is clearly late on the ball. In addition, you admitted under oath that you took the $5,000.00 and that you agreed to participate in the settlement.

I think it’s not entirely clear whether Jackson had a hand in the arrangement, despite what the movie “Field of Dreams” would have you believe (and what one of my friends thinks). Maybe he helped during the first game (had 0 hits) and then changed his mind because another $5000.00 payout didn’t come as promised. Or because he felt guilty about his teammates and fans and/or his competitive juices taking over. I do not know. But, both scenarios are possible and logically consistent.

Suppose he participated, at least a little. I don’t think you should reinstate it if you want to maintain the integrity of the game. Okay, now let’s assume that you weren’t involved in the fix at all (at least in the field). Well, he still took the $5000.00 (with the expectation of receiving another 15,000.00) and at least initially, agreed to participate in the solution. Also, since he was the best player on the team, the solution may not have occurred without his consent to participate. I think I still have a problem with his reinstatement, but I admit I’m a little hesitant because he did. Maybe Jackson fans can convince me and, more importantly, Bud Selig that he should be reinstated. Take your best shot.