It is fashionable these days to forgive Jackson for his role in fixing the 1919 World Series. I am not so charitable.

While Jackson was a brilliant player, and by most accounts a pretty decent human being, he made a conscious decision to participate in the fix and was one of the few players to actually receive a pay-off from gamblers.

That he was an illiterate, unsophisticated man, there is no doubt. That he was victimized by more cunning and less scrupulous men, there is equally no doubt. But one does not have to hold a university degree to understand that fixing a game is wrong.

To his credit, Jackson not only admitted his fault, but accepted responsibility for his actions. The lifetime ban for his crime was deserved, however, I would add this codicil. The ban was for life, and Jackson has been fifty years dead. He has served his sentence. Put him in the Hall of Fame.

And for those knuckle draggers who say that this position is contrary to my views on Pete Rose, I say this. Nonsense. Let Rose serve his lifetime ban, and the day of his funeral elect him to Cooperstown. Neither man should enjoy the honour of the Hall during their lifetime.

It hasn't been proven that he fixed the series, so I am in the middle on this one.

He committed the ultimate offense against his profession. The ultimate dishonor. And beau99, it's good to see the 'Clinton defense brought out of mothballs, I forgot how convincing that was.

Put this guy in the Hall of Fame, pronto! He was never found guilty of anything, so why ban the poor guy?