HJ0092 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0092 LRB093 22503 HSS 52032 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Nearly 85 years have elapsed since the scandal of the 1919 World Series; and

WHEREAS, Although the story has frequently seen print, fact and fancy have been so confused that today it still is not known what actually took place; and

WHEREAS, The star Chicago White Sox third baseman, Buck Weaver, was acquitted in August of 1921 of all charges of conspiracy by a jury of "12 good men and true"; and

WHEREAS, The fact that his fielding average for the Series of 1919 was perfect, and the fact that in that Series he batted .324 offers strong evidence that he was no party to a conspiracy to "throw" the Series, and that he "played to win"; and

WHEREAS, He suffered lifelong ignominy as a result of the scandal of 1919 and his subsequent banishment from organized baseball; and

WHEREAS, Eighty-five years is far too long for any man or the memory of him to be tainted for an act as to which strong evidence exists that it was never committed by him; and

WHEREAS, Buck Weaver was active in civic matters in Chicago, where he spent his days after the 1919 World Series until his death in 1956; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Weaver was particularly active in programs for the benefit of young boys and girls in youth baseball and softball after his return to private life; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the State of Illinois recognizes the desire of the family, friends, and baseball fans who have loyally supported "Buck" Weaver that he be exonerated; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the State of Illinois believes him to have been innocent of any conspiracy to "throw" the World Series of 1919; and

WHEREAS, Although he is now deceased, the General Assembly of the State of Illinois feels that Buck Weaver should be exonerated by baseball as he was exonerated in criminal court; and

WHEREAS, The Clearbuck.com movement started in July of 2003 to reinstate Buck Weaver to Major League Baseball has gained national recognition as an opportunity for Major League Baseball to redress an historical wrong to an innocent man; and

WHEREAS, A story by Mike Bauman on MLB.com's own website in January of 2004 posed the question, "Why Not Reinstate Buck Weaver?"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize that George "Buck" Weaver, who adopted Illinois as his home for the last 44 years of his life, was exonerated of any wrong doing in the 1919 World Series in criminal court and maintained his innocence for the remainder of his life, therefore, we urge the Commissioner of Baseball to reinstate George "Buck" Weaver as a member in good standing of organized baseball; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Commissioner of Baseball, the President of the American Baseball League, the President of the National Baseball League, and the family of Buck Weaver.