Kenneth J. Ratajczak, M.D.
This book looks at the 1919 World Series with emphasis on Shoeless Joe Jackson in an attempt to determine his role in the "Big Fix". It also looks into Charles Comiskey and Judge Landis. The final chapter compiles the information into a fictious trial of Joe Jackson and puts Comiskey, Landis, and Major League Baseball under the microscope. The reader is part of the jury and is encouraged to listen to the testimony and submit his/her verdict to Major League Baseball.
Dr. Ratajczak is a board certified radiologist and retired Colonel from the United States Army. He received his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1972. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Indiana University in 1977. He has been a Chicago White Sox fan since he was 6 years old. His interest in Shoeless Joe Jackson was piqued when he read
Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ragtime Baseball. Over a three year period, he read nine other books to try to find out what Joe's part was in the "Big Fix" or whether Joe was involved. With the evidence available, he began his work on
The Wrong Man Out.
If you think that Joe Jackson should be reinstated to Major League Baseball, then you need to read this book. Let me preface the trial portion of the book by stating that I got my law degree from watching Boston Legal, so if you think this sounds a bit like Denny Crane and Alan Shore, you now know why.
Major League Baseball should be on trial. How contemptuous is Major League Baseball. They have the nerve to display “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s shoes in the Hall of Fame, but they won’t reinstate him so that he could be reunited with his own footwear where he truly belongs. Maybe, then, everyone would stop calling him “Shoeless” Joe.
We venerate Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker who may be way more guilty than Shoeless Joe Jackson.
There is the science of sabermetrics, a mathematical analysis of Mr. Jackson’s play that shows that, in all probability, he played to the best of his ability. Now, we even have scientific proof that Shoeless Joe played to the best of his ability. What more proof does Major League Baseball need to exonerate Joe Jackson? Read The Wrong Man Out, and you will get a lot more proof.
