Outside of his circle of family and . He is generally considered the greatest shortstop in baseball history and is regarded by some as the finest all-around player in the history of the National League (NL). As Bill James says in his Arky Vaughan comment in his book The New Historical Baseball Abstract: The difference between the number one Shortstop (Wagner) and the number two Shortstop (whoever it is) is about the same as the distance between the number two Shortstop and the number 30 Shortstop.. The card, which was in poor condition, sold in November 2010 to a collector for $262,000, well over the $150,000 that was expected at auction. }, Cronkite School at ASU I never have been sick. In fact, it is said he often signed blank contracts, leaving it to the late Barney Dreyfuss, president of the Pirates, to fill in a figure he considered fair. They had me by a foot. One of the original five Hall of Fame inductees who recorded 3,415 hits while batting .327 across his career with the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1897 to 1917. or Walter at number one? An outgrowth of baseball greatness is of course baseball card greatness, and in . He would pass away in Carnegie, Pennsylvania in 1955. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? Throughout his career one of the outstanding features about Mr. Wagner was his vitality. The shortstop remained with the Pirates until he retired from active play in 1917 at the age of 43. When he fielded grounders, his huge hands also collected large scoops of infield dirt, which accompanied his throws to first like the tail of a comet.[11]. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The pitcher threw Honus a curveball, and he swung at it and missed and fell down on one knee. LEOMINSTER DAILY ENTERPRISE, Massachusetts, December 6, 1955 This 12 page newspaper has a two column headline on page 6: "HONUS WAGNER, ALL-TIME GREAT SHORTSTOP, DIES AT 81 NEAR PITTSBURGH" Other news of the day including a report on the upcoming fight involving Sugar Ray Robinson late in his career. He died on December 6, 1955, at the age of 81,[25] and he is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh. Wagner, agile though massively built, excelled at fielding; he also led the National League five times in stolen bases. Michael Haupert research of HOF contracts. It took 45 years for St. Louis' Stan Musial to surpass Wagner's hit total. Primary salary data ( about) courtesy Doug Pappas, and the Society for American Baseball Research. In his work Inside T206: A Collector Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set, Scot A. Wagner was part of the Pittsburg Pirates greatest season, going 110-42 in 1909. Greene holds a copy of the catalog he wrote and a reprint he made of his Wagner card. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He was well-known to people in the community, including many that still have memories of their interactions with him as children. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Honus Wagner. Caught Stealing is not shown comprehensively for Wagner's MLB.com totals because the stat was not regularly captured until 1920. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.'"[17]. The following spring, he refused to send his portrait to a "Hall of Fame" for batting champions, citing his play in the World Series. Top 16 Centers in College Basketball History: Alcindor, Russell, or Walton at Number one? We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times. Wagner waited for the ball, swung his arm down and smacked Cobb across the face, taking out teeth some say. In July 1915, he became the oldest player to hit a grand slam, a record which stood for 70 years until topped by 43-year-old Tony Prez. PITTSBURGH, Tuesday, Dec. 8 (AP) - John (Honus) Wagner, one of baseball's greatest shortstops died today at his home in near-by Carnegie. Wagner had a terrible series, going just 1-14 in the best of 9 series. While sources allege that Wagner, a nonsmoker, refused to allow the production of his baseball card to continue, the more likely reason was the sum ATC was willing to pay Wagner. Wagner was born just outside of Pittsburg and given the name Johannes Peter Wagner by his German parents. The "Flying Dutchman" sobriquet, fastened on him by the fans, was indicative of the dash and speed he displayed on the field and on the baselines. background-color:#ba3434; Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[29]. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Be this as it may, there have been or are now no serious challengers to Mr. Wagner in his generally accepted designation as baseball's greatest shortstop. After gaining prominence on the sandlots while earning his livelihood as a barber, Mr. Wagner broke into professional baseball in 1895 with the Steubenville (Ohio) club. The most famous baseball card ever printed is the Honus Wagner T206. Sorry! Looking for more things to do in the area? In 1992 Sports Illustrated did a piece written by Steve Wulf titled The All-Time Dream Teams. The Shortstop on his baseball team was Cal Ripken. As well as the best base runner. Cobb denied it in his autobiography, and the play-by-play of the 1909 World Series confirms that the event could not have happened as stated: Cobb was never tagged out by Wagner in a caught-stealing. He would hit .252 in 1915 (still worthy of 7thin the League). I told him I wanted to be a major league baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner. During his term as coach of Pittsburgh, Mr. Wagner also served for several years as commissioner for the National Semi-Pro Baseball Congress, in which capacity he had jurisdiction over 25,000 sandlot teams. The series was the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day, and the first time that the batting champions of each league faced one another (this later occurred thrice more, in 1931, 1954, and 2012 World Series). That year Wagner and the Pirates would go to the World Series that year and face off against the Detroit Lions and the antithesis of Wagner, Ty Cobb. Honus Wagner Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Honus Wagner Stats Honus Wagner was born on Tuesday, February 24, 1874, in Chartiers, Pennsylvania. Not only was Honus Wagner a significantly better offensive player than these fine Shortstops, but he was the best defensive Shortstops of this group. This article is about the American baseball player. