Since 1921, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson was banned from baseball. 70 years later, in 1991, the National Baseball Hall of Fame deemed that anyone on MLB’s permanently ineligible list would also be ineligible from admission to the game’s Hall of Fame. Now, a historic decision has been made, directly impacting the legacy of some of baseball’s most complicated figures.

Full list of players off MLB’s Banned List

• Joe Jackson (1919 Black Sox Scandal)

• Buck Weaver, Eddie Cicotte, Lefty Williams, Happy Felsch, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Chick Gandil (1919 Black Sox Scandal)

• Joe Gedeon (Had “guilty knowledge” of gambling activity in 1919

• Gene Paulette (Associated with gamblers, banned in 1920)

• Benny Kauff (Banned in 1921 despite acquittal on auto theft charge)

• Lee Magee (Banned in 1921 over disputed back salary elicited of his gambling involvement)

• Shufflin’ Phil Douglas (threatened manager)

• Jimmy O’Connell (offered bribe to another player)

• Cozy Dolan (Giants coach involved in Jimmy O’Connell incident)

• William Cox (Phillies owner, banned and forced to sell team in 1943 after gambling on baseball)

• Pete Rose (gambled on baseball)

Every single one of these people have passed away, most recently Pete Rose, who died on September 30, 2024, and is baseball’s all-time hits leader after a 24-year career and 4,256 hits in 14,053 at-bats.

He will almost surely be a Hall of Famer, as he predicted he would be once he died.

‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson is the other super notable name on the list, famous for being the most prominent player involved in the “Chicago Black Sox” scandal of the 1919 World Series between Chicago and Cincinnati Reds.

Stories say that eight members of the Chicago White Sox intentionally lost the series to the Reds in exchange for payment from gamblers, who made money off betting the Reds big time, knowing that the Sox would lose.

Regardless, ‘Shoeless’ Joe hit .375 in the series, the highest between either team. He also had 12 hits in the series, a World Series record that stood for almost 50 seasons, 6 RBI’s, and accounted for 11 of Chicago’s 20 runs. He also had the only home run between either team in the series, and didn’t commit a single error in the field.

He will almost surely be a Hall of Famer, 74 years after he died.

In the likely event that both Jackson and Rose do earn baseball’s top achievement, it won’t be through the same process that almost every inductee goes through. A normal inductee like Derek Jeter or Mickey Mantle were voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). If a player does not get considered by the BBWAA, they can still be voted in by the “Era Committees,” which will be the case for any of the now-exempt players off the ban list.

The Era Committees have two different sectors, the Contemporary Baseball Era, consisting of the period from 1980 to present day, and the Classic Baseball Era, consisting of the period prior to 1980 and including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues stars. Both Jackson and Rose fall under the Classic Baseball Era. The Era Committees is comprised of 183 individuals, a combination of 117 major leaguers, 33 executives, 23 managers and 10 umpires.

A Classic Era ballot will not be released until December 2027.

The obvious question also lies in the room, now that it’s more possible and likely than ever that Jackson and Rose will see the Hall of Fame: What does this mean for the steroid era players?

As David Schoenfield writes for ESPN.com, “it’s worth noting that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro were included on the eight-player Contrmporary Era ballot in 2023.” From my understanding, the case for Bonds, Clemens, and anyone that is being kept from the hall due to steroid usage, is up to the perception and thoughts of those voting them in, which would be the Era Committees.

So, the grand question, is this good?

Frankly, I do think so. Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe have complicated legacies, and everyone knows that. It’s absolutely undeniable. But, Rose only ever bet on his team to win, and while it’s consensus that he shouldn’t have been gambling, he could’ve been doing a lot worse.

Same to Joe Jackson, who, as I wrote previously, had one heck of a World Series regardless of his involvement with the fix. Some say Jackson was against the fix, some say he was a willing and active participant. If his stats suggest anything, I’m not sure he was first in line to throw away a World Series title to make good money from some gamblers.

Obviously, you don’t want to set the precedent that anyone who does anything wrong can be exempt from being a Hall of Famer, but it’s important to note that it’s still very hard to earn your way. You can’t get away with anything, it’s still a tough crowd on the other end of things, judging whether you deserve to live, or live a legacy, in baseball lore.

Maybe it’s simply punishment, and hopefully a deterrent, enough that Pete Rose, or ‘Shoeless’ Joe, or anyone on that list, will never step to the microphone in Cooperstown on induction day. Depending on what you believe, they will never even know of their greatest accomplishment, because they won’t be around long enough to see it. Is that punishment enough? What about the stained reputation? Complicated legacy? It’s hard to say.

