MAGIE/Magee, spell error or mix up....your thoughts ?

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Posted By: T206Collector

...dismissive, but I think the simplest explanations are usually the right ones. And it is easy to create conspiracy theories when no one will ever know the truth. I believe the evidence of other players whose names were not corrected is not persuasive evidence that something magical was at work in the one player whose name was corrected -- especially since Magee was a star player at the time. And, especially when it is easier to leave errors alone. That is, it would be something if there were 8 errors and 7 were corrected, leaving just 1 alone -- especially if that one were the Magie. But in the obverse, which is what we have, it is not particularly surprising.

Comparing Magee's lifetime stats in the Major Leagues with Magie's NY State League stats is pretty much irrelevant. If anything, the fact that the NY State Leaguer compiled a below .300 average lends further evidence to his obscurity. Indeed, if he was a .400 hitter, even in the minors, then he would surely be of some notoriety and might have been confused with the regular player on the Philadelphia team. But, again, the fact that we are talking about a common mis-spelling of the sound "ee" with an "ie" is evidence that it was just a phonetic issue, not a player confused with another player issue. And, again, especially since we are not talking about confusing two Major Leaguers -- regardless of what level of play the New York State League provided. If you had Magie as a player for Rochester in the T206 set, now then you might be on to something.