Greenville, South Carolina : The home of a tragic hero.
- 23 hours ago
- 5 min read
Joe Jackson is one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history. His career batting average of .356 is the third-best in history. However, he was permanently banned for his involvement in fixing games in the 1919 World Series. There are many different opinions and endless debate about whether Jackson actually participated in fixing games. If he wasn’t actually involved, then Jackson would be a tragic hero, and many fans think so. I’m one of them.
Now, it was the spring of 2014. I was on a road trip in Iowa in the Midwest of the United States, and one morning I was sitting in a motel, unfolding a map and thinking about where I should go next. Then, I suddenly realized, “Today is Tuesday! That means I can get there by Friday night. Okay, this time I’m definitely going to go there!”
The house where Joe Jackson spent his final years remains in Greenville, a city in South Carolina in the southern United States, and is now a museum. I had tried to visit the museum twice before, but it was only open on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and I was never able to fit it into my schedule both times. But this time, it looked like I could finally make it.
Iowa in the Midwest and South Carolina in the southeast are quite far apart. But it’s not a big distance for me. All I have to do is drive, and it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I like driving like that.
I drove and drove, and arrived in front of the museum (the house where Joe Jackson spent his final years) on Thursday afternoon, earlier than expected. It’s not very big, but it’s a beautiful, single-story house that’s been well-maintained. Since it was Thursday, I couldn’t go in. I’d have to wait until Saturday.
So, I stayed in a motel for two nights.
Then, at exactly 10:00 AM on Saturday, I knocked on the door of the house where Jackson spent his final years. A refined old lady came out with a kind smile and spoke to me in a gentle voice.
“Makio?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve been waiting for you. Come on in. I’m so glad you came all the way from Japan.”
I had contacted her in advance by email to make sure that it wasn’t a special closing day or something.
When I went inside, the old lady’s husband offered to show me around the museum. Feeling embarrassed, I said,
“Nice to meet you,”
He replied with a smile,
“I used to live in Wakkanai, Hokkaido.”
I wasn’t surprised at all to hear this out of the blue. Having driven all over the United States, I’ve heard similar stories all over the place. So, I asked the husband right away.
“Do you work in connection with a military base?”
“Yes.”
There is no US military base in Wakkanai, Hokkaido now, but there once was.
I’d like to explain something here.
Many US servicemembers served at US military bases established in several parts of Japan after World War II. These servicemen returned to the United States and are living all over the country. They often greet me, a Japanese person on a road trip, in a friendly manner. I am very happy that they do so.
Still, it really makes me realize how small the world is, being shown around the house where a famous Major League Baseball player once lived by someone with ties to Japan.
After showing me around the house, the husband said, “I think you should feel free to look around on your own.” This kind of consideration, without being too intrusive, is truly appreciated.
I was able to comfortably explore the five rooms of various sizes, from corner to corner.
There were a great many photographs and mementos on display. One photo of Jackson as a boy, born into an economically disadvantaged family and working in a factory without a proper education; another photo of Jackson looking full of energy after finding his calling as a baseball player; a photo of the surprisingly heavy bat with a thick grip that Jackson, with his long arms and large hands, used; and a photo of Jackson’s unique batting form, which is said to have been imitated by Babe Ruth. All of them moved me, but I was most moved when I entered one room.
It was the room where Jackson, aged 64, took his last breath in 1951. There were only photographs and mementos, but no bed. As I was in that room, I was struck with a deep thought. What thoughts did Jackson have as he passed away in this room? Regardless of whether he really took part in match-fixing, it’s clear that he did something that could easily raise suspicion. Taking all of that into account, what state of mind was Jackson in when he passed away? No matter how much I think about it, there’s no way I can know. But there are some things I can understand. The sense of loss he must have felt when the glory he achieved through hard work despite growing up in underprivileged circumstances was gone, and the despair he must have felt when he could no longer do what he wanted to do.
As I was holding back tears in that room, thinking about Jackson’s life, I heard a surprisingly cheerful voice coming from the next room. Wondering who it was, I went into the next room and found a male tourist talking to the old lady. He was a middle-aged American man, and looked cheerful and friendly. I love talking to men like this, so I approached him, and the old lady thoughtfully introduced me to that cheerful man. “He is visiting from Japan.” The cheerful man immediately started talking to me,
“So, you know Balentien, right?”
Balentien? What’s that? As I stood there dumbfounded, the cheerful man continued,
“Balentien is a friend of mine, and he became a champion in Japan, right?”
I finally understood. He was talking about Wladimir Balentien. After playing for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds for a total of three years, Balentien came to Japan in 2011 and joined a Japanese baseball team. In 2013, he hit 60 home runs, a new Japanese professional baseball record. I wasn’t sure if “champion” was the right word, but I knew I had to please him, so I answered,
“Yes, Balentien achieved an incredible record in Japan and became a champion.”
But I felt that this answer alone might not be enough to please him. So I thought about what else I could say, and then I found something good. Right next to me was a picture of Jackson in his prime talking with Babe Ruth. Pointing to the picture, I said,
“Babe Ruth was the first player in the Major Leagues to hit 60 home runs in a season, and Balentien was the first player in Japan to hit 60 home runs in a season.”
The man was delighted.
Still, I was surprised at how small the world really is. In a small city in the United States, I met a friend of a player who had set a new Japanese professional baseball record.
As I left the house where Joe Jackson lived, I headed to my car, remembering Jackson’s famous words, which were on display inside the house: “God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise.”
(If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)