Say It Ain’t So

BY W.P. KERNAN

A story. A say it ain’t so story.

W.P. Kinsella had his fun with Shoeless Joe Jackson, so here goes.

No one noticed but after 26 Hall of Famers came out of the cornfield at the Field of Dreams game in Iowa on Thursday, one more former major league star quietly came out from the stalks of corn, yep, that man, Shoeless Joe Jackson, the real thing, the one who batted lefty, not the late great actor Ray Liotta.

Joe sure is the quiet type, but he is curious and he had questions after so many years in the cornfield, he’s been out there since 1980 when W.P. Kinsella wrote a short story that later became the 1982 novel Shoeless Joe. That became the iconic movie, Field of Dreams; lots of questions for those modern-day baseball legends from Joe.

First, he asked about Cooperstown, and what it was like to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He was told by every Hall of Famer how great an honor it was to have their own plaque in the Plaque Gallery Three more players were just added to the HOF roster, Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent this July.

“Would be nice, maybe someday,’’ said Joe, who had a lifetime .356 batting average and .940 OPS and hit .375 in the 1919 World Series, adding, “I was banned for life. I died in 1951.’’

Joe was 64 when he passed. That was 75 years ago. He was banned, of course, for his role in the Black Sox Scandal. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for conspiring with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Despite being acquitted by a criminal court jury, Landis banged the gavel on the Eight Men Out. Jackson was promised $20,000, according to reports, more than three times his $6,000 salary. He received $5,000. In 2025 Rob Manfred removed Shoeless Joe from the permanently ineligible list so time will tell if he ever gets into the Hall of Fame.

There is a steep price to be paid for conspiring with gamblers.

“Hey, what’s that sign out there on the rightfield wall, FanDuel?’’ Joe asked.

He was told Major League Baseball was in big business with the betting operation. That night, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber would blast a leadoff home run into Joe’s cornfield, right over the FanDuel sign. Great pub for FanDuel. Proper ad placement.

“Hmmm,’’ Joe said. “What about that sign on the leftfield wall, BetMGM, what product is that?’’

Same deal, Joe was told, another betting deal with MLB.

“Hmmm. Isn’t that a kick in the butt,’’ Joe said with a laugh. “Maybe that’s what W.P. Kinsella meant when he wrote ‘If you build it, they will come.’’’

They sure built it. And the bettors keep coming as MLB owners are making monster bucks on it all. In fact, the little old Padres are being sold for $3.9 billion and that deal will close Monday. Joe was told there are now 30 teams in MLB and two more expansion teams on the horizon. There were 16 teams when Joe played. Now 12 teams make the postseason, not just the AL pennant winner and the NL pennant winner.

“Really?’’ Joe said. “So, I’m guessing there is no one in the Hall of Fame who used PEDs?’’ No one said anything.

Someone then mentioned Polymarket, DraftKings and others — and all the sports leagues and all the betting on just about anything you want to bet on in games everywhere. Joe shook his head and said, “A lot has changed in the world of sports. It ain’t the same.’’

A lot has changed even since 1989 when Field of Dreams was released in theaters.

That year, 1989, baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti after an investigation revealed that Rose bet on games, including those of the Reds when he was manager.

Pete died in 2024. His name was removed from the permanently ineligible list as well in 2025.

“Maybe someday Pete and I will both get into the Hall of Fame,’’ Joe said. “Heck, put it on our plaques what we did. Pete is the all-time hits leader with 4,256, that should stand for something.’’

Joe then mentioned his friend Babe Ruth and how Babe modeled his swing after Shoeless Joe’s sweet swing.

“I copied Jackson’s style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen,’’ Babe once said. “He’s the guy who made me a hitter.’’

Quite the compliment.

Joe then wondered aloud, “Hey, I heard there was a player who destroyed Babe’s home run records, a guy named Barry Bonds. Where is he? How come he didn’t come out of the cornfield with you guys. He’s in the Hall of Fame, right?’’

