1890 Players League Sam Thompson Cabinet RARE

[Schwertfeger1007]

Originally Posted by Keith H. Thompson

when I first saw Terry Knouse's example, I said -- "that can't be Sam, I've never seen him in anything but a uniform or a rustic suit." Much less a bow tie. And I have my family album with studio cabinets of Sam, his brothers and sisters and their spouses to prove it.

The pose in this thread cannot be definitely attributed to the Player's League and therefore should not be. The OP has changed his listing appropriately. However, I want to go on record with my view that the cabinet was created for the Philadelphia Player's League entry. A theory upon which I stake my personal reputation.

I don't think PL makes or breaks the quality or value of the piece by any means but I appreciate the background Keith!

[Keith H. Thompson]

and never miss an opportunity to talk about Sam when invited. Or even when not.
First, Sam and all of his brothers and sisters, my father and I were born in Danville, Indiana. I was four years old in 1934 when my family moved to Rochester, Michigan, but on vacations we would visit Danville for family gatherings. At that time, Sam's sisters Anna and Jessie lived together in a house on N. Indiana Street. Aunt Anna was a cashier at a local bank, and her husband had deserted her, never to be heard from again. Aunt Jessie was a spinster and a milliner by trade. I remember them well.
Nugget 1: Aunt Anna would reminisce. "Sammy would have to stoop to get through the doorways."
Nugget 2: My father and his cousins would beg Sam to play catch with them, but he never would.
Nugget 3: By any account, including newspaper articles and verbal family history, Sam was a "gentle giant" in a generation of ball players known for drinking and rowdy behaviour on and off the diamond.
Second, our family has been approached several times by authors seeking help in writing biographies. We have always demurred, but Roy Kerr was different. I have met him personally and have heard his "talk" he would give on book selling engagements and once at the Indiana Historical Society. One thing that attracted us to Roy was his agreement to portray Sam as a "rustic gentleman," and to me, this is one of the really important features of his book.

[Keith H. Thompson]

Sam, like my father, was an avid rabbit hunter. I have a Christmas card written by Sam to his sister saying -- "bagged 43 rabbits yesterday." Think about that for a moment. Why in the world is Sam spending time hunting rabbits? And even if so, why is that news a headliner on a Christmas card? My explanation is that hunting rabbits was an Indiana outdoor sport and household chore for farmers. My father grew up on an Indiana farm and killed scores of rabbits all year long. My mother canned rabbit. We ate fried rabbit, and my mother tanned skins and made me a rabbit skin jacket. I suspect that there is something "Hoosier" about all this that outsiders do not understand. Or maybe understand all too well.

I will add that Roy Kerr's book dispels many myths regarding Thompson, particularly on the circumstances and details of his "discovery" and "signing." Readers may have noticed that the full title of Roy's book is "Big Sam Thompson, Baseball's Greatest Clutch Hitter". I argued with Roy about this and thought the expression excessive but was overruled. However, Thompson's lifetime average of (RBI + Runs Scored) per game is significantly ahead of any player who ever played the game.

Roy also makes the case that Thompson was a five tool player in the modern sense.

[WillowGrove]

Keith. Thank you! Those nuggets mean a lot considering the source. I'll certainly pick up the book and knowing it has your approval, I'll enjoy it even more.