In a welcome development for Yankee haters , holier-than-thou steroid hormone paw - wringer , andRiley Cooper , Alex Rodriguez is dominating the sports news cycle again today . Not only is the much badmouth infielder wrapped up in another performance - enhancing drug good deal , he ’s also reportedly facing a life-time ban from baseball .
late rumors indicate that Rodriguez may be negotiating a wad with Major League Baseball to avoid a permanent blacklisting . But if A - Rod does end up on the incorrect end of a prohibition , at least he ’ll be in right , if fishy , party . sight of other lead have gotten the permanent heave - ho from the liberal leagues . You probably know why Pete Rose , the " Black Sox " who threw the 1919 World Series , and countless other gamblers and dolophine hydrochloride got the boot , but they ’re scarcely lonely in their baseball game deportation . Here are a few more bans that do n’t get quite as much care .
1. Jack O’Connor: Rigging the 1910 Batting Title
Ty Cobb was a jerk . rightfully great at baseball game , but really a loathsome soul . O’Connor , the former thespian - director of the St. Louis Browns , hated Cobb so much that he could n’t let the Georgia Peach win the 1910 American League batting claim on his watch . When Cobb entered the net day of the season lock in a squiffy affaire d’honneur with Nap Lajoie for the pennant , O’Connor decided to intervene on Lajoie ’s behalf to wound Cobb .
O’Connor ’s Browns squad was squaring off against Lajoie ’s Cleveland team in a double feature to end the season . O’Connor fall in his third baseman , Red Corriden , an odd edict : to go stand in shallow unexpended field of study whenever Lajoie came up to at-bat . With no one covering third theme , Lajoie could easy bunt down the line for singles . He wound up with eight hits over the course of the day . This recent surge hand Lajoie the batten statute title by sexual morality of a flimsy sharpness over Cobb .
Supposedly even Cobb ’s mate sent Lajoie telegrams congratulating him for his triumph , but baseball official were n’t so entertained . O’Connor was chased from the majors for rigging the batting crown race .
2. Horace Fogel: Crying Foul
Some fan cerebrate it ’s silly to see players and motorbus get slapped with amercement for criticizing the officiating after heated up plot , but the punishments could be considerably more draconian . Just involve Horace Fogel . Fogel served as the Philadelphia Phillies ' owner and prexy from 1909 to 1912 , but he run afoul of the National League when he publicly claimed that the arbitrator preferred to see the New York Giants come through and made biased call against the Phils to ensure Giants victories . The league tired of Fogel ’s bombastic claim that the pennant wash was fixed , so it banned him for living in 1912 .
3. Benny Kauff: Possibly Selling Stolen Cars
Kauff , an outfielder , was a uncommon talent . In 1914 and 1915 , he acquire the Federal League ’s batting claim and stolen base crowns , and in 1914 he also direct the league in runs and doubles . His combination of batting heart , speed , and power earned him the soubriquet , " The Ty Cobb of the Feds,“ but he apace acquire in more trouble than the actual Ty Cobb ever did .
For much of large league baseball ’s history , most players did n’t strike out enough money to exist on play the game , so they held offseason problem . In Kauff ’s case , he owned a used car dealership with his half - buddy , which is where he catch into hot water supply . In 1919 the police found a stolen gondola they ’d been searching for , and the driver told the pig he ’d picked up his newfangled wheels at Kauff ’s dealership . Kauff was arrested on a charge of receiving stolen attribute , and Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis did n’t even wait to see what happen in the run . He gave Kauff the lasting heave - ho from baseball just for being indict .
As it turned out , Kauff might not have even known about the slip cars , and he was acquitted on the charges following his trial run . In 1922 Kauff applied to Landis for reinstatement on the undercoat that he was n’t actually hangdog of anything . Landis , a former federal justice , resist at the mind of letting a jury trial establish guilt feelings and categorically refused , commenting that , " That acquittal was one of the risky miscarriages of justice that ever come under my observance . "
4. Ray Fisher: Coaching College Baseball
Fisher , a starting pitcherful , 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 starting , the Reds offered Fisher a new contract , but it would require that he take a pay cut of $ 1000 . Instead of stand the lowered wage , Fisher left the Reds to take a Book of Job that seemed to tender more security , train the University of Michigan ’s baseball squad .
Fisher hop the Reds would release him , but instead Landis stuck him on the ineligible - to - play listing . Later on that summer , Fisher commence mulling the idea of play again . Branch Rickey of the Cardinals and an " outlaw" squad from Franklin , Pennsylvania , prove to ensure his service . Fisher wanted to play right by the Reds , though , so he wrote the squad a missive asking what exactly his contract berth was and offering them first check at him . To Commissioner Landis this query smacked of Fisher prove to weasel out of his contract with the Reds , which bring in the mound a lifetime ban .
Things terminate up okay for Fisher , though . He spent 38 very successful seasons as Michigan ’s baseball game manager . In 1980 then - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reinvestigated Fisher ’s ban by Landis and overturned the opinion , which meant the 82 - year - old hurler was once again a retired MLBer in good standing .
5. Phil Douglas: Writing Drunken Notes
Douglas had a middling ripe career as a mound , and he even won two game in the 1921 World Series for the New York Giants . However , he did n’t get along with hot - tempered Giants manager John McGraw . Douglas looked to be on his mode to an earned run average title in 1922 when he and McGraw got into an argument that ended with a reprieve and a hundred - dollar fine for Douglas .
Like any sensible mortal would do , Douglas blend in out and got sloshed to take the bound off of his anger . He then sat down to write some alphabetic character . Douglas did n’t see how he could help someone he disliked as much as McGraw win a waft , so he decided he ’d just skip out on the team . He drunkenly write this letter to his buddy Les Mann of the St. Louis Cardinals : " I want to leave here but I need some incentive . I do n’t require this hombre to win the pennon and I finger if I stay here I will win it for him . If you want to send a man over here with the goods , I will leave for home on next wagon train . I will go down to sportfishing refugee camp and stay there . “
The letter of the alphabet finally ended up on Commissioner Landis ' desk , and the previous hanging judge came out with his customary punishment : a lifetime ban for Douglas .
6 & 7. Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays: Hanging Around Casinos
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was n’t having any of it , though . He feel that baseball legends should n’t be hang around cassino , so he banned both men from working for baseball teams in any capacity . Cooler heads eventually prevailed , and Kuhn ’s successor , Peter Uberroth , turn over the bans .
8. George Steinbrenner: Stalking Dave Winfield
Getty Images
It was promiscuous to knock George Steinbrenner for his rearing outlay on free agent , but really , would n’t every fan love for their squad ’s proprietor to open up his notecase so freely ? It ’s much easy and more reasonable to deride Steinbrenner for what he did to Dave Winfield . After ratify Winfield to a monolithic free - agent deal in 1980 , Steinbrenner quit getting along with the future Hall of Fame outfielder . When Steinbrenner decline to make a contractually insure $ 300,000 donation to Winfield ’s charitable fundament , Winfield sued the owner . rather of simply making the contribution , Steinbrenner pay Howard Spira , a self - describe risk taker , $ 40,000 to " grasp up dirt" on Winfield .
Since consorting with gambler is MLB ’s one unforgivable sinning , and since melt down a smudge military campaign against a instrumentalist is n’t exactly classy , Commissioner Fay Vincent slapped Steinbrenner with a ban in 1990 . Vincent bit by bit lightened his position , though , and in the summertime of 1992 he correspond to let Steinbrenner have a full reinstatement at the beginning of the 1993 season .
