Description
PLAYER: Bill Burns
TEAM: Chicago White Sox
LEAGUE: American
BACK: Old Mill BBS (Ranked 29/39)
GRADE: PSA 6 EX-MT
SOLD
THE CARD
A high quality example of Chicago White Sox lefty and supposed Black Sox middleman “Sleepy” Bill Burns featuring the Old Mill Baseball Series advertising reverse (ranked 29 of 39 in terms of scarcity according to T206 Resource).
“SLEEPY” BILL BURNS
William Thomas Burns
Born: January 27, 1880 – San Saba, TX
Died: June 6, 1953 – Ramona, CA
Batted: Switch
Threw: LH
Position: P
MLB Pitching Record: 30–52
ERA: 2.72
Teams:
Washington Senators AL (1908–1909)
Chicago White Sox AL (1909–1910)
Cincinnati Reds NL (1910–1911)
Philadelphia Phillies NL (1911)
Detroit Tigers AL (1912)
“Sleepy Bill” Burns is noted more for his involvement in the infamous 1919 World Series “Black Sox” scandal than for his pitching abilities. According to all accounts, Burns was the middleman between Chicago players Eddie Cicotte, Chick Gandil, and New York gambler Arnold Rothstein. At that time, Burns had been out of the majors for 7 years, but had played a bit for the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League. After the scandal became public, he served as a witness for the prosecution at the trial in return for immunity. As an MLB pitcher, he never won more than 8 games, but he did have a 1.69 ERA his rookie year. His only winning season was 1907, when he went 24–17 for the Pacific Coast League’s Los Angeles Angels before graduating to the majors. As a player, Burns had a very sleepy career. He managed the Mineral Well Resorters in the West Texas League in 1920 before leaving baseball.
An excerpt from the hit book “The T206 Collection – The Players & Their Stories” by Tom & Ellen Zappala. Click HERE to order the SECOND EDITION
