campi

Bill James, Eddie Campi, Jess Willard (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• 1 older comment, and then…
• swanq said:

  Eddie Campi was a bantamweight boxer. See www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/campi-eddie.htm Jess Willard was a heavyweight boxer. See NYT of March 19, 1916 "Jess Willard, the massive Kansas cowboy, who is the heavyweight champion pugilist of the world, is a firm believer in the never disputed fact that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. In Willard's repertoirs of punches, there are no swings and trick blows, he hits straight from the shoulder and hits hard." query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E7D6153DEF3AB...

• Harry Angstrom said:

  same Willard guy? www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2830854632/

• Ryan (LOC P&P) said:

  Thanks swanq for the link to the story confirming that Jess Willard is indeed a heavyweight boxer, and Eddie Campi was a bantamweight boxer. In fact, dates for Campi give us a better date range for the photograph. The question remains: Is that Bill James who played baseball for Boston on the left?

• swanq said:

  I had wondered the same. The outfit and the background structure suggest a baseball connection. pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.aspx?CID=isg&mediauid={128D74D7-1320-44AC-ACF0-C99804CE2BD3} is a 1914 picture of the Boston pitcher. Could be the same guy.

• Ryan (LOC P&P) said:

  Thanks swanq for the links to other images of Bill James. I'm still not sure that he's the same person as the pitcher for the Boston Braves. I think we'll have to hold off making the connection until more information comes in.