The Fall of Shoeless Joe: A Deep Dive into the 1919 Black Sox World Series Fix

[@robertweingartner2055]

Excellent video about one of my favorite subjects - the 1919 World Series.

[@elizabethdavis7467]

I'm from Greenville, SC, same town as Shoeless Joe. He is a hero to us. He home is in our downtown across the street from our minor league stadium & the field He played in ad a child is still there named a/f him. How he was treated was horrible! But he is a legend to our town forever & always! ⚾️

[@robertweingartner2055]

Several people who knew Joe Jackson said he was pretty smart. He may have been an illiterate but he knew right from wrong. I'm not as sympathetic towards him. Yes, his numbers were good but maybe he played well when the games were out of reach. He knew what was happening and he took money. I think they were all guilty, but I can feel a little sympathy for Buck Weaver, who never took any money but yet was banned.

[@robbie192]

agree.....there is ample evidence that Buck Weaver was involved and became involved in fixing games in the 1920 season. Weaver attended various meetings AFTER the world series started according to the grand jury confessions..these meetings included gamblers.

[@dry5555]

Thanks for the video. I always thought it was unclear whether Shoeless Joe participated in the plan to throw the world series, but this video shows that he at least agreed to and was prepared to accept the bribe. I still feel bad for him but maybe a little less so now.

[@SkSKSK283]

He still played exceptionally well and didn’t commit an error the entire 9 game series.

[@TB_MPGP]

So the video isn’t entirely accurate. Joe Jackson was coerced and manipulated due to his illiteracy and not knowing what he was accepting. Once he discovered the truth, he went to return the money. Joe Jackson played exceptionally well during the series with no errors. That’s key. If a player was to throw the game, there would certainly be errors.

[@robbie192]

​@TB_MPGP you are wrong...u have not done the research...watching movies isn't research. In his grand jury testimony Jackson was offered 20k..was paid 5k and kept asking Gandil where the other money is He also said they tried to throw game 3

[@kevinbergin9971]

15:41 You said one player fought the ruling? I thought Buck Weaver sued too?

[@robbie192]

We all love Joe Jackson and have forgiven him. His innocence is very misleading, however. Joe Jackson was a willing participant. He took 5k. He asked Gandl many times where is the other 15k since he was promised 20k. He said as much in his grand jury testimony.

[@jasonwiggins]

Tell the whole story. "Williams said he used Joe’s name to get more money from the gamblers, and then felt for this reason that he “owed” it to Joe." "Lefty Williams’ testimony in the 1924 Milwaukee trial when he said under oath that he “used Jackson’s name in the meetings with the gamblers [meetings Joe did not attend] without Jackson’s knowledge or permission.” Jackson also claimed Williams told him “he used my name in order to wring more money out of certain fellows supposed to be gamblers.” Joe on the money: "He said he made attempts to see White Sox owner Charles Comiskey and Secretary Harry Grabiner to give them the money or at least inform them as to what had transpired. He claimed he was rebuffed in these efforts and told to keep the money. There is no solid evidence that he made the attempt to see Comiskey, only Joe’s word. The evidence for the Grabiner rebuff is much stronger. At the 1924 Milwaukee trial, 11 of the 12 jurors believed Joe on this point." Joe's testimony at trial: "He reiterated his claim that he tried to see Comiskey and Grabiner as soon as he received the money. He gave this explanation as to why it was given to him and why he took it: “He [Williams] didn’t want the money, and I thought just this way, since that lousy so-called gambling outfit had used my name, I might as well have their money as for him [Williams].” This is what happened to the money: “Neither Joe nor his wife Katie believed the money was theirs, to spend on themselves. They put it in savings and let it earn interest. After Katie death, it was donated to the American Heart Fund and the American Cancer Society.”

[@churro_gonzalez]

Great video!!! Keep it up!!!

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

Fact is, Joe Jackson didnt like baseball all that much. He was more interested in how much pay he could get out of the game, which wasnt a lot in 1919.

[@sqaudseven]

That's so sad. Hopefully some day his name can be cleared.

[@robbie192]

Jackson took money and a participant in the 19 series fix. He confessed to the Grand jury and went into great detail about it. We can forgive him as I have but he is not innocent- we can't change facts.

[@wvu05]

15:37 That's actually not true. Buck Weaver appealed his place on the ineligible list every year for the rest of his life.

[@jackel99]

All owners who participated in the Reserve Claus need to be removed from the Hall Of Fame.

[@classic.cameras]

Now I have an overwhelming urge to watch "Field of Dreams". 😃

[@historyfeels3123]

haha love that!

[@natevart4156]

Obviously shoeless Joe is legendary, but with out the black Sox’s scandal would we really know who he is in the modern day? Because the only time I’ve ever heard about him is this scandal tbh. I wonder if this never happened if he would be viewed the more well know of this era. But Joe is know bc if a scandals unlike the other playeesn

[@jackel99]

Take a good look at his stats and tell me he wouldn't be remembered.

[@wvu05]

_Some_ of the players were paid well, but if you look at some of the less educated players whom Comiskey disdained, they had salaries far lower than their contemporaries of similar skill and fame. He also had lower per diem for the players than other owners and refused to pay for laundry. It got so bad that they were actually nicknamed the Black Sox before the scandal because they refused to pay for their own in protest.

[@robbie192]

Wrong...white Sox 19 salary was second highest in baseball

[@wvu05]

@@robbie192 Overall, yes, but that was inflated by players Comsikey liked such as Eddie Collins. Look up how much Shoeless Joe made compared to Ty Cobb, and compare the per diems they got to the rest of the league. I'd say someone who refused to provide laundry services for the players was pretty tight-fisted.

[@ChipplesDClown]

Rothstein, eh?

[@waynejohanson1083]

I don't think he was in on the fix at all. He had a great world Series. He had 6 RBI's in the Series and hit .375 If he was in on the fix how do you explain those awesome numbers. Sure twice he did not manage a hit with man on bases, but that doesn't mean he made those outs on purpose.

[@segan24]

Joe Jackson himself admitted in his original testimony that he took the $5k that Lefty gave him and was mad that he didnt receive the full share he was promised. He knew what was going on but still may have played his best. Either way he wasn’t oblivious. Still I personally believe he should be in the Hall

[@kevinbergin9971]

These are hardly tragic figures: All played the 1920 season and certainly Joe Jackson got paid beyond that.