Honus and his buddies...

[bmarlowe1]

Originally Posted by bobbvc

L-R
Edward James Abbaticchio, Dots Miller, Honus Wagner, Captain Fred Clarke, Unknown(my guess is local river man)
Tell you how I know later

With all due respect, this is a good lesson in how far such self-delusion can go, even for an experienced collector, and even when faces are so strikingly different. This is why so many misidentified photos are bought and sold, and it would be equivalent to someone 100 years from now saying that photos of Jeter and Andy Petit depict the same person.

There is no background "story" that can overcome the forensics here. What would enhance the discussion is a posting in hi-res of the face in question.

[bobbvc]

Let's start with the logical agreements.
1- The two photos are from the same trip.
2- The guy in back #4 from left is the same person as #4 from left in both photos.
Everyone on board so far?

Here are some facts.
Clarke was referred to by his players generally and especially by Wagner as "Cap". Enclosed here is a scan from page 45 of The Devaleria's biography of Wagner. There are many other sources as well. If Wagner referred to Clarke as Cap it's logical to assume Ed Abbaticchio sitting two chairs away did as well.

The other scan is the back of the second photo.
The writing is in Ed Abbaticchio's hand.
He identifies himself and his companions as:

EJA (Abbaticchio), Miller, Wagner, Cap, And what appears to say Rivers.

Clarke was known as "Cap" to his players. He is clearly identified as such in the second photo. #4 is the same person in both photos. Therefore, hence and even ergo- #4 in photo 1 is Clarke.

Now someone find out who Rivers is.

[bmarlowe1]

This was all discussed in 2009. As I recall from the thread, you were the only one who was "sure" that "Cap" meant Clarke in this case. "Cap" could also be the name of a fishing guide - far more likely given the gross dissimilarity of the faces. It could also refer to a location, like "Cap River."

Regardless of what was written on the back of the photo (a major source of fraud in the hobby) and what the handwriting folks may say about who wrote it (they are not always right), letting that trump major differences in skull stucture and facial features (none of which you have been able to explain) is an unwise pratice.

Note also that we have a lot of photos that were for sure annotated by major figures (like Spalding and McGreevy for example) that are loaded with ID errors.

You might do well to read pages 1 and 2 of http://sabr.box.com/shared/static/10...092a683653.pdf
Even if it doesn't help you , it may help others. Keep in mind that you are claiming that these 2 guys are the same person:

[Econteachert205]

Very interesting stuff. I find it odd that the young man id'd only as rivers or rivere is sitting on the lap of the much debated older man. Perhaps they were a father son set of guides, or if the debated man is a player, the younger man who looks much younger than the rest, is his son?

[Jaybird]

Originally Posted by Econteachert205

Very interesting stuff. I find it odd that the young man id'd only as rivers or rivere is sitting on the lap of the much debated older man. Perhaps they were a father son set of guides, or if the debated man is a player, the younger man who looks much younger than the rest, is his son?

There are many many images from this era where men are sitting on each others laps, holding each other close, etc. You'll see them when you type in "gay interest vintage photo" for an ebay search. It was a common practice and not at all indicative of familial relationship. You will see soldiers and men in studio settings holding hands, arms around each other and sitting on laps.

For what it's worth, that ain't Clarke.

[Econteachert205]

Originally Posted by Jaybird

There are many many images from this era where men are sitting on each others laps, holding each other close, etc. You'll see them when you type in "gay interest vintage photo" for an ebay search. It was a common practice and not at all indicative of familial relationship. You will see soldiers and men in studio settings holding hands, arms around each other and sitting on laps.

For what it's worth, that ain't Clarke.

Honus, may I sit on your lap?

[ksabet]

Just to let everyone know, the reverse of the photo in the OP also states similar names to the one Bobby has. I believe it says JA not EJA but then it has Wagner, Byrne, Miller and Cap as well.

So it seems we are certain that Wagner, Byrnes, Miller and Abatticchio are in there which leaves 3 unidentified for certain (Clarke is debatable apparently)

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by bobbvc

Let's start with the logical agreements.
1- The two photos are from the same trip.
2- The guy in back #4 from left is the same person as #4 from left in both photos.

You did really well with the above part.

To be fair to Bob, there are plenty of people who simply don't recognize faces. People in that situation have no choice but to go through the same sort of exercise that Bob did with the remainder of his post, relying exclusively on other cues (such as the notes on the back) to provide what they need. I know people who can meet the same person several times, and never remember their faces - not through rudeness, but simply because the features of a face don't provide them enough information to identify people.