It’s a good topic to revisit in two years, when the day might come for Pete Rose’s family, who’ve pushed heavily for this very reversal of the rules. They believe the punishment has been paid, and it’s time to move on. We’ll see if baseball agrees.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have built an absolute powerhouse team for the 2025 season. Their pitching rotation consists of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki. Pretty good when the fifth pitcher in your lineup has been in conversation to be the best pitching prospect ever.

It doesn’t stop with pitching. Four players in last year’s top-20 for NL MVP voting play in Dodger Blue, including the World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, who delivered a towering blast in game one of the World Series to walk-off a home run and gain the momentum upper hand that helped them win it all.

LA made 11 moves in the offseason, including signing Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell for five years, Tanner Scott for four years, Hyeseong Kim for three years, Kirby Yates for a year, Michael Conforto for a year, re-signing Blake Treinan for two years, Kike Hernandez for a year, Teoscar Herandez for three years and Clayton Kershaw for a year.

That’s a ton of additions. And, they lost just three players in Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty and Gavin Lux.

A ton of money is being thrown around by the team, but they’ve found a way to make it work, by deferring contract money until the player’s career is over.

For example, Shohei Ohtani’s contract is worth $700 million, but $680 million of it is deferred. Same with $50 million of Will Smith $140 million contact, $57 million of Freddie Freeman’s $162 million, and so on.

It’s the same case for the Mets when they signed Bobby Bonilla in 2000, and are still paying the 61-year-old $1.19 million on July 1st, and will until 2035. Granted, this wasn’t the Mets plan, since they thought they’d be able to pay him quicker because of the profit they belived they’d make with investments with Bernie Madoff. That’s neither here nor there.

Ken Griffey Jr. also notably was receiving payments of $3.5 million on this past July 1st from the Cincinnati Reds.

So, fresh off of a five-game World Series win, and 11 added players, it was only fair for much of baseball to call the Dodgers the new villains of the game, dethrowning the Houston Astros. The Astros cheated their way to the 2017 against the Dodgers, and perhaps even more than just that season. Many sympathized with the Dodgers, because they had the materials to lift the Comissioner’s Trophy that season, but now that symapthy from baseball fans has turned into a resentment from their domination.

And domination is the right word.

LA started their season with 4-1 and 6-3 wins on March 18 and 19 against the Cubs in a back-to-back played in Tokyo, Japan before every other team.

Ohtani, Tommy Edman, and Kike Hernandez hit home runs in the second of the back-to-back, and LA began the season outscoring Chicago, 10-4.

Then, the real season began in the states with a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers last week at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers also handled the Braves in three straight games still in ‘Cali.

The Dodgers’ start certainly isn’t to the level of 1884 St. Louis Maroons, who started 20-0, but it’s a start, and one of the better starts in recent history.

But, the road ahead is not quite as easy, as the ballclub will hit a road trip from this Friday until Wednesday, April 9, playing three games in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Roki Sasaki and Phillies ace Aaron Nola are set to face each other on Saturday afternoon.

LA is set to pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow in Philly, their first, fourth and fifth options against a powerful Philly offense. If the Dodgers can get by with three wins in Philly, then it even further proves what everyone already knows: this team is by far the World Series favorite, and any other team winning would be a surprise.

Not sure anyone expected to ever hear something along those lines in April.

Kansas City scored early with a Tommy Pham sacrifice fly, scoring a man who Bob Costas called the “Yankee Killer”, Yuli Gurriel, to score, opening a 1-0 Kansas City lead. Gurriel began his big league career in 2016 with the Houston Astros, and was part of a team in Houston that sent the Yankees home in the ALCS three times, in 2017, 2019 and 2022. Behind a cheating scandal that certainly affected the Astros’ 2017 world championship, and likely again in 2019, Gurriel became a huge centerpiece of controversy with all that were affected by the Astros’ saga, including Yankees fans.

Now 40-years old, he’s with Kansas City in one of - if not the - final season(s) of his career, looking to send the Yankees home in the playoffs for the fourth time of his career.

After Gurriel reached home on the second inning sac fly, Gleyber Torres unloaded for a two-run, go ahead home run, furthermore proving how he fits in the lead off spot for New York, setting the tone for some more power-driven hitters that come behind him, particularly Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, often being compared lately to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Torres had a disappointing first half of the season, but he turned a ton of heads in September, the month that saw the most Torres at-bats with 108, gaining 36 hits and 13 RBI’s. Batting first in 2024, Torres has 67 hits and a .283 batting average, far better than any other spot he’s been in all year, which is every spot except for second and ninth. Now, when it matters most, the Yankees have his position in the order figured out, and he continues to prove manager Aaron Boone correct.

Speaking of positions, left field and first base were up for grabs before the postseason began, with many questioning which two out of a group of five would fill the spots on opposite ends of the diamonds. Would New York trust rookie Jasson Dominguez in left or revert back to Alex Verdugo? Would veteran Anthony Rizzo be healthy enough to bring his experience to first base, or would the Yankees need to rely on another rookie in Ben Rice? Or someone else?

