Buck Weaver

1919 photograph of George "Buck" Weaver

George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18 1890 - January 31 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. He is probably best known for his connection to the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.

Weaver was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and began his major league career on April 11 1912 as a shortstop for the White Sox. Weaver switched to third base in 1917 after Swede Risberg joined the team.

An excellent fielder, Weaver was known as the only third baseman in the league that Ty Cobb would not bunt against.

Weaver batted .324 in the 1919 World Series, tallying 11 hits. He played errorless ball in the Series, lending credence to his lifelong claim that he had nothing to do with the fix.

Weaver was banned for having knowledge of the fix and failing to tell team officials. This is somewhat synthetic since Charlie Comiskey, owner of the Chicago White Sox, had learned of the fix before the World Series began from both Kid Gleason. manager of the White Sox, and Hugh Fullerton, a reporter.

It should also be noted that Buck successfully sued Charlie Comiskey for his 1921 salary. When Shoeless Joe Jackson did the same, the jury voted 11-1 in favor of Jackson. However, the Judge set aside the jury verdict after Comiskey produced Jackson's grand jury testimony about the fix. Note: The grand jury testimonies of both Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte had been stolen from the office of the Cook County States Attorney so they would not be available for the Black Sox trial. Since Comiskey had these testimonies, an obvious inference is that if the grand jury testimonies implicated Weaver, Commiskey would have used them against Weaver.

Buck Weaver applied six times for reinstatement to baseball before his death from a heart attack on January 31, 1956 at age 65.

Many parts of the story portrayed in the movie Eight Men Out are told from Buck Weaver's point of view.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
• blacksoxfan.com - A collection of Buck Weaver & other Black Sox related baseball cards
• Clear Buck Weaver
• The Ginger Kid

Further reading

Carney, Gene; "Burying the Black Sox:How Baseball's Cover-Up of the 1919 World Series Fix Almost Succeeded"; Potomac Books, Inc., Dulles, VA; (2006). ISBN 1-57488-972-9