STL All Sports

When Joe came up to the majors, he could not make head or tail of a box score. However, he finally and with great difficulty learned how to read them, and kept track of his hitting and fielding as well as anybody.

One year, Jackson was in a hot race with the redoubtable Ty Cobb for the batting championship of the American League. Mter a game one evening, Joe bought a paper to examine the box score. He let out a roar of outrage.

"Looka here," he shouted. "They only give me one hit. I know I had a double and a single!"

The newsstand clerk looked at the box score over Joe's shoulder. "It's all right, Joe," he said. "That's probably only a typographical error."

"Typographical error, nothin'," growled Shoeless Joe. "It was as clean a hit as you ever want to see. Why, not a fielder came close to touchin' that ball!"