Manfred right, Franklin wrong on Rose, Jackson Hall of Fame eligibility

 Manfred right, Franklin wrong on Rose, Jackson Hall of Fame eligibility

 

Dr. Cory Franklin’s commentary ‘The lessons of ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and the MLB’s rewriting of history’ completely misses the point of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s reinstatement of Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and 16 other banned major leaguers to eligibility in the Hall of Fame.

 

Franklin’s hyperbolic focus on Shoeless Joe makes a specious argument that his reinstatement will fuel revisionist history that Jackson was an innocent bystander to the fix. Then Franklin spends most of his commentary proving Jackson did aid the fix. That is totally unnecessary since the verdict of history is clear that Jackson participated. Franklin somehow missed that Manfred’s decree said nothing about Jackson’s guilt or innocence since that was irrelevant to his reasoning. Jackson is eligible simply because he’s dead and no longer a danger to America’s pastime.

 

What’s worse is Franklin’s personal attack on Manfred. He did it to suck up to the gambling industry. He did it to suck up to Trump. Pure speculation.

 

Worse yet, Franklin then i makes the outrageous claim that while at Harvard Law “history’s lessons failed to make (Manfred’s) curriculum.” Good grief, can Franklin stoop any lower to demean Manfred?

 

Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe both belong in the Hall, and hopefully their descendants will live to see their enshrinement. Rose’s astonishing 4,256 hits, most of over 23,000 to play, should put him there. Jackson’s place should be sealed by fourth best career .356 batting average, just 10 points behind Ty Cobb’s career leading .366.

 

It’s Franklin, not Manfred rewriting history. Leaving both out is the rewriting of history we should oppose. When Rose and Jackson are enshrined, their involvement with illegal gambling (Rose), and fixing a World Series (Jackson) should be prominently displayed in their history.

 

Both their inspiring accomplishments and their sorrowful misdeeds are part of their legacy and should be presented to visitors viewing their story at the Hall of Fame. That, and not their erasure from the game, is worthy history.

Walt Zlotow   Glen Ellyn IL 

substack.com/@waltzlotow