Those words are attached to a scandal that hit professional baseball during the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.
As the story is told, a youngster turns to Shoeless Joe Jackson, an outfielder for the White Sox, after he and several teammates were accused of accepting bribes to lose games in the Series.
After the plea was posed, Jackson reportedly responded that it was, in fact, so.
Over time when an unthinkable action occurs, the Shoeless Joe question surfaces once more, and the answer invariably is in the affirmative.
Last week the University of Tennessee (in Knoxville) had its Shoeless Joe moment with the sudden exit by head football coach Lane Kiffin, but no one asked to be told it was not so.
UT athletic director Mike Hamilton was asked to describe the tenure of Mr. Kiffin at the helm of Volunteers football: "Brief."
The university up the road on I-75 seems to be snake-bit.
It cannot keep a president.
And now, after boasting of having the highest-paid coaching staff in all of college football, UT cannot keep Kiffin and company. What does they say about the Tennessee Tradition?
Sure, the football fortunes in Big Orange Country have not been stellar the past five years, but if money is a measure, victories were not necessary to pack a 105,000-seat stadium or pour a seemingly bottomless pit full of money into a flagging enterprise.
There is one thing that the folks in Knoxville know how to do: show people the door.
In the presidential suite, Wade Gilley, John Shumaker and John Petersen were sandwiched between two UT bookends. All three were checked out and cashed out of office.
Were there issues that led to the demise of each one? Sure, but something went amiss in the review process. If the presidential sweepstakes were a batter in baseball, he would be out in three strikes and sent to the bench.
Football, which in the minds of some is "the college experience," took center stage last week.
Phil Fulmer, a 17-year stalwart at the helm of the football program after a college career as a lineman at UT, was, in the view of some, summarily shown the backdoor without the proper fanfare. There was no gold watch.
The former coach occasionally did sit in the stands during the 2009 season to watch many of the players he recruited
perform for the outsider with no roots in or ties to Tennessee. The fact that Mr. Kiffin has a son named Knox was not the tie that bound him to the Big Orange faithful. Pity the young boy, who undoubtedly will find his name changed to Hercules or perhaps Achilles since his father has shown his immortality except in one spot (and not necessarily the heel).
Hand-wringing is a new Olympic sport in Knoxville and throughout the Big Orange Nation. Gnashing of the teeth is a close runner-up.
But it should have started months earlier, and those who loudly supported the Kiffin antics as part of college football still need to be willing to stand up and be counted. The brass at the Southeastern Conference are breathing a loud sigh of relief.
The sudden departure by Mr. Kiffin from the comforts of UT after 14 months should surprise few. This is a young man looking for a challenge, and one is led to believe that resurrecting Tennessee football was not challenge enough. Figure that one out?
Maybe it was the California sun and not the haze of the Smoky Mountains that was the greater attraction.
Maybe it was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous in Tinseltown that was better than strutting down the Strip in K-town. By the way, beware those asking for a burger and fries.
Maybe it was the opportunity to clean up a previous mess at USC and not waiting for another NCAA mess that may be coming at UT. He does have a connection to both. UT's athletic director sliced the apple finely last week in making sure there was no confusion with an NCAA investigation and a review. Make note of the day and time of that statement.
This much is certain: UT has a hard time coping with interlopers, but it is time to get over it. There are not enough college graduates to staff all of the UT needs - just look at the initiative being pushed by Gov. Phil Bredesen to improve the statistics.
Similar to the failed presidential searches, the time has arrived for a top-to-bottom scrub of the criteria used to select football coaches. And maybe the checkbook should remain closed until there is an understanding of the standards, practices and values that are expected from the state's top research institution. At some level, it is about the academics - ask Coach Joe Paterno at Penn State.
An initial step is no more search firms. The default position at UT is when a position opens, grab for the headhunter.
What have they brought? Three quickly disposed of presidents and one football coach who turned the tables on UT.
Check it out. The University of Southern California signed a new coach within 48-hours of losing their previous one. Based on past track records, UT will be doing airport interviews in the Spring with a decision to come after the list is narrowed to three and on-campus interviews have occurred. Perhaps the choice will be made before the first kickoff when it is "Football time in Tennessee."
Why is this important?
For a subset of students, this is their connection to higher education; their role model; their mentor. Probably some room for improvement here.
For a group of alumni and many who never darkened a college door, this is the way Saturday afternoons in the fall are spent: watching young men display the talents that they are instructed to use by a few adults who wear the label of coach.
Gov. Phil Bredesen, who is pushing education reform in the state, put the Kiffin issue in the proper perspective: "UT will find a new football coach. Maybe they made a mistake, maybe they didn't. You know, presidents of universities leave sooner than we thought they were supposed to do. So somebody quit and went. Big deal."
To reach Tom Griscom, call 423-757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.
Or login with:
New Account