Joe was told that Bonds was never elected to the Hall, by the writers or subsequent veterans’ committees and in 2025 received fewer than five votes from the 16-person panel that elected Jeff Kent, who hit the most home runs for a second baseman – 351 and 377 overall – 385 home runs fewer than Barry Bonds’ 762 home runs.

Why isn’t Bonds in the HOF?

Something about Performance Enhancing Drugs, Joe was told. PEDs.

“Oh, was he the only one?’’

No, there are others who did not make the Hall like 354-game winner Roger Clemens, who won a record seven Cy Young Awards.

“Really?’’ Joe said. “So, I’m guessing there is no one in the Hall of Fame who used PEDs?’’

No one said anything.

As for the game of baseball in 2026, Joe had even more questions. In 1913 Joe lashed 39 doubles to lead the American League. Four times in his 13-year career he hit 40 or more doubles. Over his career he had a lifetime average of .356 with a .940 OPS, and that was in the Dead Ball Era. For his career he hit 307 doubles.

“I heard something that just can’t be true,’’ Joe said. “You know fellas, I hit those 307 doubles for my career, but I heard that in the game now, when it goes to extra innings, the player who made the last out of the previous inning is awarded second base in extra innings, like he led off with a double in that inning, that can’t possibly be true? Can it?’’

It’s true, Joe was told.

Commissioner Manfred made that rule up out of the blue, someone said.

“Hmmm,’’ Joe said. “Ain’t the same game.’’

Over his career, Joe stole 202 bases, including 41 in 1911 for the Cleveland Naps.

“I also heard out in the cornfield something else that sounded crazy, the pitcher can only throw over to the base twice to try to get the baserunner, and if on the third try the runner gets safely back to the bag, he is then awarded the next base,’’ Joe said. “And the bases are bigger and players can wear long mitts on their hands to protect themselves when they reach for the base? That can’t be true, can it?’’

It’s true, Joe was told again.

“Hmmm, Ty Cobb would have loved that deal,’’ Joe said.

Another Manfred move, Joe was told.

“Manfred must not like pitchers,’’ Joe said. “But at least there are always real pitchers pitching, right?’’

No, Joe, quite often position players come into games now when the scores are deemed lopsided by those running the game and those position players lob the ball over the plate to the hitters for easy hits and home runs.

“Hmmm,’’ Joe said. “Must be fewer pitchers on each team.’’

No, each team gets 13 pitchers on their roster now and change out pitchers all the time. The Yankees have used 23 different pitchers this season, he was told. The Brewers, who own the most wins in baseball, have used 32 pitchers.

“Ain’t the same game,’’ Joe said. “I would have loved that deal, hitting against position players. Pitchers still have to hit though, right?’’

No, Joe, pitchers don’t hit anymore.

Joe thought for a minute and said, “Shoot, batting averages must be soaring these days. Pitchers don’t hit. Position players lob the ball over the plate. I hear all the bats are made of the best wood, kind of like my old Black Betsy. Averages must be higher than the .268 that was the AL average in 1919.’’

No, Joe, was told the average this season is .244, lower than last season.

“That can’t be,’’ Joe said.

Only eight hitters in all of baseball are hitting over .300, Joe.

In 1920, Joe’s final season in MLB he struck out 14 times. He was told that home run hitter Kyle Schwarber, who hit the home run over the FanDuel sign, has struck out 180 times this season and Angels’ shortstop Zach Neto struck out 171 times. Those running the game believe strikeouts don’t matter.

“Hmmm, in 1920 I had 20 triples, 42 doubles, 12 home runs and struck out those 14 times,’’ Joe said. “Ain’t the same game. I guess umpires call everything a strike’’

Not so, Joe was told.

In fact, players no longer even argue with umpires over balls and strikes because players can challenge the call through the ABS system and a non-human makes the final call, not the umpire.

“ABS? Ain’t the same game,’’ Joe said. “At least there is no clock in baseball, right?’’

No, Joe, there is a clock, a pitch clock and there are penalties for the pitcher, automatic balls, and if the batter isn’t set by a certain time, he gets an automatic strike called on him.

“Ain’t the same game,’’ Joe said.

Say it ain’t so, Joe.