Quiz: Who is this player?

[nolemmings]

Carl Mays

[vintagesportscollector]

Bingo!...I am working with the Chisolhm Trail Museum in OK, on an exhibit they are creating on Carl Mays, as their country team was the first baseball team he played on. I am helping with the re-creation of the local teams uniform. A local historical clothier, who is on the board of directors for the museum, will be recreating the uniform as authentically as possible.

They will also recreate the 1920 New York Yankee's uniform that he would have been wearing when he hit Chapman.

This 1909/10 photograph is an original copy in their museum collections. The photograph was featured in a story from the "Hennessey Clipper" newspaper prior to the 1910 baseball season, as a preview for the upcoming year. It is the only known photograph of the original "Hennessey Clipper" team wearing their uniforms. There was a photograph of the team prior to the 1909 season, however, they were wearing uniforms with Fire Department logos on the front.

If anyone knows additional information, which would be of benefit to the museum and their future exhibit, they would greatly appreciate any assistance.

[bmarlowe1]

Not Mays - not even close, and yes, the ear shapes don't match, nor does anything else.

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

Not Mays - not even close.

I was waiting for someone to possibly question that. It is Mays, according to the museum. They say he was on the team. I wouldn't say it's not even close. Here is a picture in which I see similar features - but I am not 100% convinced either. It is close. I am focused on the uni, but if others feel the same that it is not Mays I will certainly pass that along to the museum.

image.jpg

[vintagesportscollector]

image.jpg

[bmarlowe1]

>> Here is a picture in which I see similar features

Any feature similarities you may see (and I have no idea what you might be refering to) don't matter. We can see the ear in your photo clearly enough to know that the outer ear shapes don't match - therefore he is not Mays.

Also, the nose is grossly different - Mays has a huge turned down beak (which he had in younger and older photos), the guy in your photo has a pretty nice straight nose.

This is like saying a photo of Andy Petit is Roger Clemens - it really is ludicrous. I will contact the museum.

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

>> Here is a picture in which I see similar features

Any feature similarities you may see (and I have no idea what you might be refering to) don't matter. We can see the ear in your photo clearly enough to know that the outer ear shapes don't match - therefore he is not Mays.

Also, the nose is grossly different - Mays has a huge turned down beak (which he had in younger and older photos), the guy in your photo has a pretty nice straight nose.

This is like saying a photo of Andy Petit is Roger Clemens - it really is ludicrous. I will contact the museum.

Thanks Mark. I am not anywhere close to an expert, and won't even begin to question you. You are the expert and I trust that. I see some different things not as clearly as you, but my photo match experience is close to nil. Ok if I give the museum your contact info? As I said I don't care one way or the other, and the museum asked me to share this photo to get additional help. I don't think this is what they were expecting, but very valuable for them to know. That is why i told them i would share with a group of experts. They can figure out the mystery they have if they have other evidence that Mays was on this team or in this photo.

[nolemmings]

I didn't think it looked like Mays either, but chose him given the hints of "infamous" and "high and tight", and I knew it wasn't one of the Black Sox.

[bmarlowe1]

Joe - You can just PM me the museum contact info (you can give them a heads up if you want). I have worked with several museums in the past.

Thx

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

Not Mays - not even close, and yes, the ear shapes don't match, nor does anything else.

Mark, I posted after you added pictures. Fair comparison - you make a good point. I am not invested one way or other, but will pass along to the museum what the group thinks. Other thoughts? According to the museum the newspaper article lists Mays on the team with this Photo.

[Lordstan]

Now that I see the pictures next to each other, I don't think the nose matches at all. Mays appears to have a big mid bridge bump and a rather bulbous tip. The person in the museum's photo has no bump and the tip appears very pointed.

[bgar3]

It does not look like Mays to me, but even more important, Mark is the expert. Luckily, he has weighed in and spared the museum from a bad id.