Perhaps the greaTesT natural hitter in baseball history, Shoeless Joe

Jackson is also among the game s most controversial figures. Some

consider him a simple soul who was led astray: others say he shamelessly

betrayed the nation s fans.

Born in rural South Carolina in 1887. Jackson went to work in a local

textile mill at the age of six, He never learned to read or write, but his

remarkable athletic talent won him a spot on the mill s baseball team. By

the age of 17, he graduated to semipro ball. where he starred as a fearsome

slugger and a rille-armed outfielder.

Playing his first full major league season for the Cleveland Naps

in 1911. Jackson batted .408. the highest ever for a rookie. Following

his 1915 trade to the White Sox, Shoeless Joe became the toast of

Chicago, leading his team ro a world championship in 1917, After 13 big

league seasons. Jackson s average stood at .356. the third highest in

baseball history.

Jackson s world came crashing down in 1920. when he was accused

of plotting to throw the 1919 World Series. Though acquitted by a jury,

Jackson was among the eight "Black Sox" banned from baseball in 1921.

After three decades as a small-town businessman. Shoeless Joe Jackson

died in 1951. leaving a legacy of brilliance and heartbreak.