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 out-
standing 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 ap-
propriately honored for his outstanding baseball accom-
plishments.
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 Cleve-
land in 1910, and to the Chicago White Sox in 1915;
Whereas ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson’s accomplishments through-
out his 13-year career in professional baseball were out-
•HRES 269 IH
standing—he was one of only seven Major League Base-
ball players to ever top the coveted mark of a .400 bat-
ting average for a season, and he earned a lifetime bat-
ting 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 al-
leged 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
•HRES 269 IH
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 erupt-
ed;
Whereas recently, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud
Selig took an important first step toward restoring the
reputation of ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jackson by agreeing to in-
vestigate 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 Base-
ball Hall of Fame; and
Whereas it is appropriate for Major League Baseball to re-
move the taint upon the memory of ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jack-
son and honor his outstanding baseball accomplishments:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that Joseph Jefferson ‘‘Shoeless Joe’’ Jack-
son should be appropriately honored for his outstanding
baseball accomplishments.
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