Alex Rodriguez ’s late confession that he used steroids while with the Texas Rangers is being mentioned as one of baseball ’s fully grown scandal ever . ( Rodriguez is the same fellow who ’s been discuss as perhaps the outstanding player ever , and he plays for the revise Yankees , a team that ’s bring an external shot at being one of the good ever , which really just emphasize how much baseball game writers have intercourse to use the word " ever . “ )
certain , the Apocalypse about Rodriguez , one of the standard - bearers for " clean" players during the steroids era , sully the game of baseball , but it ’s probably not the plot ’s big scandal ever . After all , A - Rod ’s not going to connect the foresightful inclination of players who have receive lifespan forbidding from MLB . You probably know why Pete Rose , the " Black Sox" who threw the 1919 World Series , and countless other risk taker and repairer got the boot , but they ’re hardly lonely in their baseball exile . Here are a few more bans that do n’t get quite as much attention .
1. Jack O’Connor
Ty Cobb was a jerky . rightfully corking at baseball , but really a revolting individual . O’Connor , the former participant - manager of the St. Louis Browns , hat Cobb so much that he could n’t let the Georgia Peach win the 1910 American League batten championship on his lookout man . When Cobb entered the final solar day of the time of year locked in a compressed duel with Nap Lajoie for the crown , O’Connor decided to interfere on Lajoie ’s behalf to wound Cobb .
O’Connor ’s Browns team was squaring off against Lajoie ’s Cleveland team in the season ’s final game when O’Connor feed his third baseman , Red Corriden , an odd order : to go stand up in shallow left plain whenever Lajoie come up to bat . With no one cover third fundament , Lajoie could easy butt down the line for singles , which he did eight metre over the course of the twenty-four hours . This late surge gave Lajoie the batting title by merit of a flimsy .384-.383 bound over Cobb .
Supposedly even Cobb ’s teammates transmit Lajoie telegrams preen him for his victory , but baseball official were n’t so amused . They censor O’Connor for liveliness for rigging the batten crown race .
2. Horace Fogel
Some fans think it ’s ridiculous to see player and coaches get slap with fines for criticize officiating after heated games , but the penalization could be considerably more draconian . Just require Horace Fogel . Fogel served as the Philadelphia Phillies ' proprietor and president from 1909 to 1912 , but he ran afoul of the National League when he publicly lay claim that the arbiter favor to see the New York Giants win and made coloured calls against the Phils to ensure Giants triumph . The league tired of Fogel ’s bombastic claims that the pennant race was fixed , so it banned him for life in 1912 .
3. Benny Kauff
Kauff , an outfielder , was a rare talent . In 1914 and 1915 , he won the Federal League ’s batting title and steal base peak , and in 1914 he also lead the league in runs and doubles . His combination of batten eye , speed , and mogul earned him the byname , " The Ty Cobb of the Feds,“ but he apace got in more hassle than the factual Ty Cobb ever did .
For much of big league baseball game ’s account , most musician did n’t scratch out enough money to live on playing the game , so they held offseason jobs . In Kauff ’s case , he owned a used car franchise with his half - brother , which is where he father into raging water . In 1919 the police force regain a slip car they ’d been searching for , and the driver evidence the bull he ’d pick up his young wheels at Kauff ’s dealership . Kauff was hold back on a boot of receiving stolen property , and Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis did n’t even hold back to see what happened in the trial . He gave Kauff the permanent heave - atomic number 67 from baseball just for being indicted .
As it turn out , Kauff might not have even know about the stolen motorcar , and he was acquitted on the explosive charge following his trial . In 1922 Kauff applied to Landis for reinstatement on the grounds that he was n’t actually guilty of anything . Landis , a former federal justice , balked at the idea of letting a panel trial establish guilt and unconditionally refused , comment that , " That acquittal was one of the worst miscarriages of justice that ever came under my observation . "
4. Ray Fisher
Fisher , a starting pitcher , rack up a 100 - 94 record with a 2.82 ERA over his career with the Yankees and Reds . As the 1921 time of year was start , the Reds offered Fisher a new contract , but it would command that he take a salary undercut of $ 1000 . alternatively of stomaching the lour salary , Fisher leave the Reds to take a task that seemed to offer more security measures , coaching the University of Michigan ’s baseball team .
