Editing Commissioner of Baseball (section)

==== Gambling ====
Landis's first significant act was to deal with the [[Black Sox scandal]]. Following a trial, the eight players suspected of involvement in the fix were acquitted. Nevertheless, immediately following the players' acquittal, Landis [[List of people banned from Major League Baseball|banned them all from baseball]] for life. He famously declared, "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ballgame, no player that undertakes or promises to throw a ballgame, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sportshistorytoday.com/black-sox-banned-baseball-august-3-1921/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-05-24 |archive-date=2015-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525014723/http://www.sportshistorytoday.com/black-sox-banned-baseball-august-3-1921/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Landis explained that even though the players had all been acquitted in court, there was no dispute that they had broken the rules of baseball.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Evan |title=What Was the 1919 'Black Sox' Baseball Scandal? |url=https://www.history.com/news/black-sox-baseball-scandal-1919-world-series-chicago |website=history.com |date=24 August 2023 |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC. |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> Therefore, he maintained that none of them could be allowed back in the game if its image was to be restored with the public.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} Among those banned were [[Buck Weaver]] and superstar [[Shoeless Joe Jackson]], who have generally been viewed to be far less culpable compared to the other six accused. Landis' position was that he had no doubt that Weaver and Jackson at the very least knew about the fix, and failed to report it, and that this alone was grounds for permanent banishment.

Over the years, he dealt harshly with others proven to have thrown individual games, consorted with gamblers, or engaged in actions that he felt tarnished the image of the game. Among the others he banned were [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] players [[Phil Douglas (baseball)|Phil Douglas]] and [[Jimmy O'Connell (baseball)|Jimmy O'Connell]], [[Philadelphia Phillies]] pitcher [[Gene Paulette]], Giants coach [[Cozy Dolan (1910s outfielder)|Cozy Dolan]], and (in 1943) Phillies owner [[William D. Cox]]. He also formalized the unofficial banishments of [[Hal Chase]] and [[Heinie Zimmerman]]. In 1921, he banned Giants center fielder [[Benny Kauff]] even though he had been acquitted of involvement in a car theft ring. Nonetheless, Landis was convinced Kauff was guilty and argued that players of "undesirable reputation and character" had no place in baseball.