Buck Weaver

Lore & Background

Weaver was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, to Daniel Weaver and Susan Snell 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 against whom Ty Cobb would not bunt. He led the majors in sacrifice hits in 1915 and 1916. In the famous 1919 World Series, Weaver batted .324, tallying 11 hits. After the Series, some sportswriters praised Weaver for his efforts. Ross Tenney of the Cincinnati Post wrote: 'Though they are hopeless and heartless, the White Sox have a hero. He is George Weaver, who plays and fights at third base. Day after day Weaver has done his work and smiled... Buck is Chicago's one big hero; long may he fight and smile.' Despite this, Weaver was banned by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for having knowledge of the fix and failing to tell team officials.

In Their Own Story

Standing at the plate in a deep crouch with his back almost parallel to the ground, Gamble claimed this stance helped him see the ball better. This approach produced remarkable results; he finished his career with more walks (610) than strikeouts (546). His power was most potent during his 1977 peak with the Chicago White Sox, where he hit 31 home runs and drove in 83 runs, achieving a home run per 13.2 at-bats—the best ratio in the league. Although considered a below-average fielder, his good arm allowed him to play over a third of his games as a designated hitter. Gamble thrived under the New York media spotlight, famously describing the Yankees' disorganization with the immortal line: "They don't think it be like it is, but it do."

Reader's Guide

Weaver successfully sued White Sox owner Charles Comiskey for his 1921 salary. For the rest of his life, Weaver applied at least six times for reinstatement to baseball. The first time was on January 13, 1922, when Weaver unsuccessfully applied for reinstatement, which was rejected by Landis. One notable attempt came in 1927 in the wake of the Tris Speaker/Ty Cobb betting scandal; Landis rejected it, telling a group of Weaver supporters that his presence at the meetings with the gamblers was sufficient to bar him. After this attempt failed, Weaver returned to Chicago and decided to play in the minor leagues again. Later in life, Weaver contacted a New York City attorney who vowed to get him reinstated; Weaver sent his legal papers and correspondence to New York, but they were never returned. In 1953, Weaver applied for reinstatement one last time to Commissioner Ford Frick, which was ignored. The letter Weaver wrote to Frick is prominently displayed in Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Weaver died from a heart attack on January 31, 1956, at the age of 65. On May 13, 2025, Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated Weaver and other deceased players from the ineligible list, including Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Did You Know?

• Many parts of the story portrayed in the 1988 movie Eight Men Out are told from Buck Weaver's point of view, with Weaver being played by John Cusack.
• Harry Stein used Weaver as a co-narrator in his Black Sox novel Hoopla (1983), where Stein's Weaver reiterates that his loyalty to his teammates compelled him not to inform baseball authorities about the Series fix.
• With the 2005 World Series set to begin, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Downey implored Commissioner Bud Selig to rescind Weaver's ban, citing catcher Ray Schalk's condemnation of 'the seven' Sox in on the fix, not eight
• Weaver's niece Pat Anderson told Downey: 'You can't understand why someone else would be so obtuse. Some of these commissioners, it's like they put a brown paper bag over their heads.'
• Another niece, Margarie H. (Cook) Follett, attended the 2003 All-Star Game to personally appeal to Commissioner Bud Selig for her uncle's reinstatement.