Yippee! It's Jimmie Foxx!

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by molenick

Every time this kind of thing comes up I like to post my "Ty Cobb" postcard.

I was sold this as a postcard featuring Cobb...and the guy fifth from the left sure looked like him to me. I had no idea who the McGraw Tigers were, but he looked so much like Ty, and it was a reputable dealer, so I bought it (this was pre-Internet).

Years later I decided to do some research and, crazily enough, the McGraw Tigers were a local Detroit team! Unfortunately, "Cobb" is actually Anderson.

Now, I could still make up a story to support this being Cobb...perhaps as a joke they asked Cobb to pose with the team, or something like that.

But that would be starting from the assumption that because the guy looks kind of like Cobb, and the team has a connection to Detroit, he actually is Cobb. But that is totally unprovable without some other supporting evidence. A resemblance and a story is not proof of anything.

Detroit population 1910: 1.8 million

Walton, NY population 1925 (couldn't find 1924 which is the year I am estimating on the postcard): 1,130

LOL! (I know. I know. Not Cobb in the photo.)

I'll go with Walton, NY on the betting.

[molenick]

I am still not clear why someone who lived over 250 miles away would be on an organized team in another town, whether or not he had relatives there. A pick-up game maybe...but to actually be on a team when he was on local teams where he lived? I will await further evidence.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by molenick

I am still not clear why someone who lived over 250 miles away would be on an organized team in another town, whether or not he had relatives there. A pick-up game maybe...but to actually be on a team when he was on local teams where he lived? I will await further evidence.

Michael,

Two possibilities even for the 1920s:

1.) Visiting relatives during the Summer. Get in some games with the local athletic club.

2.) Foxx dropped out of high school during his junior year because after signing a contract with Frank "Homerun" Baker, he was no longer eligible for high school sports. The inspiration here is to compensate for no longer being able to play high school ball. It doesn't mean that with signing the contract he immediately went to the team.

[ecRich]

Show a card time.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by ecRich

Show a card time.

Nice.

[egri]

I have determined that this is a photo of Santa Claus. He wears a Santa hat, like Santa, and he has lots of whiskers, like Santa, and he's eating something, and Santa eats things too, so it has to be him. The ears are a little difficult to make out, but someone who never met Santa has assured me they are a match.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by egri

I have determined that this is a photo of Santa Claus. He wears a Santa hat, like Santa, and he has lots of whiskers, like Santa, and he's eating something, and Santa eats things too, so it has to be him. The ears are a little difficult to make out, but someone who never met Santa has assured me they are a match.

I was able to get Yahoo, a prestigious leader in the AI space, to eventually agree with what I wanted to say so, confirming this is indeed Santa Claus!

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by G1911

I was able to get Yahoo, a prestigious leader in the AI space, to eventually agree with what I wanted to say so, confirming this is indeed Santa Claus!

Well, if Yahoo says he is Santa Claus, who are we to dispute it? Case closed!

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[packs]

It would have been exceedingly difficult for this imagined trip to Walton to play for a local team to have occurred. This is a time when you’d have to take multiple train lines just to get in a general area and then you’d be huffing it from as close as you could get.

People didn’t just take a 250 mile trip. Most people never made it 50 miles from where they were born.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by packs

It would have been exceedingly difficult for this imagined trip to Walton to play for a local team to have occurred. This is a time when you’d have to take multiple train lines just to get in a general area and then you’d be huffing it from as close as you could get.

People didn’t just take a 250 mile trip. Most people never made it 50 miles from where they were born.

If you had family in Walton and your son visited, probably with his mother, the train exchanges could have been overcome with a cousin/uncle picking them up at a nearby station on the last stop.

That said, good luck to Fido, egri.

[Leon]

I would rather him identify has Santa Claus than some of what I have seen.

Originally Posted by egri

I have determined that this is a photo of Santa Claus. He wears a Santa hat, like Santa, and he has lots of whiskers, like Santa, and he's eating something, and Santa eats things too, so it has to be him. The ears are a little difficult to make out, but someone who never met Santa has assured me they are a match.

[molenick]

This does not help date this particular postcard, but I found a site that shows the dates stamp box designs were used. This link is to the C's https://www.playle.com/realphoto/photoc.php. This particular version of Cyko is 1904-1920s so no help, but some are more specific. They also do postcard back designs.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by molenick

This does not help date this particular postcard, but I found a site that shows the dates stamp box designs were used. This link is to the C's https://www.playle.com/realphoto/photoc.php. This particular version of Cyko is 1904-1920s so no help, but some are more specific. They also do postcard back designs.

Thank you, Michael. My guess is 1923. 1924 was the year that Foxx played for Baker's team and then his contract was purchased by Connie Mack and Foxx strictly appeared only in the dugout.

[Brian Van Horn]

This is mentioned in Millikin's book on Foxx. Interesting it was mentioned on Wikipedia earlier this week, but can only find it here:

"Jimmie Foxx played for town teams during his early years in baseball. He played for the Easton Farmers, a minor league team managed by Frank "Home Run" Baker, after being invited to a tryout by Baker. Foxx's early experiences in baseball, including playing for local teams, laid the foundation for his successful career in Major League Baseball."
Wikipedia

[Yoda]

Where is Mrs. Claus?

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Where is Mrs. Claus?

Getting in touch with her inner Yoda until the day after Thanksgiving. Then it's all Christmas preparation.

[Leon]

Although he isn't in that first postcard, Foxx did an amazing amount of endorsing brands over the years.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by Leon

Although he isn't in that first postcard, Foxx did an amazing amount of endorsing brands over the years.

I kindly disagree with the first part of the statement.