Don't confuse this far below-average player and his brief major league career with the Hall of Fame "Orator Jim" O'Rourke! It would be hard to find such similar names with players so different on their career paths. The Boston version, Tom O'Rourke, picked up six different poses in this Old Judge issue, including #359-4, which shows him holding a bat he rarely demonstrated skill at using. It's a bat, that much is sure, but is it really "bat at ready?" Tom's career. 186 batting average declares that it might not be.

The PSA VG 3 (MC) grade does clearly show a tilted miscut along its right edge, and similar angled cuts show up again and again on N172 cards. All four corners bear rounding, with the lower right being the worst off. Tom's image shines through at above-average detail for this set, clear enough to show some befuddlement at being part of this photography process. Light surface marks and back toning complete its technical assessment, and the PSA population report shows this example rates lowest of five numerical grades, a bit like Tom himself! All ribbing aside, it should be a satisfying addition to any Old Judge collection, even if Tom failed to impress at the same level.