On Tuesday, the MLB and commissioner Rob Manfred made a historic decision. They announced that a player who's on the Permanently Ineligible List will be removed once the player has passed away.
This decision reinstated 17 former big leaguers, most notably Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. While all the discussion about this decision has centered around Rose's and Jackson's case for the Hall of Fame, there are other great stories to come out of this.
Notably, it vindicates Buck Weaver. Most MLB fans are aware of Weaver due to the movie "Eight Men Out" and John Cusack's brilliant performance as the Black Sox Scandal figure. However, his story goes far past what the movie showed. An argument can be made that Weaver is the most tragic figure in MLB history, and Manfred's decision finally gives a happy ending to his playing career.
Buck Weaver's tragic fate undone thanks to Rob Manfred's ruling
Weaver was one of the best players during the dead-ball era. During his nine years in the bigs, he slashed .272/.307/.355 with 21 home runs, 420 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 92. While these numbers do not jump off the page, you have to remember that it was the worst period of offense in MLB history. Weaver led the majors in sacrifice hits during 1915 and 1916. He was also a key contributor on the 1917 World Series champions, the Chicago White Sox, recording seven hits, one RBI, and three runs.
While Weaver was a good player, his career was cut short due to his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Several members of the White Sox agreed with gamblers to throw the World Series in exchange for money. Now, what's important to note about Weaver is that he never agreed to throw the World Series. Rather, he was punished for knowing about the plot and not reporting it.
A quick look at his stats from that series proved he was playing his best. Over the eight games — the Reds won the series 5-3 — Weaver racked up 11 hits, four doubles, and four runs. He also did not commit a single error in the series. Even reporters who were suspicious about a potential fix praised Weaver for his play on the field. What got Weaver in trouble was going to the initial meeting with his series-throwing compatriots and being on trial with the players who cheated, making him guilty by association.
Weaver was a victim of Kenesaw Mountain Landis's desire to make an example of the 1919 White Sox. While Landis had good intentions of trying to prevent this from happening in the future, he unfairly punished Weaver. It also did not help that every commissioner after Landis followed his precedent and did not even consider Weaver or his family's appeals. It was a tragic, eternal fate for one of the best players in the league.
Now, Weaver should not have gone unpunished; however, he should not have been suspended for life. What the MLB should have done is examine each player individually. That way, they could have punished the players who actually participated in throwing the series, while going easier on the ones who were not as involved.
However, with Manfred's ruling, Weaver finally got the justice he deserved. Now, we can appreciate the greatest of Weaver without the big blemish on his resume.