IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 269

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Joseph Jefferson

‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson should be appropriately honored for his outstanding baseball accomplishments.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 30, 1999

Mr. DEMINT (for himself, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. SANFORD, Mr.

SPENCE, and Mr. SPRATT) submitted the following resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on Government Reform

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that

Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson should be appropriately honored for his outstanding baseball accomplishments.

Whereas Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson, a native

of Greenville, South Carolina, and a local legend, began

his professional career and received his nickname while

playing baseball for the Greenville Spinners in 1908;

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson moved to the Philadelphia

Athletics for his major league debut in 1908, to Cleveland in 1910, and to the Chicago White Sox in 1915;

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson’s accomplishments throughout his 13-year career in professional baseball were out-
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standing—he was one of only seven Major League Baseball players to ever top the coveted mark of a .400 batting average for a season, and he earned a lifetime batting average of .356, the third highest of all time;

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson’s career record makes him

one of our Nation’s top baseball players of all time;

Whereas in 1919, the infamous ‘‘Black Sox’’ scandal erupted

when an employee of a New York gambler allegedly

bribed eight players of the Chicago White Sox, including

Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson, to throw the

first and second games of the 1919 World Series to the

Cincinnati Reds;

Whereas in September 1920, a criminal court acquitted

‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson of the charge that he conspired

to throw the 1919 World Series;

Whereas despite the acquittal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain

Landis, baseball’s first commissioner, banned ‘‘Shoeless

Joe’’ Jackson from playing Major League Baseball for

life without conducting any investigation of Jackson’s alleged activities, issuing a summary punishment that fell

far short of due process standards;

Whereas the evidence shows that Jackson did not deliberately

misplay during the 1919 World Series in an attempt to

make his team lose the World Series;

Whereas during the 1919 World Series, Jackson’s play was

outstanding—his batting average was .375 (the highest

of any player from either team), he set a World Series

record with 12 hits, he committed no errors, and he hit

the only home run of the series;

Whereas because of his lifetime ban from Major League

Baseball, ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson has been excluded from
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consideration for admission to the Major League Baseball

Hall of Fame;

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson died in 1951, and 80 years

have elapsed since the 1919 World Series scandal erupted;

Whereas recently, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud

Selig took an important first step toward restoring the

reputation of ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson by agreeing to investigate whether he was involved in a conspiracy to alter

the outcome of the 1919 World Series and whether he

should be eligible for inclusion in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame; and

Whereas it is appropriate for Major League Baseball to remove the taint upon the memory of ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson and honor his outstanding baseball accomplishments:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jack3 son should be appropriately honored for his outstanding

4 baseball accomplishments.

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