" One of the roaringest of Hall of Fame debates centers on this man, dead now for many years. There can be no dispute about the quality of his play. he was one of the greatest. I have read everything I can find about the matter—accounts of the series, accounts of the trial. Eight Men Out—and I can get no firm sense of the degree of his guilt. The basic defense for him seems to be that he was too stupid to know exactly what was going on. and that he didn't really Intend to help throw the games, but only to position himself to take a share of the cut. I do not find the defense convincing or ennobling. It is clear to me that the money men behind the fix orchestrated a cover-up that success-fully prevented the whole story from ever becoming known. The signed confessions of Jackson, Williams and Cicotte, along with their immunity waivers, were stolen from the office of the assistant state attorney. and the stories of those for whom they were missing were conveniently changed. Jackson is among these who may have lied under oath to help confuse the issue. As to the charge that Landis dealt harshly with him, two points:
I) Jackson was suspended from baseball before Landis became commissioner. Landis' decision was only not to readmit him after the Illinois jury found insufficient evidence that a crime had been committed.
2) The policy stating that a. player involved in the fixing of games was to be banned for life was not Landis' creation. It had been a part of baseball law for over forty years prior to the Black Sox scandal.
My own opinion as to whether or not Joe Jackson should be put in the Hall of Fame is that of course he should: it is only a question of priorities. I think there are some other equally great players who should go in first, like Billy Williams. Herman Long, Minnie Minoso and Elroy Face. Then. too, the players of the nineteenth century have never really gotten their due —Ed McKean. Pete Browning. Harry Stovey and several others have been waiting a long time. The players of the Negro leagues committed no crime except their color I think we would need to look closely at the credentials of several of those before we decide where Jackson fits in. You wouldn't want the great stars of the thirties and forties, who are still living and can enjoy the honor, to pass away while waiting for the Hall of Fame to get done with the Black Sox. would you? And then I think there are some other players who should be considered strongly—Ron Santo, Ken Boyer. Larry Doby. Al Rosen, Roy Sievers. Vic Wertz, LeftyO'Doul,Saclaharu Oh; there should probably be better provisions made for people whose contributions to the game were not made on the field, like Grantland Rice. Barney Dreyfuss, Harry Pulliam, maybe Mrs. Babe Ruth and Mrs. Lou Gehrig, the guy who wrote Take Me Out go the Ball-game, Harry Caray. And, too, we do not want to forget the many wonderful stars of the minor leagues, who brought baseball to most of the country before television and expansion—men like Ray Perry. Larry Gilbert. Jack Dunn and Nick Cullop. When they are in we can turn our attention to such worthwhile players of our own memories as Roger Maris. Buddy Bell. Fred Hutchinson. Larry Bowa, Bill North. Omar Moreno and Duane Kuiper. And then. at last, when every honest ballplayer who has ever played the game. at any level from Babe Ruth ball through the majors, when every coach. writer, umpire and organist who has helped to make baseball the wonderful game that it is rather than trying to destroy it with the poison of deceit. when each has been given his due, then I think we should hold our noses and make room for Joe Jackson to join the Hall of Fame. It is only right"
James, Bill. The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Villard, 1988