White Sox: Time To Revisit HOF Consideration for “Shoeless Joe”

Making a case for Shoeless Joe Jackson to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown

Harold Baines is in! Should “Shoeless Joe” Jackson follow?

Back on December 9 of last year, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that former Chicago White Sox player and fan favorite Baines had been selected along with Lee Smith to the hallowed halls of Cooperstown by the 16-person “Today’s Game Committee”. Baines received the minimum of twelve votes for induction.

Congratulations to Baines, the honor is well deserved as he becomes the 27th Pale Hose player to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Keeping in-line with those deserving of such status, I’m writing this article in hopes the number will increase to 28 by way of a one-man cause to endorse former Chicago White Sox outfielder, Joseph Jefferson Jackson, for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and to have his good name reinstated to the positive annals of professional baseball.

Although I wasn’t alive and following professional baseball or the ChiSox back in the early part of the 20th century, I’m well aware of Jackson’s on-field feats and that of his alleged involvement in the infamous, “Black Sox Scandal of 1919”. A scandal that resulted in the banishment of Jackson and seven of his teammates from professional baseball by then-Commissioner Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis, a federal judge at the time.

Proving Innocence

In less than a century’s time since, no one, including Jackson himself, has successfully pointed out that he may have very well been innocent of any wrongdoing in the said scandal, either directly or indirectly.

Unbeknown to Jackson at the time he was questioned about the alleged scandal, he had the right afforded to him, as we all do as U.S. citizens, against statements of self-incrimination by way of the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. There is no documentation to support that he was ever advised of such by anyone.

Some have argued that had Jackson been read his “Miranda Rights”, he may not have talked to anyone about the incident at all. But, there are two problems with that claim.

The first one is obvious in that Miranda Rights were not mandated by federal law until after the 1966 landmark US Supreme Court decision, “Miranda v. Arizona”; 384 U.S. 436. Roughly 55 years after the 1921 Black Sox trial.

The second is that Miranda would not have applied to Jackson while discussing any information or potential evidence with attorneys and investigators originally hired by Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey himself.

In a 5-4 majority ruling, the Court made it clear that both inculpatory and exculpatory statements made by a defendant in a criminal investigation that were given during any interrogation while in law enforcement custody will be admissible at trial in a court of law only if the prosecution can show that the defendant was informed of the right to consult with an attorney before and during questioning and of the defendant’s right against self-incrimination before such questioning and/or interrogation. Additionally, the defendant must not only have understood these rights but must have waived them voluntarily, without coercion.

The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, however, has been around since 1789. That’s a good 132 years before any possible so-called written and signed confession by Jackson. Add on the fact that Jackson couldn’t read or write and you clearly get the picture as to the validity issues any signed confession would face in a court of law.

1919 World Series Performance

In the 1919 World Series, Jackson went 12-for-32 at the plate, slapped three double sacks, clubbed a dinger, scored five runs, and knocked in six RBIs. His slash posting in that series was .375/.394/.563, and he recorded a .941 fielding percentage (16 PO’s in 17 chances). In comparison during their four games to two victories over the New York Giants in the 1917 World Series, he slashed .304/.333/.304., and a had a .900 fielding percentage (9 PO’s in 10 chances).

If he was paid to tank during the 1919 World Series, he surely didn’t get the memo from the powers to be.

The Meeting

It’s been reported that a meeting took place among six White Sox players in the room of first baseman Arnold “Chick” Gandil at the Ansonia Hotel in New York on Sept. 21, 1919.

It’s important to note that this date may be in question considering that Chicago had just dropped a doubleheader to the Red Sox the day before in Boston to conclude a 12-day 12-game east coast road trip. They were actually in New York to play the Yankees days earlier on the 17th and 18th of September. So why the team would’ve stopped in New York on the 21st en route home to Chicago in order to begin a five-game homestand on the 24th to close out the 1919 regular season is a little perplexing.

Nonetheless, two of the famous eight, Jackson and the seldom-used bench dwelling Fred McMillan, never attended said meeting. Thus, Jackson had no first-hand knowledge as to what was discussed among those who may have or may not have, been in attendance.

The Money

By all accounts, including Jackson himself, he received $5,000 (a large amount of cash in 1919; $72,749.13 in 2019 dollars) from a teammate (Williams) that was reportedly a payment for his anticipated participation in throwing a game, or multiple games, against the Cincinnati Red Stockings in the 1919 World Series.

Yet, if Jackson was supposedly a participant in the said scandal, why was he confused as to why Williams gave him $5,000 cash? And why in the world would he bring up the topic to both Comiskey and Comiskey’s errand boy, Harry Grabiner, after the World Series and less than a year before the grand jury proceedings?

The Indictments, The Trial, The Verdict

The original indictments against the eight White Sox players allegedly involved in the Black sox scandal (Jackson, McMillan, Gandil, Williams, Eddie Cicotte, Oscar “Happy” Felsch, Charles “Swede” Risberg, and George “Buck” Weaver) were handed down by a Cook County Grand Jury in September of 1920. However, less than two months later in November, Cook County elections resulted in a change in some of the personnel at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The original State’s Attorney’s that presented their case to the grand jury back in September of that year, Maclay Hoyne and Hartley Replogle, were out of office. When newly elected Robert Crowe took over said office he discovered after inheriting the case that the written confessions from both Jackson and Cicotte of which were reportedly on-file had now gone missing. He quickly assigned the case to Assistant State’s Attorney George Gorman.

