III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 289 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ 

Jackson should be appropriately honored for his outstanding baseball 

accomplishments. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 27, 2005 

Mr. DEMINT (for himself, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. GRAHAM, and Mr. FEINGOLD) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate 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 the 

Cleveland Naps 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 outstanding—he was 1 of only 7 Major League Baseball 
2 

•SRES 289 ATS

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 8 players of the Chicago White Sox, including Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson, to lose 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 lose 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 
3 

•SRES 289 ATS

consideration for admission to the Major League Baseball 

Hall of Fame; 

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson died in 1951, after fully 

serving his lifetime ban from baseball, and 85 years have 

elapsed since the 1919 World Series scandal erupted; 

Whereas 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; 

Whereas it has been 6 years since Commissioner Selig initiated his investigation of ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’, but there has 

been no resolution; 

Whereas the Chicago White Sox are the 2005 American 

League Champions, and will compete in the World Series 

for the first time since 1959; 

Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson helped lead the Chicago 

White Sox to their last World Series Championship in 

1917; 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 Senate that Jo2 seph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson should be appro3 priately honored for his outstanding baseball accomplish4 ments. 

Æ