Eight Men Out

[Bugsy]

I think Jackson was even more innocent that Buck.

1) He didn't attend any fix meetings.
2) He asked to be benched before the first game. Would a guy in on a fix call attention to himself by asking out of the lineup?
3) His batting and fielding were flawless. Some argue he "let up" in the clutch which simply isn't true. If you examine every at bat, this carries no weight. His throw to the plate (that Cicotte cut off) is proof his fielding was on the level too.
4) He received money the evening after the last game and tried to return it the next day, but Comiskey wouldn't see him (trying to separate himself from his players) and sent Jackson home with the money. Went Grabiner went to visit Jackson in the winter to get him to sign for 1920, he again tried to return the money.
5) The signed testimony is a joke too. Commy's lawyer had an illiterate scrawl on a sheet of paper. He didn't confess to anything. He was pressured by a few suits to do what he was told.

As far as Landis' standard for expulsion is concerned, Joe passes the test, but since he was tied to the others in public opinion, Landis expelled him too. Honestly, I don't mind Joe being kicked out. I am not a Landis fan, but it served a greater good. Game fixing didn't end in 1920, but the game would have perished had nobody taken a hard line on it.