In left field, the Yankees went with Alex Verdugo, a 2024 preseason acquistion. His play in left, and at the plate, in game one made the Yankees look really good, but it may not have been coincidence. Make no mistake, this is an Alex Verdugo that is more than ready to prove himself in the postseason. He played his first three seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that lost back-to-back World Series’ to the ‘17 Astros and ‘18 Red Sox, two deep playoff runs that shared two things: losing in the World Series and not seeing any time for Alex Verdugo. He went on to join the Boston Red Sox in 2020, and he finally saw some playoff action in 2021, as Boston reached the ALCS and lost to Houston, amounting for 11 playoff games for Verdugo, the first 11 of his career despite his involvement in some really good playoff runs.

Now, Verdugo is the starting left fielder for the AL’s #1 overall seed in a position battle that involved one of baseball’s top young players, the ultimate show of faith from Aaron Boone. “Dugie”, as they call him, brings a lot of energy to the team, necessary for the playoffs, as the Pinstripes have faded in the postseason year after year, facing three ALCS losses to Houston since 2017, let alone other fall disappointments in the last seven seasons.

As for first base, the three man “race” was less of a race than a situation. If Anthony Rizzo was healthy enough to play the position for the ALDS, then he would.

Rizzo was hit by a pitch from Ryan Borucki on September 28 in the Yankees’ late regular season with Pittsburgh, injuring the fourth and fifth fingers in his right hand. While Rizzo has expressed his interest and optimism in returning for the ALCS, New York has to get there first, and someone needs to hold his place.

Ben Rizzo was the frontrunner, a rookie who’s been making trips between Scranton, PA and the Bronx, in between MiLB AAA play and the big leagues. In 152 at-bats, Rice drove in 23 runs of 26 hits, an impressive number from the limited sample size.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Rice was left off the ALDS roster, with Aaron Boone choosing Oswaldo Cabrera, who has more credibility defensively, but perhaps a bite of the bullet from New York on the offensive upside.

Cabrera saved some infield errors with a good glove, but went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts.

In any event, New Yorkers will take a sigh of relief if they get to see Rizzo, a 2016 World Series champion, back in the corner.

The Yankees get another outing at Yankee Stadium again on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:38 on TBS.

12 teams are ready to continue their season and make a run for the Commissioner’s Trophy, and there are some fabulous stories to watch as the postseason begins.

AJ Hinch faces off against former team

AJ Hinch did not get ejected throughout the entirety of the regular season. That is what everyone would have thought with two outs remaining in that regular season, but in the bottom of the ninth of their final game of the 162-game stretch, Hinch’s Tigers were down 9-5 against the Chicago White Sox, a relatively meaningless game for Chicago, who’d already lost 121 this season, and Detroit, who’ve already clinched their postseason birth, their first in a decade.

With one final side to play, Enyel De Los Santos delivered a 2-2 pitch, hit deep to right field by Zach McKinstry, bobbled by Dominic Fletcher as he worked towards the warning track and the wall. Immediately, Finch challenged, a near guarantee they’d win and try to rally four runs to beat the struggling ‘Sox.

When he didn’t win the challenge, he went to chat with the umpires, resulting in his first ejection of the regular season, with two outs to spare.

If anything, Hinch sparked some fire for his Detroit team, who went 18-8 in September to earn their sixth-place spot in the playoff bracket. The team, led by Matt Vierling, Tarik Skubal and rookie Colt Keith, already has a ‘shock everyone’ mentality, but the incident, about as close to the end of the regular season as you can get, certainly provides some attitude with their postseason mentality.

To add some extra juice, Hinch is managing his first playoff series against the team that fired him in 2019, the Houston Astros. At the time, the ‘Sign Stealing Scandal’ was leading headlines in the sports world, and the Houston management was hit with the brunt of the MLB repercussions, a controversial decision by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to not penalize the players. Hinch was issued a year-long suspension, the longest for a manager for in-game conduct in baseball history.

With a year-long suspension, Houston had to make a change to have a manager for the season, so they fired Hinch and turned to Dusty Baker. After a one-year abscense from the game, Hinch was hired in Detroit, which leads Hinch to a rare club ahead of the wild card series between the two clubs.

Hinch joins Terry Francona and Billy Martin as the only three managers in history to face a team in a postseason series that they previously led to a World Series title. Francona did it in 2016 with the Indians (now Guardians) against the Red Sox, and Martin was the first to do it in 1981 against the Yankees with his Oakland A’s.

“Baseball is going to take you places,” Hinch said with a grin in his press conference on Sunday. “Sometimes, it’s going to take you where you’ve been.”

