WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Old Ballgame: Baseball's "Shoeless" Ball Player

Episode Date: April 25, 2024

A look at the origin of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's name.

Welcome to the Old Ball Game, where we talk about the past of America's favorite pastime. I'm Tate Christensen. Today we talk about the man, the myth, the legend himself, Shulis Joe Jackson. Jackson was born in 1887 and spent the majority of his life in South Carolina. In 1908, Jackson began his professional career with the Greenville spinners. Eventually, he signed with Connie Mack to play for the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1911, he began his first full MLB season, hitting a whopping 408 batting average, a record that still stands today.

Shoeless Jackson's famous nickname comes not from his time in the MLB, but from a mill game he played in South Carolina. Jackson reportedly had blisters on his feet due to a new pair of cleats, so he took his shoes off, playing ball in his socks. As the game continued, a fan, who was heckling the players, noticed that Jackson was running to third base in his socks. The fan shouted, you shoeless son of a gun, you? The name stuck, and he was called Shoeless Joe Jackson for the rest of his life. This has been the old ball game on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.17 FM.