Joe Jackson “Shoeless Joe Remembered” (c.1919) – Photofile Inc.

He was one of the greatest players of his era – and then, in a flash, he was gone, banished from the game in Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ sweeping solution to the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal. Although most subsequent research has shown his probable innocence, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson found himself too close to the major players involved in baseball’s ugliest scandal to date, and after a brilliant 1920 season in which he hit .382 with a career-high 121 RBI, he was never allowed in a Big League park again.

Shoeless Joe’s case is part of baseball’s endless fodder for debate and analysis. Was he the best hitter of his era? Would he have led the White Sox to future World Series championships? Was his banishment the right thing to do for baseball? Or, was it a further stain on a game already sullied by a gambling scandal? In any case, all we have left is the historical record, which includes classic photography like this.

Published exclusively for SportsPosterWarehouse.com, this poster is a haunting tribute to the man made famous in modern times by fictional portrayals in the Hollywood films Eight Men Out and Field of Dreams. Taken during the heart of the Black Sox era, this is the signature image of Shoeless Joe the slugger, displaying his batting stance with “Black Betsy”, his massive 36-inch, 48-ounce bat that he somehow drove powerfully through the hitting zone. A historic sepia-toned beauty from the early years of Major League Baseball, this is the perfect way to give your sports wall-of-fame a vintage, classic look! Printed from the original photographic plates, and complete with official MLB Properties serialized hologram, this is both a stunning piece for any baseball fan, and a valuable collector’s item for years to come.