Evening star., 1951-12-06

1892.
Jacksons first full season was 1911 when aMsaS|| MS|
he played for Cleveland and probably no sa"@""'
freshman in history had such outstanding Siam
year. He wound up with average of 4O8-and finished
second! That the year Ty Cobb batted the
only time to then player batted
to lead the league Eleven years later happened to Cobb
himself when he hit 40 and George Sisler batted 420
THE STORY as the 1911 season moved into
the final month"; with Jackson holding 10pont edge over
Cobb the perennial batting champion walked up
year sensation before Detroit-C Cleveland game.
"Too bad you didn't in the other league
Cobb said
whats the matter with this one?" Jackson replied I'm
doing all right amt II"
Sure" Cobb answered "but you'd up the Ma
uonal League you'd probably have led it in batting"
With those words the Tiger star abruptly turned and
walked He didn't speak Jackson again during that
series nor for the rest OF the season. although Cobb in later
years and today rated Jackson the greatest hitter
JACKSON NIGHT NEVER have fallen on evil times had
he not suffered early in his professional career
bination of homesckness and semteracy He started in
the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics and had
mained with the AS all during his playing days might
never have become involved with players who consented to
World Series for the gamblers
In 1908 Connie Mack bought Jackson 1925 from the
Greenve team OF the Carolina Association being
elated Jackson distressed felt his pay good in
Carolina he playing in the he was born
and he among his friends report to Philadelphia
for couple of weeks and when he did, played only game
to Greenvlle.
Mack dispatched assistant South Carolina to bring
jackson,
dinner and together they boarded train for Philadelphia
the morning Mack courier awoke to find missing
Somewhere in the night he had disembarked his
way back home
THIRD TIME Mack tried get Jackson to the AS and
with comparative success Joe played four
and the next 1909 he played another
Hoesck again he farmed to Savannah where
1858 but when Connie wanted him to reon the AS
refused He had become the butt jokes by other
players and disked and distrusted them.
He played briefly for New Orleans, hitting 1854, and Mack
sold him to Cleveland not because he didn't
was fine prospect but Connie later explained for the
of harmony on his team which to four of the
five pennants.
had such bad club that not even Jacksons
hitting could help Losing favor with the FANS
lose too and to raise cash. Cleveands owner
Somers sold Joe to the White Sox for $4,000 three players
in the middle of the 1915 season.
was innocent of any wrong
doing in connection with the 1919 SERIES citing acoutta
of conspiracy charges in Chicago proof None
the players was indicted matter Of fact and after
acquttas players and jurors to dinner party But
Judge Lands coming into sweeping czar of baseball
banned all of the accused White Sox for life.
JACKSON RETURNED HOME to Greenvile no less hero
to the home folks and told the story of the
series he went to Charles Comskey sox
and asked to be benched so much talk" he said
Il thought was safer the BENCH He benched
but after the Comskey President
John Heyder the National League confded his suspicious
Three men-Heydler, Garry Hermann the Cincinnati
Reds and Ban Johnson American League pesden-ruled
baseball in those days Comskey Johnson friends
weren't COmSkey
Heydler to intervene while they train long
after midnight but Heydler went to Johnsons compartment
him.
That's the yep of beaten cur" Johnson roared and
returned to his
all the years that followed Jacksons banishment he
pesered with questions asking that small
boy tuggng at his sleeve he left County Courthouse
said Say amt joe" It legend even the title
of book.
Until his dying day. Jackson denied any such scene I
left the courthouse with deputy" insisted The only
conversation outside the building the deputy He