Fisher hope the Reds would release him , but instead Landis stuck him on the ineligible - to - play leaning . Later on that summer , Fisher started mulling the idea of playing again . Branch Rickey of the Cardinals and an " outlaw" squad from Franklin , Pennsylvania , seek to secure his services . Fisher require to dally flop by the Reds , though , so he pen the squad a letter postulate what precisely his contract office was and offering them first check at him . To Commissioner Landis this query smacked of Fisher trying to weasel out of his declaration with the Reds , which pull in the pitcher a lifetime ban . [ Photo : Ray Fisher & Branch Rickey . ]
thing ended up okay for Fisher , though . He was by all indications a just bozo , and he spent 38 very successful season as Michigan ’s baseball omnibus . In 1980 then - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reinvestigated Fisher ’s forbiddance by Landis and overturned the opinion , which mean the 82 - year - previous twirler was once again a retire MLBer in good standing .
5. Phil Douglas
Douglas had a pretty undecomposed vocation as a twirler , and he even won two games in the 1921 World Series for the New York Giants . However , he did n’t get along with hot - tempered Giants managing director John McGraw . Douglas look to be on his way to an ERA title of respect in 1922 when he and McGraw amaze into an argument that ended with a dangling and a hundred - dollar mark fine for Douglas .
Like any reasonable individual would do , Douglas go out and got sloshed to take the bound off of his ire . He then sit down to write some letter . Douglas did n’t see how he could aid someone he disliked as much as McGraw pull ahead a pennant , so he resolve he ’s just vamoose out on the squad . He drunkenly wrote this letter to his buddy Les Mann of the St. Louis Cardinals : " I want to leave here but I need some inducement . I do n’t want this guy rope to get ahead the pennon and I palpate if I stay here I will win it for him . If you need to send a adult male over here with the goods , I will leave for family on next wagon train . I will go down to fishing cantonment and stay there . “
The letter of the alphabet eventually ended up on Commissioner Landis ' desk , and the old pay heed judge arrive out with his wonted punishment : a lifetime ban for Douglas .
6 & 7. Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was n’t having any of it , though . He felt that baseball game fable should n’t be string up around casinos , so he banned both valet from working for baseball game squad in any capacitance . cool head finally die hard , and Kuhn ’s successor , Peter Uberroth , overturned the BAN .
8. George Steinbrenner
It ’s easy to vilify George Steinbrenner for his rampant spending on detached agents , but really , would n’t every fan love for their team ’s proprietor to open his wallet so freely ? It ’s much gentle and more sensible to deride Steinbrenner for what he did to Dave Winfield . After sign Winfield to a monolithic destitute - federal agent deal in 1980 , Steinbrenner quit getting along with the next Hall of Fame outfielder . When Steinbrenner refused to make a contractually guaranteed $ 300,000 donation to Winfield ’s charitable substructure , Winfield sued the owner . Instead of simply making the donation , Steinbrenner make up Howard Spira , a self - line risk taker , $ 40,000 to " dig up dirt" on Winfield . ( All over $ 300,000 . To put all this in perspective , by the end of his vocation , Steinbrenner thought that fig was a fair cost for three frame of workplace from Kyle Farnsworth . )
Since consorting with risk taker is MLB ’s one inexcusable sin , and since run a stain campaign against a actor is n’t exactly classy , Commissioner Fay Vincent slap Steinbrenner with a forbidding in 1990 . Vincent step by step lightened his position , though , and in the summertime of 1992 he agreed to let Steinbrenner have a full reinstatement at the outset of the 1993 season .
