When you mentioned Shoeless Joe Jackson, I instantly was quite sure you must be right - who would retire when they did that well the previous year? But of course Jackson didn't retire, he was thrown out of the league.But if Sowell is a lightweight, why does everything he says make sense - usually only after he says it?
He lacks depth in his understanding of how and why regulatory government works the way it does. He is a good critic, but like Rand, his solution set is thin as regards how markets can obviate its functional claims. Thus he justifies discontent without imparting the tools with which to empower specific action, a pied piper if you will.