Study?--oh, and Not without Buck

I have to Study tonight. Seriously. Study for a test tomorrow. Weird huh?
I'm not really going to. Its an open-book open-note 70 question multiple choice test that I have 4 hours to take. Basically. I spent the night streamlining my notebook so I know where to look for everything.


Also, I watched 8 Men Out today. About the 1919 White Sox throwing the World Series. Its a very good movie. Made by John Sayles, who Steph and I saw at SXSW a month ago. Its pretty sympathetic to the players and I don't think that is an unreasonable stance to take.

Brian and I have talked off and on about Shoeless Joe Jackson and the movement to get him in the Hall of Fame. There is a few things to consider.

Was Joe Jackson good enough to be in the Hall of Fame? Almost definitely. However, his career stats don't really measure up. That puts him in the Kirby Puckett/Sandy Koufax category. Puckett was hit by a ball and went blind. He never played again. Koufax had 6 of the most dominant seasons in the history of the game. He was unbeatable for 6 years. He retired at 30 because of an arm injury. Both would most certainly have had numbers that ranked very well amongst HOFers had they been able to complete their careers. Jackson fits in that category as well, though the reason for his career being cut short is considerably less understandable.

The other thing is to determine just how guilty he is. Was he just a "dumb hick" that didn't really know any better? Well, he did know something. We know he got 5000 dollars and we know he knew why he got it. There are some plays he made in the field that were marked "questionable" by writers at the time. So it comes down to this. Do we think he was just too weak minded to resist the pressure put on him by his fellow teammates? I'm not sure.

I do know this. There is no way Jackson should be reinstated before Buck Weaver. Based on the movie, as well as research, Buck was guilty only of knowing about it. One of his buddies came and got him and brought him to a meeting. At the meeting the team pitched it to Weaver and Weaver told them to go to hell. He wasn't interested. He didn't tell anyone, because he thought they'd come around. This is all he is guilty of.

So I can say this. I'm ok with Joe Jackson being reinstated, and therefore being eligible for the Hall of Fame. However, there is no way I'd support Jackson until after Buck Weaver is allowed back.

-T