Post by glasspoet on Dec 3, 2011 1:33:55 GMT -5
Everyone has heard the line; perhaps a few people do not know the saying is about Shoeless Joe Jackson. It was penned by a writer, after Judge Kennesaw Landis ruled that 8 players, including Shoeless Jackson were forever banned from baseball after the Black Socks Scandal of 1919. In the 1988 movie Eight Men Out, a young boy meets Shoeless Joe on his way out of the courtroom and speaks those words to him.
Shoeless Joe batted .408 as a rookie and is pretty much considered baseball's greatest "natural" hitter. Babe Ruth patterned his swing off Shoeless Joe's swing. Shoeless Joe was illiterate and considered a country bumpkin. He roomed with the ballplayer who did lead the gang that secretly worked with the gangster's wish for them to throw the series in protest of low unpaid wages. Shoeless Joe obviously knew about it--as he asked his manager to not play him in the World Series. Needless to say that didn't happen. The Chicago White Sox were down in the World Series 3 games to 1 and some ballplayers were strangely at their worst. Shoeless Joe, however, batted .375, threw out 5 runners at the plate, was flawless in the field, and almost led his team in a mighty comeback.
Shoeless Joe was exonerated in front of a Civil Judge, but then the new Baseball Commissioner, an ex Judge, threw him out with all the others anyway.
Shoeless Joe batted .408 as a rookie and is pretty much considered baseball's greatest "natural" hitter. Babe Ruth patterned his swing off Shoeless Joe's swing. Shoeless Joe was illiterate and considered a country bumpkin. He roomed with the ballplayer who did lead the gang that secretly worked with the gangster's wish for them to throw the series in protest of low unpaid wages. Shoeless Joe obviously knew about it--as he asked his manager to not play him in the World Series. Needless to say that didn't happen. The Chicago White Sox were down in the World Series 3 games to 1 and some ballplayers were strangely at their worst. Shoeless Joe, however, batted .375, threw out 5 runners at the plate, was flawless in the field, and almost led his team in a mighty comeback.
Shoeless Joe was exonerated in front of a Civil Judge, but then the new Baseball Commissioner, an ex Judge, threw him out with all the others anyway.
