Bob Thorpe was a baseball player. He played baseball. Sometimes he would catch baseballs in the outfield. Once he batted a ball into the outfield, getting a triple as the only hit of his 1951 rookie season.
That’s about it for Bob’s major league career, but I’m okay with that. Why? Because I love seafood. After racking up 14 years in the minor leagues Bob returned to Mississippi and ran a seafood business. “Bob” became “Captain Bob” and suddenly there were no shrimp safe within the reach of his boat. I tried to find what remains of the business 25 years after his death but did not find anything conclusive. There is a Bob’s Crab Shack in the area, so perhaps a food-based road trip can’t be entirely ruled out for the future.
1952 Topps Card #367
The 1952 Topps Bob Thorpe is a recent addition to my in-progress set. The card is a high number and epitomizes the rookie theme that goes with much of the series. This example also showcases just how wide the net can be cast over definitions of the “poor” condition. Many of my existing high numbers are held together with tape or severely damaged. This one exhibits some leftover tape from decades of scrapbook storage but is in otherwise fine condition. I love how the previous owner only placed tape along the left side so that the card could be flipped over and Thorpe’s biography read.
