Shoeless Joe comes to Toronto
Ever since I first saw the film 'Field of Dreams' I've had a soft spot in my soul for Shoeless Joe Jackson. The story of the incredible early era Baseball star who's career was cut short when he, along with seven of his teammates from the Chicago White Sox, were banned from Major League Baseball for life after being found guilty of conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series, is a heartbreaking one. The White Sox were heavy favourites to win the Series against the Cincinnati Reds, but due to poor pitching and timely mistakes in the field, the Reds won the series five games to three. Rumours imediately circulated that some White Sox players had decided to 'protest' their scrooge-like owners refusal to give them raises by conspiring with gangsters to lose the series on purpose. The following year, at the tail end of the 1920 season, the eight accused, including Shoeless Joe, were put on trial for their their crime against Baseball. A court of law found them innocent, thanks to some important evidence myteriously dissappearing during the trial...but newly installed MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a former Judge himself, nevertheless ruled that the players were guilty, and in order to set an example, banned them all for life.
It is debatable how significant a role Jackson played in the ruse, as he hit a remarkable .375 during the Series, and played well in the field...though he did admit, under oath, that he had 'booted' a ball or two if the opportunity presented itself...cementing his guilt. It was said he was to be paid about $5000 for his part in the fix...and only ever saw about $2000 of that. As well as being deemed to have been present during one or more of the player meetings, he was therefore found guilty of both participating in, and not stopping the fix, and deemed just as culpable as the ringleaders. To this day, many believe that Joe lacked the mental aptitude (it's believed he barely knew how to read or write) to have been a driving force of the fix, and that he, along with Buck Weaver were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. A suspension might have been warrented, but to banish Shoeless Joe forever still seems unfair, made all the more so due to his elite level talent. A career .356 hitter (putting him 3rd All-Time), and one of only a handful of players to have hit .400 for an entire season (.408 in his first full season in 1911...the 2nd highest average in MLB history), Jackson is considered by many historians as one of, if not the best pure hitter in the history of the game. Babe Ruth is said to have modeled his swing after that of Joe's. Ty Cobb is said to have thought Jackson was the best hitter of his era...high praise, as Cobb himself was considered one of the greatest players ever.
Still, the fact that his career was so brief, and was ended during his prime make Shoeless Joe Jackson a prime candidate for the type of 'what if' scenarios' that keep enthusiasts up at night.
As a fan of statistics and the history of the game, I've always been fascinated with the 1910's and 1920's when it comes to baseball. How would those greats make out in today's game? Would the Babe still be the star today that he was in the 20's? Would Cobb or Jackson still be able to hit .400? We'll never know, but it does leave ample room for the imagination to run wild.
Enter Statis Pro Baseball.
I've been a stats junkie most of my life. I used to pour over NHL Annuals and newspaper box scores as a kid. I created my own leagues and kept stats for them during the early days of video games, before they did it for you. I've played Management simulators for Baseball, Football, Soccer and Hockey, and even created games out of thin air (Boxing, Car Racing and Baseball). However, recently I was introduced to the game Statis Pro Baseball by a customer at the retail store I work at and was instantly intrigued. Using a set of player and 'fast action cards', the game allows the player to play out a simulated game of Baseball using players from any time...so long as you find the cards. The game has been out of print for nearly 20 years, but stats enthusiasts have kept the game alive by creating and making available cards for players from 1888 to 2013...using formulas to ensure that players, over the course of a 154 or 162 game schedule, come remarkably close to their historical stats for whatever year is being represented.
After playing a couple of games using two teams from the 1912 Season, as well as two more from the 1972 Japanese Pro League, I was determined to see if it was possible to recreate the 1920 season. Soon enough, after a few hours of digging, I was able to find free downloads for the 1920 season, all 8 American League and 8 National League teams, playing cards, and rules. A few downloads later, along with a $9 investment in some cover stock paper, about 50 pages worth of printing, and a good 2-3 hours of meticulous scissor cutting, I am now in possession of the essential parts to get started.
I am now about to embark on my first season in charge of the 1920 Chicago White Sox, a year after the 'rumoured' tainted World Series. However, in my Universe, Shoeless Joe will never testify, and Kenesaw Mounain Landis will have a great deal of difficulty in unearthing even the faintest hint of evedence that any sort of 'fix' transpired the year before. Secret team meetings between myself and Owner Charles Comiskey, where promises are made ensuring a clean slate, and myself and the 8 accused that they will play for minimum wage as punishment for their 'rumoured' transgressions, will result in a gentleman's agreement that what's done is done...and this year, we will win the World Series to right the wrong of 1919.
