Posted By:
Jeff ObermeyerThere is no such thing as a "lifetime ban" in major league baseball... that's just a term that is thrown around whenever discussions of Pete Rose and Joe Jackson come up.
Jackson is on baseball's ineligible list. He is on that list with (I believe) 17 others. Anyone on this list cannot hold any job with a team in organized baseball, nor are they eligable for election to the HOF. Those on the ineligible list are allowed to apply for reinstatement after one year on the list. There have been players/executives on the ineligible list who have been reinstated - recent examples include George Steinbrenner, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. In Jackson's case, his family would have to apply for reinstatement in his name.
Before all of the bashing starts... I'm not weighing in on either side of the Joe Jackson/HOF debate with this post. All I'm saying is it isn't a "lifetime ban" per se.
Jeff Obermeyer