Shoeless Joe a Yankee? It almost happened.

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Posted By: Bob

I was reading an article in the Warren, Ohio newspaper dated February 20, 1918 in which it reported a meeting between Miller Huggins, Colonel Ruppert (Yanks owner), Ban Johnson (AL prez) and Charles Comiskey. The Yanks were in desperate need of a power hitter, it said, and during the meeting a deal was almost struck which would have sent Joe to NY. Ban Johnson was told that it was important for the sake of the AL that New York have a strong team and attempts to get Hughie Jennings and the Tigers owner to trade Cobb to NY had fallen through. Comiskey couldn't quite pull the trigger on the deal and the article told how Comiskey was a real "sportsman who would prefer to win the pennant than make a million dollars." (cough, hack...)
When the Jackson trade collapsed, Ruppert turned to another slugger, this one from Boston, and the rest is history...

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Posted By: Frank Evanov

Wow, the ultimate "what if?" Joe never gets suspended. Makes the HOF first year...Babe still gets traded because Frazee needed the money, but to whom?? Great story.

Frank

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

I guess that lots of possible offers are discussed. I recently read that Comiskey offered $40 or 60,000 and Jackson for Ruth. But that pot was not rich enough.

Edited to Add:

Anyone else ever read this, because I can not find my reference (it may have been on line)?

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Posted By: David Smith

that never happened has to be Williams for DiMaggio

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Posted By: Paul

Isn't it odd that the Yankees were looking for a power hitter in the dead ball era?

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Posted By: Bob

Maybe they were clairvoyant. It was after Mays killed Chapman that all of a sudden the umps were instructed to throw a shiny new ball in and use it at all time instead of playing an entire game with 2-3 balls, all of which were cut, gouged, sliced, torn and stained with tobacco juice, licorice and God knows what else to point of becoming black.
In the aftermath of the 1919 WS, to help bring fans back, major league moguls decided that "chicks dig the long ball" and ordered the rubber centers replaced with cork and the balls were wrapped tighter also.

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Posted By: Chad

What if the Red Sox hadn't been blinded by color and took their scout's advice to sign Mays and Aaron. Not to mention, what if they signed Jackie Robinson when they tried him out instead of nonchalantly telling him he wasn't major league material.

What if the Cubs had taken the Seals up on their offer to purchase Joe Dimaggio with, essentially, a money back guarantee.

What if Christy Mathewson has kept his word and jumped to the A's when the American League formed.

What if Connie Mack had been more patient with Shoeless Joe and kept him around?

What if Lajoie would have accepted the Tigers offer of Cobb for Elmer Flick?

A lot of tantalizing what-ifs in baseball history.

--Chad

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Thank god Joe never defected to the Evil Empire.

Odd that this topic is posted today, when the Sox being a three game series with the Bronx Babies.

Lets go Sox!

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!