|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jay
The Old Judge book is almost complete, but there is one loose end that I would like to get cleared up before we go to press. In the book we provide short bios of all 521 subjects in the set. We have substantive information about 520 of these subjects, but I am still trying to find something to tie Fischer to the Chicago Maroons. Fischer is listed as a pitcher for the team and based on the background in his Old Judge card appears to have been present in the same photo shoot as Charles Boyd (see scans). Fischer never played a regular season game for the Maroons, probably meaning he tried out for the team, was part of the team photo shoot, and was then released prior to the start of the season. The photo shoot would have been some time in April, 1888. Usually, something about even the most obscure players is found in The Sporting News, but all the sources of The Sporting News that I have seen are missing the April editions. I would look in the Chicago newspapers from April, 1888 if I had access to them, but I don't. So, we are having a contest. Anyone who can find information tieing Fischer to the Maroons will receive a complementary copy of the book and will also be acknowledged in the text (and will have my undying gratitude). |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Paul
I don't have an answer, but just wanted to say -- my God those are crysal clear photos. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: barrysloate
Not to mention two very tough cards. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Adam Baxter
This reference will definitely be a must-have. What will be the price for this book and when is due to be released? |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Anonymous
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jeff O
Jay, I checked the Paper of Record database of TSN, which appears to include April 1888, and I couldn't find any references to Fischer. I also checked the online encyclopedia on the SABR site with no luck (just posting this so others don't take the time to do the same thing...). |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Max Weder
Jeff (or Jay) |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jay
I have not posted the question on the SABR site although I have asked Reed Howard and Ray Nemec, and neither had the information. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jay
I have been using the Paper of Record site as well as microfilm versions of TSN that I got from the University of Notre Dame library and they are both missing April, 1888 editions. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Frank Wakefield
Jay, I was optimistic that something might be found on Fischer, when you posted this. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Jay: What specific questions would you like answered about Fischer ? I have an historial library in town and will check if they have any Chicago Newspapers on microfilm from 1888. If so, I'll go thru them for you and try to find the information you need. Let me know. Mike |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jay
Thanks Frank |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Craig
The baseball encyclopedia lists a pitcher last name Fisher no first name given. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Jay : I only could get very limited access to the Chicago Tribune newspapers. I could not find Fischer listed in any article I was able to look at. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Anonymous
Mike--That's some good information. Hopefully, some Chicago resident will have an opportunity to access a period newspaper. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Adam Baxter
I did a little research and while there were a few Fishers that played before and after the Old Judge set was released, this was the only one that really came close: |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: john/z28jd
Charles Fisher was an amateur player from Baltimore who was hired along with 2 other teammates to play one game when only 6 Louisville players showed up for a game. I believe the others were protesting a fine. Its doubtful it was him since he was an amateur still a year later. The Western Association was a very good minor league,probably equal to AAA now so I can't imagine if he was good enough to get a tryout he wasn't good enough to play in another lower minor league,even one closer to home |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Jay: I have found the following players who pitched for the Maroons in 1888 and Fischer is not one of them. they are: Dunn, Nicholson,Clarkson(brother of John), Dwyer and Sprague. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: barrysloate
Based on the fact that nobody has been able to tie Fischer to the Maroons, it looks like he may have never played for them. So now the question is why does he have a card? |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Barry: As you know many players had their photos taken in the pre-season and never played for that team, but usually we can find a game or two in the pre-season or an article indicating their release. With Fischer nothing yet ! Need someone to check a few weeks in the Chicago papers. |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: barrysloate
Mike- that is why Fischer has become the very last player left to be identified. |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Marc S.
Splash the cover of the book with a contest highlighting "Identify the last Old Judge baseball player, and win a free Old Judge card" type contest. |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Joe_G.
Glad to see someone read the Tomlinson article. Charles Hall information was easy to find with the right reference material (Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and more on microfilm). |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Jay
As I mentioned, Fischer never played a regular season game for the Maroons. Neither did Boyd, but there is info about him in TSN, including when he was scheduled to report. As also mentioned above, the photo shoots were prior to the regular season. If the player happened to be part of the team during that time, he got his picture taken. The fact that Fischer has a card, in a Maroon uniform, means that he was part of the team for some period of time. That period could have been a day or two, a week, or several weeks. He was not on the team at the beginning of April, 1888. He was not on the team at the end of April, 1888 when the season started. Did he play in a pre-season game for the Maroons--possibly. I have not seen any April Maroon box scores. The possibility exists that he never played in any game for them, but even so, even the lowliest walk-ons received some mention in TSN, and I would think that any local paper with decent baseball coverage would have mentioned a potential player. Could he have been using an assumed name (like Stowe/Stovey)--sure. That might hinder efforts to find prior or future stats, but he still would have been identified in the press using the assumed name. |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Ryan Christoff
"Eight of the Chicago Maroons, Dunn, Hengle, Shoeneck, Long, Lange, Rooks, Nicholson, and Moriarty have been doing steady work in a Chicago gymnasium and are in good trim now. As now constituted the team stands: Dugdale and McCauley, catchers; Dunn, Clarkson and Nicholson, pitchers; Shoeneck, first base; Hengle, second base; Lange, third base; Crogan, Long, Rooks and Moriarty, fielders." |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Dan Bretta
Two nearby leagues disbanded after 1887 - The Western League and the Northwestern League and I'm sure the rosters of the newly formed Western Association were filled with players from those teams so a good bet is that this Fischer came from one of those teams, tried out and made it long enough to get his photo taken, but never pitched for them. It's also possible there could be ties to the city of St Louis since most of the players from the Western League came out of St Louis when Al Spink (Sporting News editor) tried to keep the league alive in 1886. |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Whoever has the Fischer photo please email to me and I'll send to a guy who is a fellow SABR member and maybe he has access to Chicago papers. My email is: theline06@hotmail.com Thanks Mike |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Old Judge Book Contest
Posted By: Mike
Jay: I have a question. Do any of the other Chicago Maroons cards have the same background as Boyd and Fischer ? The cards of the others I have seen have a different background scene which could mean they were photographed at a different time from the rest of the team. Let me know. Thanks Mike |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Old Judge Book | Archive | 19th Century Cards & ALL Baseball Postcards- B/S/T | 4 | 03-28-2009 02:44 PM |
November board contest (+ Powerball ) for Old Judge Book | Archive | Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions | 187 | 01-14-2009 04:58 PM |
Old Judge book | Archive | Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions | 40 | 01-13-2009 05:35 PM |
Help With Old Judge Book | Archive | Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions | 7 | 02-12-2008 02:45 PM |
Old Judge Book | Archive | Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions | 5 | 02-10-2002 08:13 PM |