Under Illinois law the state was required to formally file any applicable misdemeanor criminal charges within 18 months from the date the alleged criminal offense(s) were discovered. On Valentine’s Day in 1921, Gorman brought all eight players to court and had them arraigned before Judge William E. Dever, who then subsequently dismissed the indictments against all eight defendants.

Undeterred, Gorman scrambled over the next month to beat the clock in order to bring criminal charges – for a second time – against the White Sox players allegedly involved in the now 17-month-old scandal. Just days before the April 1 deadline on March 26, 1921, Gorman had seven of the eight re-indicted, leaving McMillan as the lone player who would not be charged with any criminal offense for apparent lack of evidence against him.

Testimony in the Black Sox trial began months later on July 18, 1921, before presiding Judge Hugo Friend. Gorman officially charged the defendants with a total of 12 criminal counts from cheating to defrauding an American League Baseball Club (White Sox) to obtaining money by illegal means, etc. However, four of those charges were voluntarily dismissed by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office before the trial began.

In the end, after all testimony was heard and what little evidence was presented for the court’s examination, the jury acquitted all seven players on Aug. 2, 1921.

Not So Fast; Commissioner Landis’ Ruling

Celebration by the acquitted players was short lived when just a day after on Aug. 3, the newly appointed Commissioner of baseball issued his own verdict that resulted in all eight of the original White Sox players suspected to have been involved in said scandal from the beginning, were to be banished from the game for life.

A general synopsis is that Landis based his decision on the fact that players who meet with known gamblers, discussed the throwing of a game with anyone, or should fail to report such activity to the proper authorities cannot be active members of professional baseball. And honestly, it should be that way in order to establish and preserve the integrity of any sport.

Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a ball game, no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball again. – Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis, Commisioner of Baseball August 3, 1921

The “Pride of Pickens County”

Jackson was born in Pickens County, SC on July 16 in 1887. Like many families in Pickens County and throughout most of the region, Jackson’s family was poor and had little or no money. For his part, he never attended school, remaining illiterate throughout his entire life, but found work in a local mill where he would later play baseball for the company team and soon garner his nickname.

After swatting a triple one afternoon in a game, he removed a newly obtained pair of baseball cleats that were bothering his feet due not being broken-in yet. He finished the game playing only in his stockings and became forever known as “Shoeless Joe”.

Although I agree with Landis’ logic and support the banishment of any player who would engage in, or commit, any act that knowingly would tarnish the image and integrity of the game or reputation of MLB, its owners, players, and those associated with said organization, which in turn would violate the public trust, I disagree with the fact that he included Jackson as one of the eight White Sox to be banished for life.

When you consider that Jackson,

1] Never once met, or consorted with any gamblers prior to or during the 1919 World Series, or with other White Sox players who allegedly discussed the “throwing of game(s)”.

2] Was given $5,000 cash by a player who reportedly never gave details as to what the money was for.

3] Played well enough to have been considered a series MVP if there had been such an award then.

4] Made several attempts to discuss the aforementioned cash with both Commiskey and another White Sox team official (Grabiner) after the series but met with negative results.

5] Due to his lack of formal education, he had no knowledge of the fact that he was not required to discuss anything with anyone that would be self-incriminating to due to the Fifth Amendment.

6] There is no evidence that proved he had real knowledge of a fix in the aforementioned World Series other than rumors of which he tried to address with Comiskey but to no avail.

Furthermore, J.R. Hunter’s summary of his investigation, – which interviewed former White Sox players in California, Wisconsin, and Michigan – filed on May 11 of 1920 and sent to Comiskey, indicates that “No evidence of betting was ever found, and that his men gave it their best try but still could not answer the question about what prompted the rumors of a fixed World Series.

Hunter had one of his investigators stalk and eventually investigate Felsch for over two months in Milwaukee. Their tenacity was equal to the task, no doubt.

Most of us remember that back in 1989, Pete Rose was well on his way to Cooperstown before his professional career was derailed upon being investigated by MLB for gambling on baseball and that of his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, of whom he was managing at the time.

The subsequent investigation into the allegations against Rose by lawyer John M. Dowd, who was retained by MLB to do just that, led to then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti convincing Rose to voluntarily remain permanently ineligible to play baseball.

Despite tangible evidence and documented testimony from others of Rose’s actual involvement in the act of gambling on baseball that was made public, he refused to admit his guilt for 15 years until he came clean publicly in 2004.

Therefore, it’s understandable why Rose received his banishment from the game and why he has not been successful in getting reinstated. But Jackson? That’s another story.

Jackson, broke into the big leagues back in 1908 with 124 other players, eight of whom, like him, played 13 years or more, and one of those, John Franklin “Home Run” Baker, is a Hall of Famer. Baker, who launched only 96 round-trippers during the “dead ball era”, had a career lifetime slash of .307/.363/.442. In comparison, Jackson’s career lifetime slash is .326/.423/.517.

Looks pretty “Hall of Famish” to me.

I believe I’ve made a compelling case on Jackson’s behalf, and it’s time to let Shoeless Joe truly rest in peace and for justice to prevail. It would be an honorable act by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to posthumously reinstate Jackson before the Early Baseball Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame meets in 2020 so that he can be considered for induction into the said Hall of Fame.

Anything to the contrary is a criminal act in and of itself and flies in the face of what is righteous and fair, both of which are what makes the game of baseball a great sport, and our nation a wonderful place to live.

Be the jury and give me your thoughts. Did I make a compelling case, or should Jackson’s fate remain status quo?

“Say it’s so, Joe!”