Joseph Jefferson Jackson
| Joe Jackson | |
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| Outfielder | |
| Born: July 16, 1887 Pickens County , United States 
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| Died on: December 5, 1951 Greenville , United States
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| Suggested: Left | Threw: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| August 25, 1908 with the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| September 27, 1920 with the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Batting average | , 356 |
| Home runs | 54 |
| Hits | 1,772 |
| Runs Batted In | 785 |
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| Awards | |
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Joseph Jefferson Jackson (born July 16, 1887 in Pickens County , South Carolina , † December 5, 1951 in Greenville , South Carolina) was an American baseball player in the Philadelphia Athletics , Cleveland Indians , Cleveland Naps and Chicago White Sox in the Major League Baseball . His nickname was Shoeless Joe . He won the World Series with the White Sox in 1917 and was next to Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth as one of the greatest players of his generation. But after the Black Sox scandal of 1919, he was banned from the MLB for life and is on the blacklist of players who cannot be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Career
Jackson spent a childhood full of poverty and deprivation, working in a clothing factory from an early age. He never learned to read or write and remained illiterate throughout his life . Even as a teenager he noticed his textbook-like batting technique, with which he could hit home runs almost effortlessly . He was called Shoeless Joe because he once took off his uncomfortable shoes during a game and kept playing.
In Philadelphia and Cleveland he established himself as a valuable batsman who consistently hit a batting average of .350 and more. During these years, a friendly feud developed with Ty Cobb ( Detroit Tigers ) for the title of "best batsman in the world". In 1917 he won the World Series as a member of the Chicago White Sox . But his career ended abruptly, because in 1919 he was involved in the Black Sox scandal . Despite unclear evidence (his confession was made under the influence of alcohol, and he signed, although he was illiterate and could not read the text), he was banned for life. At the trial, the legend was born that a little boy pleaded with Jackson: “Say it ain't so, Joe!” (Eng .: “Say that is not true, Joe!”). It became a household word (for example, Sarah Palin used it in the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate against Joe Biden ), although this is likely a legend.
Although he continued to play baseball as a hobby, he kept his distance from the MLB. Once, when Ty Cobb passed by, Cobb found in disbelief that Jackson was not greeting him. When he asked if he didn't recognize him, Jackson said:
“Of course I recognized you. I just wanted to make sure you wanted to say hello to me . Lots of people don't do that. "
Because Jackson was illiterate, he rarely gave autographs. He had contracts signed by either his wife or manager and if they were not available he signed them with an almost illegible scribble. These extremely rare autographs are very popular today.
qualities
Jackson was considered a player with textbook-like striking technique. His batting average of .356 is the third highest in MLB history, and his peak season in 1911 with .408 is the sixth best season average in this league. His rival and friend Ty Cobb once said:
“As soon as I think my punching technique is good, I look at Jackson. Then I know that I have to work hard on myself every day. "
Private life
Jackson married Katie Wynn in 1908. After being banished from the MLB, Jackson and his wife opened a liquor store and a dry cleaner with which he made ends meet financially. He died of a heart attack in 1951 .
See also
Eight men and a scandal ( Eight Men Out ). This is the American version of the Black Sox scandal from 1988. Jackson was portrayed in the film by DB Sweeney . A year later, the Oscar- nominated film Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner , came out. Here he is played by Ray Liotta . Jackson, who appears as a ghost to Costner's character, is a metaphor for the once innocent but money-perverted America that is finding peace through baseball.
Web links
- Player information and statistics from Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Joseph Jefferson Jackson in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Jackson, Joseph Jefferson |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shoeless Joe |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 16, 1887 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pickens County , South Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th December 1951 |
| Place of death | Greenville , South Carolina |