And so...it begins, with my White Sox traveling to Detroit for a 3 game series against Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers to kick off the 1920 American League schedule...with Shoeless Joe ready to lead the team to a return to the Series, and in doing so, rewriting his, and baseball's history.
Let's Play Ball!
It is debatable how significant a role Jackson played in the ruse, as he hit a remarkable .375 during the Series, and played well in the field...though he did admit, under oath, that he had 'booted' a ball or two if the opportunity presented itself...cementing his guilt. It was said he was to be paid about $5000 for his part in the fix...and only ever saw about $2000 of that. As well as being deemed to have been present during one or more of the player meetings, he was therefore found guilty of both participating in, and not stopping the fix, and deemed just as culpable as the ringleaders. To this day, many believe that Joe lacked the mental aptitude (it's believed he barely knew how to read or write) to have been a driving force of the fix, and that he, along with Buck Weaver were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. A suspension might have been warrented, but to banish Shoeless Joe forever still seems unfair, made all the more so due to his elite level talent. A career .356 hitter (putting him 3rd All-Time), and one of only a handful of players to have hit .400 for an entire season (.408 in his first full season in 1911...the 2nd highest average in MLB history), Jackson is considered by many historians as one of, if not the best pure hitter in the history of the game. Babe Ruth is said to have modeled his swing after that of Joe's. Ty Cobb is said to have thought Jackson was the best hitter of his era...high praise, as Cobb himself was considered one of the greatest players ever.
Still, the fact that his career was so brief, and was ended during his prime make Shoeless Joe Jackson a prime candidate for the type of 'what if' scenarios' that keep enthusiasts up at night.
As a fan of statistics and the history of the game, I've always been fascinated with the 1910's and 1920's when it comes to baseball. How would those greats make out in today's game? Would the Babe still be the star today that he was in the 20's? Would Cobb or Jackson still be able to hit .400? We'll never know, but it does leave ample room for the imagination to run wild.
Enter Statis Pro Baseball.
I've been a stats junkie most of my life. I used to pour over NHL Annuals and newspaper box scores as a kid. I created my own leagues and kept stats for them during the early days of video games, before they did it for you. I've played Management simulators for Baseball, Football, Soccer and Hockey, and even created games out of thin air (Boxing, Car Racing and Baseball). However, recently I was introduced to the game Statis Pro Baseball by a customer at the retail store I work at and was instantly intrigued. Using a set of player and 'fast action cards', the game allows the player to play out a simulated game of Baseball using players from any time...so long as you find the cards. The game has been out of print for nearly 20 years, but stats enthusiasts have kept the game alive by creating and making available cards for players from 1888 to 2013...using formulas to ensure that players, over the course of a 154 or 162 game schedule, come remarkably close to their historical stats for whatever year is being represented.
After playing a couple of games using two teams from the 1912 Season, as well as two more from the 1972 Japanese Pro League, I was determined to see if it was possible to recreate the 1920 season. Soon enough, after a few hours of digging, I was able to find free downloads for the 1920 season, all 8 American League and 8 National League teams, playing cards, and rules. A few downloads later, along with a $9 investment in some cover stock paper, about 50 pages worth of printing, and a good 2-3 hours of meticulous scissor cutting, I am now in possession of the essential parts to get started.
I am now about to embark on my first season in charge of the 1920 Chicago White Sox, a year after the 'rumoured' tainted World Series. However, in my Universe, Shoeless Joe will never testify, and Kenesaw Mounain Landis will have a great deal of difficulty in unearthing even the faintest hint of evedence that any sort of 'fix' transpired the year before. Secret team meetings between myself and Owner Charles Comiskey, where promises are made ensuring a clean slate, and myself and the 8 accused that they will play for minimum wage as punishment for their 'rumoured' transgressions, will result in a gentleman's agreement that what's done is done...and this year, we will win the World Series to right the wrong of 1919.
And so...it begins, with my White Sox traveling to Detroit for a 3 game series against Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers to kick off the 1920 American League schedule...with Shoeless Joe ready to lead the team to a return to the Series, and in doing so, rewriting his, and baseball's history.
Let's Play Ball!
posted by neil at 11:49 PM
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