Shoeless Joe Jackson

Born July 16, 1887, in Pickens County, South Carolina , Baseball Outfielder, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Joe's MLB career exteneded from 1908-20 with most notably the Chicago White Sox, But also the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Cleveland Naps. Jackson's MLB career batting average sat at .356, and is the fourth highest in the history of Major League Baseball. Jackson recalled he got his nickname during a mill game played in Greenville, South Carolina. Jackson had blisters on his foot from a new pair of cleats, which hurt so much that he took his shoes off before he was at bat. As play continued, a heckling fan noticed Jackson running to third base in his socks, and shouted "You shoeless son of a gun, you!" and the resulting nickname "Shoeless Joe" stuck with him. Jackson and the White Sox won the American League pennant and also the World Series. During the series, Jackson hit .307 as the White Sox defeated the New York Giants. Shoeless is often remembered for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson from baseball after the 1920 season. Jackson holds the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox franchise records for triples in a season and career batting average. In 1999, he ranked number 35 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.