Joseph Jefferson Wofford Jackson was a tall, lanky mill boy from South Carolina who rose from poverty to become one of the most feared hitters in professional baseball. So revered was his skill at the plate that even Babe Ruth was said to have copied Jackson’s swing.

Off the field, however, Jackson’s world was much more turbulent: he endured harassment throughout his career from nearly every direction; fans, teammates, and writers made light of his illiteracy and southern heritage; newspapers attacked his patriotism for his decision not to enlist in the military during World War I. On more than one occasion, it was almost enough to make him quit the game.

And while Joe Jackson is remembered as one of the greatest players to ever live, he is most popularly remembered for his involvement in the plot to fix the 1919 World Series. History and fiction have cast him as a naïve country boy who threw away a hall of fame career for a few thousand dollars. From literature to cinema, his career remains one of the most debated topics in baseball history, while his exploits have provided the basis for as much truth as they have myth.

But where the line between history and fiction has blurred into myth, the fact remains that Joe Jackson was a real man—a gifted athlete who was hitting home runs into his early 50’s, despite having been banned from baseball some 20 years earlier.

Stay tuned.

3 Responses to “Joe Jackson - Description & Trailer”

1. Kelly Sagert = the movie? « That Woman’s Weblog Says:
   May 29th, 2009 at 7:20 am

   [...] first clip is about 1 minute and I’m in part of it: http://blacksox.tv/2009/05/10/joe-jackson-trailer/. The second one is me for 1 minute and 19 seconds, answering a question about why Jackson, after [...]

2. algonquin j. calhoun Says:
   May 29th, 2009 at 10:16 pm

   i am peter marra’s biggest fan, and i hope his brilliant work gets the attention it deserves.

3. Eddie Wilson Says:
   June 1st, 2009 at 4:00 pm

   Here in the south we learn to turn our back on our brothers’ indiscretions; to neither villify nor vindicate, but to simply look away. Right or wrong, that’s the way Joe was raised. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Today we’ve got hormone junkies, punk antics, sex scandals, and budget-busting mutli-millionaire crybabies. Since 1900 America’s game has been subjected to the worst vices we could throw at it, but the game endures. Long live the boys of summer, and long live Joe.

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