[bmarlowe1]

Originally Posted by Runscott

You did really well with the above part.

To be fair to Bob, there are plenty of people who simply don't recognize faces. People in that situation have no choice but to go through the same sort of exercise that Bob did with the remainder of his post,.....

Scott - I try to not make it too personal, but I consider these kind of things to be "teaching moments." I used the term "self-delusion" but I did not intend to be mean. This is really what happens, even to very smart people. All it takes is a small clue and a big desire for it to be true, and then the brain's facial recognition response (which in any case varies greatly among individuals) can get very distorted. Such conformation bias is a measurable phenomenon.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

Scott - I try to not make it too personal, but I consider these kind of things to be "teaching moments." I used the term "self-delusion" but I did not intend to be mean. This is really what happens, even to very smart people. All it takes is a small clue and a big desire for it to be true, and then the brain's facial recognition response (which in any case varies greatly among individuals) can get very distorted. Such conformation bias is a measurable phenomenon.

I understand the part about the brain's facial recognition response, but some people really can't recognize faces. I live with such a person, so I am constantly being surprised by it, even knowing what it is.

[bobbvc]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

Scott - I try to not make it too personal, but I consider these kind of things to be "teaching moments." I used the term "self-delusion" but I did not intend to be mean. This is really what happens, even to very smart people. All it takes is a small clue and a big desire for it to be true, and then the brain's facial recognition response (which in any case varies greatly among individuals) can get very distorted. Such conformation bias is a measurable phenomenon.

Mark, people who throw out the words "self delusion" like candy should occasionally take a look in the mirror. I wasn't making this personal "at all". Whether the photo turns out to be Clarke or someone else they call "Cap" (very unlikely considering the respect Clarke had), I could CARE LESS.

Where you are being "self delusional" is assuming someone you don't know has an "agenda" you understand. Why would I care if it's Clarke? To increase it's value?

I'm having fun with a "hobby". Based on the "evidence" I have, I think it's Clarke, you don't. Some grading companies might not believe it's Wagner, Miller or EJA. Who cares, that's what makes this fun.

So in that spirit, here's a couple more Clarke photos.

[bmarlowe1]

Originally Posted by bobbvc

Mark, people who throw out the words "self delusion" like candy should occasionally take a look in the mirror. I wasn't making this personal "at all". Whether the photo turns out to be Clarke or someone else they call "Cap"........Where you are being "self delusional" is assuming someone you don't know has an "agenda"

Bob - I didn't say you were making anything personal. To the contrary I wanted to be sure that my comments about you weren't taken as personally derogatory, though perhaps that goal is not possible to achieve. To understand that you might carefully read the 1st 2 pages of from the SABR link I posted (note that I am the author of the article).

You don't need to have an "agenda" for "self-delusion" to be at play in a case like this - in the portion of the article I am referencing, no one had an agenda. As explained, being smart and experienced does not inoculate one from making ludicrous face claims, especially if one is not knowledgeable with respect to facial comparison - this is a real subject with a pretty good body of literature.

I should add that we don't know whether the person who inscribed the back of your photo was calling someone "Cap" - it could be a reference to a location. There are at least 2 "Cap Rivers" that I could find, and it seems like it could be a common local name for many locations. Even if "Cap" refers to a person, it can't be Clarke because of gross facial structural differences - it's not even close.

As far as self-delusion on my part, please explain. And, what is my agenda? There is a big world of misidentifed baseball photos - I don't need to pick on you. (and BTW - please post (or email to me) a hi-res of that face so I can present a better analysis).

[bobbvc]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

As far as self-delusion on my part, please explain. And, what is my agenda? There is a big world of misidentifed baseball photos - I don't need to pick on you. (and BTW - please post (or email to me) a hi-res of that face so I can present a better analysis).

Mark, the "delusion" I was referring to was your quote "big desire for it to be true" as referencing me. I had no such "desire". But, to be fair, I "assumed" you were implying I was looking for something to be gained so we'll call that a push. I never mentioned you had an agenda, I was saying I didn't have one. Let's move forward please.

10-20 pounds of off season weight gain and relaxation may not change skeletal structure, but it can make people look different, especially when using 2 barely decipherable 100+ year old photos.

Hoping more evidence turns up in the future for this one.

If you really want to give me a "teachable moment", any tips on scanning would be appreciated, but for now- try these if they help.

(Last thing, just for the record. If I was hoping for it to be someone, it wouldn't be Clarke. It would be Doheny, Veil or some other seldom photoed Pirate.)