Shoeless Joe Jackson page 3 by ric gustafson
" If you build it, he will come". Who's coming?
His name was Joseph Jefferson Jackson. His nickname was Shoeless Joe. He was born in South Carolina in 1887. Ty Cobb remarked that Jackson was the best left fielder of all time. Jackson never learned to read or write. His life was with a bat and glove.
When I heard the voice, I wondered where my passion for baseball came from. It was probably because of my father. My father Glen Ullin was born in North Dakota in 1896. He was in WW I. After the war, he settled in Chicago across from Comiskey Park. He was a diehard White Sox fan.
When the 1919 World Series started, a scandal happened. Eight players including Shoeless Joe Jackson were accused of throwing the Series. All eight players were suspended for life. My father always believed that Jackson was innocent. It became known as the Black Sox scandal.
In the meantime, I worked on the ball field. Home plate was cracked two by fours. Rubber was the pitcher's mound. The bases were stray blocks of wood. The only bleacher I built was beyond the left field wall. It took me three years to get the grass just right.
" If you build it, he will come".
research help: ' Shoeless Joe' by W.P. Kinsella
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
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