1890 Players League Sam Thompson Cabinet RARE

[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.