Hinch delivered some passionate statements on the team’s mentality, and he assured everyone that the mission is clear.

“We’re trying to go win a series to bring a home playoff game to Comerica.”

OPINION

Yankees get playoff bye, tasked with roster moves before ALDS series

With the regular season concluded, the Yankees have gotten plenty large enough of a sample size to determine what to do with roster moves before the 2024 postseason, a postseason that they find themselves as the AL’s #1 seeded team.

Specifically, the questions come on near opposite ends of the field - left field and first base - as the positions have seen multiple different faces throughout the season.

In left field, the Yankees can take a big chance on Jasson Dominguez, the switch-hitting, highly anticipated prospect who started all final five regular season games in left to get acclimated, a potential sign from Aaron Boone and the Yankees that he may be in that position for some impending big games.

In those final five, Dominguez had just two hits in 15 at-bats in series’ against Baltimore and Oakland. Baltimore, who allowed one single from Dominguez, could be the Yankees’ first playoff opponent, as they take on Kansas City in the Wild Card Round, winner goes to The Bronx.

The Yankees used to boo Alex Verdugo in left field. In fact, in 2021, Yankees fans threw a baseball that hit Verdugo, but that was when he was he was wearing navy blue and red for the Red Sox, and now, in typical Yankee fashion, he’s been welcomed into the Pinstripes with valuable contributions to the team since his arrival before this season.

Verdugo has seen 559 at-bats this year, compiling 130 hits and 61 RBIs, a viable candidate to start in left field, at least to begin the ALDS series.

Sure, it would be a huge confidence boost to give Dominguez a shot in a big way, but the win now mentality has to apply in this circumstance. The Yankees are the best seed in the AL playoffs for the first time since 2012, despite memorable seasons in 2017 and 2019 that both ended in losses to Houston in the ALCS. It’s a huge opportunity to seize a World Series title that fans in New York - and across the globe - have waited to seize since 2009.

Verdugo isn’t a no-brainer, but he’s the reliable option in left field, a position the Yankees need to stick with experience in. The errors made in the position since the retirement of Brett Gardner have been clear, and Verdugo brings a little bit more to the table.

As for the first base side, it’s a little bit more tricky. Anthony Rizzo is dealing with fractured fingers that put his health into question for the ALDS, perhaps forcing the Yankees to go with another rookie, Ben Rice, to fill the first base corner for the time being.

Rice is a natural catcher, but he holds more experience at first base than the third alternative, Oswaldo Cabrera, and his offensive production is promising, leading many fans and media to lean towards Rice getting the nod to start the postseason after being called back up to the big leagues from the AAA affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, just last week, a strategic move by New York to make him available for the postseason.

Mets and Braves deliver October baseball one day short

The phrase “October Baseball” has become synonymous with electricity, high stakes, all-on-the-line baseball, and we were treated to an appetizer on Monday with the down-to-the-wire doubleheader between division rivals in New York and Atlanta.

Going into the doubleheader, the situation was clear. If the Braves swept, then they’d make the postseason along with last year’s World Series runner-ups, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and vice versa for a Mets sweep. If the two teams split their doubleheader one apiece, they’d both go to the postseason, kicking out Arizona, and that’s the situation that played out.

The unfortunate circumstance for Arizona made more baseball history, as both teams from last year’s World Series matchup missed this year’s playoffs for the first time since 2007.

The result didn’t happen without drama, though, as the first game between the two ended in an 8-7 Mets win, one of the best and most exciting games in Mets history.

Atlanta led 2-0 early off an Ozzie Albies homer in the bottom of the third, a lead they’d extend to 3-0 much later in the bottom of the sixth. The Mets were scoreless until the eighth, but they made up for it with a six-run eighth inning, claiming their first lead, 6-3.

The Braves didn’t take it lightly, answering with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the eighth, seizing their lead back, 7-6.

Fransisco Lindor, a seasoned veteran, and part of the Cleveland Indians’ 2016 World Series runner-up team launched a 413-foot homer, grabbing a Mets 8-7 lead, which is where Edwin Diaz shut down the Braves in the bottom of the inning and earning the Mets trip back to the playoffs after a 2023 absence.

The Mets look to make it past the NL Wild Card round for the first time since their 2015 World Series loss to Kansas City.

Not to disappoint anyone looking to double the thrill, but game two of the doubleheader was relatively uneventful, as the Braves gained a lead in the second inning and never surrendered it, shutting out New York 3-0 to earn a trip to the postseason and shutting out Arizona from continuing their season.

Luke Brown is a 2024 graudate of Camp Hill high school and first-year student at Rowan University, studying Sports Communication. With bylines in PennLive, NJ.com and various media outlets, this is his forum to create sports content on the side. Subscribe today!

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