Perhaps fitting for the player who integrated two teams in what was then deemed to be the Majors ... per his SABR bio, the man Hank Thompson shot was named Jim Crow.
I had no idea that's where Josh Chetwynd landed! I worked with him at U.S. News & World Report for a time; IIRC it was during the '90s. He was a very good reporter.
I had heard of Hank Thompson from all the baseball I read about as a kid growing up, but I didn’t realize he was as good as he was. Only once in his career did he have a below-average wRC+ (97 in 1951). At a glance, statistically, a modern-day comp to Hank Thompson is Brandon Nimmo.
OK, Joe, you got me. I was not planning to buy your fan book because it doesn't sound like my kinda thing -- darts fans? There are darts fans? But the Hank Thompson story or the Mutton story, whichever it was, hooked me and you can stop sellling me, I'll buy the book already.
I’m crying over all the Hank Thompson love. I have his Browns bobblehead in a place of prominence and would love to find a NY Giants one. I’m a huge fan of the 1954 Giants. The funny part is I was born in 1963 and because of the Big Red Machine I am a lifelong REDS fan but the 54 Giants have always been a fan obsession of mine. A Johnny Antonelli NY Giants bobblehead would make me happier than a new car.
I can't believe Joe Posnanski is writing about Channel 5. I grew up in Ireland. We had the five terrestrial UK channels; BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5, as well as RTÉ 1 & RTÉ 2 from Ireland.
Channel 4 had the rights to show WWF wrestling Pay Per Views & Channel 5 was the home of all US sports. I used to sit up every week & watch LA Laker games until 5am, then go to school absolutely exhausted the next day.
Today, with Sky Sports & TNT, you can watch pretty much everything, stream it, or find highlights on YouTube, but 20+ years ago it was all about Channel 5.
The Real Ghostbusters has a few rabbit holes of its own. Like why they added the term “Real” to distinguish it from a different cartoon put out by a group who had previously sold the name Ghostbusters but somehow retained the right to use it for an animated series.
And then there is the Lorenzo Music, Dave Coulier, Bill Murray Garfield story, which is ironic since Bill Murray later went on to voice Garfield in a movie.
My cousin is the person who played in little league with me in the 70s then later introduced me to Bill James. In a sense, he’s to blame for me being a fan and thus posting here. He grew up in San Diego and now lives in London. So maybe Mathew has some competition. But then again an ex pat would be in a different category.
Wow, thanks, Joe, really looking forward to reading the book.
I actually remember reading Hank Thompson's story when I was a 10-year-old kid, thanks to a long piece by the great Arnold Hano in the late, great, still-lamented Sport magazine. It's been over 60 years, but I still remember being haunted by that article, written when Thompson was in prison.
Oh, and since I can't help it, a very small nitpick going way, way off the subject: They weren't the "crosstown" Cardinals. Unlike in other two-team cities, the Cardinals and Browns shared Sportsman's Park, in North St. Louis. The Browns actually owned it; the Cardinals were their tenants. In Bill Veeck's autobiography he wrote about trying to run the Cardinals out of town (probably to Houston) when he owned the Browns. He thought he would have succeeded had the Cardinals not been bought by the deep-pocketed Anheuser-Busch brewery.
They’re not Posterisks. Posnotes?
Own the book it’s in thevque. Just moved it up
I was especially touched by the Hank Thompson story. As a doger fan i was aware but only of the ball player. Not his life. Thank you
Perhaps fitting for the player who integrated two teams in what was then deemed to be the Majors ... per his SABR bio, the man Hank Thompson shot was named Jim Crow.
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Hank-Thompson/
Wow, beautiful tie-in, bravo
I had no idea that's where Josh Chetwynd landed! I worked with him at U.S. News & World Report for a time; IIRC it was during the '90s. He was a very good reporter.
Thanks for mentioning me first. Dare I say, "circle me first?"
Also, great story today. It piques my interest a bit for Big Fan.
I had heard of Hank Thompson from all the baseball I read about as a kid growing up, but I didn’t realize he was as good as he was. Only once in his career did he have a below-average wRC+ (97 in 1951). At a glance, statistically, a modern-day comp to Hank Thompson is Brandon Nimmo.
Thompson:
1087 G, 4207 PA, 144 HR, 56 SB, .276/.376/.461, 124 wRC+, 32.0 fWAR
Nimmo:
1162 G, 4774 PA, 145 HR, 58 SB, .262/.361/.437, 125 wRC+, 29.6 fWAR
This story is why I subscribe to the JoeBlogs Clubhouse
OK, Joe, you got me. I was not planning to buy your fan book because it doesn't sound like my kinda thing -- darts fans? There are darts fans? But the Hank Thompson story or the Mutton story, whichever it was, hooked me and you can stop sellling me, I'll buy the book already.
I’m crying over all the Hank Thompson love. I have his Browns bobblehead in a place of prominence and would love to find a NY Giants one. I’m a huge fan of the 1954 Giants. The funny part is I was born in 1963 and because of the Big Red Machine I am a lifelong REDS fan but the 54 Giants have always been a fan obsession of mine. A Johnny Antonelli NY Giants bobblehead would make me happier than a new car.
I can't believe Joe Posnanski is writing about Channel 5. I grew up in Ireland. We had the five terrestrial UK channels; BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5, as well as RTÉ 1 & RTÉ 2 from Ireland.
Channel 4 had the rights to show WWF wrestling Pay Per Views & Channel 5 was the home of all US sports. I used to sit up every week & watch LA Laker games until 5am, then go to school absolutely exhausted the next day.
Today, with Sky Sports & TNT, you can watch pretty much everything, stream it, or find highlights on YouTube, but 20+ years ago it was all about Channel 5.
Joe, you're an artist. Thank you.
The Real Ghostbusters has a few rabbit holes of its own. Like why they added the term “Real” to distinguish it from a different cartoon put out by a group who had previously sold the name Ghostbusters but somehow retained the right to use it for an animated series.
And then there is the Lorenzo Music, Dave Coulier, Bill Murray Garfield story, which is ironic since Bill Murray later went on to voice Garfield in a movie.
I’ve been holding off on buying Big Fan but today’s post has made it more difficult.
John— you want regret it.
Joe’s chapter on playing pickleball is worth the price of the book. 📕
It's nice to be part of the Joe Posnanski universe. Thank you again for appearing on "National League Town".
My cousin is the person who played in little league with me in the 70s then later introduced me to Bill James. In a sense, he’s to blame for me being a fan and thus posting here. He grew up in San Diego and now lives in London. So maybe Mathew has some competition. But then again an ex pat would be in a different category.
Wow, thanks, Joe, really looking forward to reading the book.
I actually remember reading Hank Thompson's story when I was a 10-year-old kid, thanks to a long piece by the great Arnold Hano in the late, great, still-lamented Sport magazine. It's been over 60 years, but I still remember being haunted by that article, written when Thompson was in prison.
Oh, and since I can't help it, a very small nitpick going way, way off the subject: They weren't the "crosstown" Cardinals. Unlike in other two-team cities, the Cardinals and Browns shared Sportsman's Park, in North St. Louis. The Browns actually owned it; the Cardinals were their tenants. In Bill Veeck's autobiography he wrote about trying to run the Cardinals out of town (probably to Houston) when he owned the Browns. He thought he would have succeeded had the Cardinals not been bought by the deep-pocketed Anheuser-Busch brewery.