Joe S. Jackson

Sportswriter In November 1901, Jackson was hired to replace Ray M. Ziegler as the sporting editor of the Detroit Free Press, In addition to his editorial duties, Jackson published a regular column titled "Sporting Facts and Fancies", and feature stories on the major sports events in the city. He covered Michigan Wolverines football in the era of Fielding H. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams and the Detroit Tigers during the early years of Ty Cobb's career in Major League Baseball. Jackson is credited with having given Cobb the nickname, "The Georgia Peach". In 1910, he became the sports editor of The Washington Post.

Baseball Writers' Association of America In 1908, Jackson and Jack Ryder of the Cincinnati Enquirer organized the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The BBWAA was established in response to ongoing disputes over working conditions in, and control over, press boxes. The press boxes at many fields were cramped, and team owners had begun to offer seating in the press boxes to actors, friends and others who were not members of the working press. Frequently, there was no room for reporters from the visiting team. The issue came to a head during the 1908 World Series between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs when visiting baseball writers in Chicago were seated in the back row of the grandstand and in Detroit "were compelled to climb a ladder to the roof of the first base pavilion and write in the rain and snow".

The organization was established at a meeting held at the Pontchartrain Hotel in Detroit, Michigan, on October 14, 1908, following the 1908 World Series. Jackson was selected as the organization's first president and held that position for 11 years from 1908 to 1919. When Jackson stepped down as president in October 1919, the Association presented him with "a handsome traveling bag".

Later years and death In 1921, Jackson moved to California and worked for several years there. He died in San Francisco, California, in June 1936. Edgar Guest, known as the "People's Poet", began his writing career with the Detroit Free Press in the early 1900s. After learning of Jackson's death, Guest published a poem titled "Joe S. Jackson" which provided in part:"Joe wrote of baseball in the years gone byAnd all the sports which men and boys enjoyed.His was the nimble brain, the watchful eye,Mine was the poor assistance he employed * * *Word comes that Joe is dead. The game goes on!Before the march of time all champions fall.Now those he lavished praise and help uponOnly the dusty record books recall.

Selected articles by Jackson , Detroit Free Press, December 15, 1901 Michigan 12, Wisconsin 0 -- Only Chicago To Brush Aside Now, Detroit Free Press, November 19, 1905 (Hughie Jennings/1907 Detroit Tigers), Detroit Free Press, September 23, 1906 White Sox Conquerors (1906 World Series), October 15, 1906 (1907 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 9, 1907 Opportune Hits Give Victory To Cubs (1907 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 10, 1907 Hope for Tiges Gets Severe Setback (1907 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 12, 1907 Cobb All But Loses Crown (1907 AL batting crown), Detroit Free Press, November 19, 1907 (1908 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1908 (1908 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 18, 1908 , Detroit Free Press, November 15, 1908 Game Is Peculiar Medley of Hitting, Erratic Play and Reckless Base Running--Tiges Go at Top Speed Until They Catch Sox, Then Make It an Easy Finish, Detroit Free Press, October 3, 1909 Tiges Lose the First, But Still Look Good (1909 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 9, 1909 Playing at Their Proper Gait, Tigers Take Second Game, 7 to 2 (1909 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 10, 1909 Tiges Make It Even in a Nerve-Racking Fight with Pirates (1909 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 15, 1909 Game Today Decides Ownership of Title (1909 World Series), October 16, 1909 Tigers Loss Saw-Off Game in Big Series (1909 World Series), Detroit Free Press, October 17, 1909 (Baseball in Cuba), Detroit Free Press, November 21, 1909 First Time at Bat for Schmidt Gives Detroit a Victory: Sent Up With Bases Filled and Two Down, Coal Hill Boy Hits Two Home and Cinches It for His Team (Boss Schmidt), Detroit Free Press, May 6, 1910 New Outlaw: Washington Reports Such a League Move; A Proposition to Revive Lawson's Union League Scheme With a Purely Eastern Circuit, Including Some Major League Cities, Sporting Life, December 1911, page 12 The Claims of the Lawyer-Leader of the Base Ball Players' Fraternity Riddled By a Scribe's Recital of the Cold Facts (Dave Fultz), Sporting Life, November 16, 1912, page 10 The Spurt of the Tigers Due Wholly to Great Batting -- Young Pitchers Who Look Good -- Infield Again Broken Up (Detroit's "wrecking crew" outfield of Veach, Cobb, Crawford), Sporting Life, May 1, 1915, page 7 Detroit Dash for the Pennant (1916 Detroit Tigers season), Sporting Life, September 23, 1916, page 6 President Navin Preparing for Real War -- Hold-Out Players Will Have Further Reduction in Salary to Face -- List of Players Signed Sporting Life, February 10, 1917, page 7 Turner to Quit Grand Old Game, With His Record Just as Grand (Terry Turner), Detroit Free Press, August 27, 1918 Jimmie Burke Finds Dying Year One to Recall With No Regrets (Jimmy Burke), Detroit Free Press, August 28, 1918 With Vitt, Young, Burns, Bush: Infield in a Winter League Tale (Ossie Vitt/Donie Bush), Detroit Free Press, September 18, 1918 (Babe Ellison), Detroit Free Press, September 20, 1918 House Cleaning of National Game Begins With Trial in Chase Case (Hal Chase), Detroit Free Press, September 21, 1918 Can a Star Ball Player Come Back After Year Out? Cobb, Away Now After Best Season, May Answer, Detroit Free Press, September 22, 1918 (Ossie Vitt), Detroit Free Press, October 1, 1918 Into the Future A Cleric Peers; Vista, Sad to Him, Cheer to Sport, Detroit Free Press, October 3, 1918 Service Flag of One Detroit Team Shows 14 Stars, One of Them Gold (Detroit Heralds), Detroit Free Press, October 4, 1918 (Hughie Jennings), Detroit Free Press, October 5, 1918 Overlooked Because of General Strength of Nine, Bush and Veach Have Credit Due Not Often Given for Their Share in Wonderful Attack on Bengals (Donie Bush/Bobby Veach), October 6, 1918 STANAGE CAN MAKE FOUR BOASTS SHOULD HE QUIT NOW TWO LEAGUE MARKS ARE SAFE IN MITT OF OSCAR VITT (Oscar Stanage), Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1918 (Jess Willard vs. Jack Dempsey fight in Toledo), Detroit Free Press, June 25, 1919 SIGNS OF LIFE BEING SHOWN IN FIGHT CITY (Willard/Demsey), Detroit Free Press, June 29, 1919 (Willard/Dempsey), Detroit Free Press, July 1, 1919 ALL TOLEDO HOT ON TRAIL OF ALIEN COIN (Willard/Dempsey), Detroit Free Press, July 2, 1919 SIDELIGHTS OF THE CONTEST ON SHORES OF MAUMEE BAY (Willard/Dempsey), Detroit Free Press, July 5, 1919 Tyrus Cobb, Through Thirteen Point Gain Past Week, Again Leads the Batters; Champion Slugger Is Closely Followed by Sisler and Veach -- Detroit Has Four Hitters in the 300 Class Now (Ty Cobb), Detroit Free Press, August 10, 1919 Sidelights on Game (1919 World Series), October 6, 1919