Sorry But No Joe In The Hall

Over the years people in and outside of baseball have called for Joe Jackson to be removed from the ineligible list. Shoeless Joe was given a lifetime ban from then-MLB Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis in 1921 along with seven other players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox team after reportedly taking bribes to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Even though there was no proof that he had taken any money, this was even supported by the players who did take the bribes, nor did he intentionally muff any plays during the Series he was still grouped in with the rest due to having "knowledge" of the illegal bribes.

 

When Rob Manfred took over the MLB Commissioner position in January the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum in South Carolina sent a number of requests asking that the new Commissioner reconsider now that it has been 94 years since the ban was imposed and 63 years since Jackson died. Apparently the Commissioner did take the situation in to consideration but ultimately decided to decline the request in an announcement finally released this morning by the museum.

Had Shoeless Joe been removed from the ineligible list it is almost certain that he would have been inducted in to the MLB Hall of Fame not to mention the windfall that Topps would have received from being able to include him in official MLB releases.

Even though he has been banned from the MLB meaning he can not appear in an MLB official card set there are plenty of Joe Jackson cards for collectors. Panini included him in the Diamond Kings, Golden Age, Classics and National Treasures releases. Donruss, Conlon and Pacific included him on a couple of releases between the mid-1990s and 2008 and there are plenty of Upper Deck options to choose from too. His bat relic cards start around $75 while his pre-war vintage cards are going to top $350 all the way up in to the thousands.