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Wagner lived the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a friendly figure around town. - John McGraw in The Sporting News (December 6, 1955), Appeared in The New York Times on December 6, 1955 | Obituaries | Honus Wagner, HONUS WAGNER DIES AT AGE OF 81_____________________________, Shortstop, one of Baseball Immortals, Made Mark With Pittsburgh Club_____________________________, MANY RECORDS STAND_____________________________, Played Most Games, 2,785 and Led League 8 Times - Lifetime Average of .328_____________________________. Honus Wagner Obituary - Baseball Almanac The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even traveled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. This style won him 7 batting titles. Mathewson, Christy. Top 10 NFL Running Backs of the 1970s: O.J. In 2000, Wagner was honored with a U.S. postage stamp. copyright=new Date(); The Pirates faced Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers. Ty Cobb: The truth about the greatest baseball player of all-time, MLB: Why We'll Never See a 300-Game Winner Again. He lived out the remainder of his life at home in Carnegie and passed away on December 6, 1955. Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Tommy Leach recounted his impressions of joining the Louisville club in 1898 with hopes of winning the starting job at third base: I hardly had time to get settled before it hits me that this guy the Louisville club had at third base was practically doing the impossible. Copyright 2013-2023 Uncovering Media, LLC - All Rights Reserved, Find more things to do in the Pittsburgh region, Hiking Through the Todd Nature Reserve in Butler County, PA, How to Get to Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Market Square Pittsburghs Most Dynamic Square, How to get to Breakneck Falls in McConnells Mill State Park. In 1916 he would marry his long-time girlfriend, Bessie Baine Smith. Bill James is the most knowledgeable person on baseball I know. _____________________________ Ranked Among the Immortals * - we have multiple sources with different salaries. The Pirates won the series in seven games behind the pitching of rookie Babe Adams. [2] Honus Wagner is also the featured player of one of the rarest and the most valuable baseball cards in existence. document.write(update); The Pirates have relocated it twice since 1954, and it now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park. Pittsburgh lost in the best-of-nine series, five games to three, to a team led by pitchers Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and third basemanmanager Jimmy Collins. Burleigh Grimes, who as a youngster was a teammate of Wagner, recalled One day he was batting against a young pitcher who had just come into the league. In 1903, the Pirates played the Boston Americans in Major League Baseball's inaugural World Series. Wagner lived in Carnegie until his death in 1955. So outstanding were his abilities at the plate and in the field, primarily at short stop, that he was one of the first five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. [48], On August 3, 2022, a T206 Honus Wagner was sold in a private sale for a sports card record high of $7.25 million, eclipsing the previous high of $6.6 million.[49]. Ulysses S. Grant was President of the United States and the country was still trying to heal from the Civil War that had ended just 10 years prior. He batted .354, with an OBP of .415 and a SLG of .542. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Help spread the word. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans. Rare Honus Wagner video footage shows Pirates legend discussing state (Subsequent research has since revised this total to 3,418.) Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. The encapsulated card was rated as only a 2 on a scale to 10. Before a sold-out and boisterous Forbes Field crowdi, future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner "had his bat working overtime,"2 producing seven hits (in two games) as his Pittsburgh Pirates split a doubleheader with the visiting New York Giants. He would stand beside Cobb, Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth. He retired in 1917, finishing his 21-year career with a lifetime batting average of .328 and 3,420 hits. One of the sad things about sports commentary now is a lack of historical perspective. He certainly did not look to be a good athlete. He was appointed an assistant sergeant-at-arms in the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 1940 and once was nominated for the office of Sheriff in Pittsburgh. He topped the NL in extra-base hits in his first season in Pittsburgh and posted a league-leading and career-high .381 batting average. [45], On May 29, 2019, a Honus Wagner T-206 sold for $1.2 million by SCP Auctions in Southern California. Notwithstanding his stolid appearance, he is a sensitive player, and this has hurt him more than anything else in his life ever has. Wagner was a guy who out-thought his competition. Barrow proved to be a good talent scout, as Wagner could play wherever he was needed, including all three bases and the outfield. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Finally, family history researcher, the seasons are changing. Thats about where the Flying Dutchman is generally rated, between ten and twenty. Well, this big Louisville third baseman jumped over after it like he was on steel springs, slapped it down with his bare hand, scrambled after it at least ten feet, and fired a bullet over to first base. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Wagner managed the Pirates briefly in 1917, was a coach on the team from 1933 to 1951, and remained a popular figure in Pittsburgh. Brunauer Press, 2008. Corrections? His batting feats were all the more remarkable since he had to contend with such obstacles as trick pitches, long outfields and a "dead" ball. The Honus Wagner T206 is the sports card GOAT, and it always will be So, unless you issue Wagner a huge penalty because he played over 100 years ago, Wagner crushes the competition. Looked helpless as a robin. "Pitching in a Pinch." Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. The runner was out by two or three steps. He was 81 years old. He led in almost every significant category through those years. He held the bat with his hands apart to be able to pull balls to the foul line. He would retire the following season after an unsuccessful attempt at Managing his beloved Pirates. For the bowlegged man from coal country, he was pretty fast on his feet. Wagner debuted with Louisville on July 19 and hit .338 in 61 games.[10]. In the 5thinning of the First Game of the World Series Cobb reached First Base. However, there are items here that were owned by Wagner, as well as many pieces that relate to his illustrious baseball career. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. How to Win While Sports Betting? Wagner was born one of 9 children in the heart of American coal country in western Pennsylvania on February 24, 1874. His baseball card was so rare that it became the highest priced baseball card of all-time. They won the National League Pennant in 1901, 1902, 1903, and 1909. If they said Cal Ripken Jr., the correct reaction is to shake your head in sadness. A bronze statue of Mr. Wagner was unveiled in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh on April 30 of this year. Former home of baseball legend Honus Wagner hit by fire in Carnegie - WTAE Wagner retired with the National League record for most steals of home (27), which was broken by Greasy Neale in 1922. Nuclear Powered Baseball, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ The stadium serves as the home field for Carlynton High School varsity sports. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. One of the strong players in the game in his active days, he weighed 180 pounds and was 5 feet 11 inches tall - he possessed an amazing vigor, even after he had passed 60 and he often set the pace for his youthful charges in the pre-game workouts of the Pirates. And now neither do you. - IMDb Mini Biography By: jefferson-3 Family (1) Spouse Verify and try again. [50] Other private research sites may have different figures. He also led the league in slugging six times and stolen bases five times. He went hitless in a 10 win against the Cubs on May 30, but a successful league protest by the Cubs wiped out the result (and Wagner's at-bats). Shortly before the 1908 season, Wagner retired. The catcher was a kid, too. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. The statue roughly faces the site of the Pirates' original home, Exposition Park, so in a sense, Wagner has come full circle. The proudest moment of his life was being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 1936. Arky Vaughan, Ralph Kiner, Pie Traynor (player-manager from 19341939), and Hank Greenberg (although Greenberg was in his final major league season in 1947, his only season with the Pirates, and very well established) all future Hall of Famers, were notable "pupils" of Wagner. His lifetime fielding mark was .945, and he was first among the National League shortstops in 1912, 1914 and 1915. That is certainly what the club president and club secretary for the Louisville Colonels thought when they first saw him. He threatened to seek legal action against ATC if they went ahead and created his baseball card. Wagner played for the short-lived Louisville Colonels franchise from 1897 through 1899, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Try again later. #MLBRank Exploring the greatness of Honus Wagner and Lou Gehrig - ESPN The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is one of the rarest and most expensive baseball cards in the world, as only 57 copies are known to exist. With the opening of the 1954 season at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, the Pirates as part of the inaugural day ceremonies presented a special plaque to Wagner as baseball's Mr. Shortstop. Career to date (may be incomplete) $134,550. The Baseball 100: No. 12, Honus Wagner - The Athletic [20] Many of the greats who played or managed against Wagner, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Walter Johnson, list him at shortstop on their All-Time teams.[21]. Wagner would continue to be a great player until 1915. By his second season, Wagner was already one of the best hitters in the National League although he came up short a percentage point from finishing the season at .300. [32] In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US $50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card at the time. Wagner took over the batting lead from the New York Giants' flamboyant outfielder Mike Donlin during a July 25 game against the Giants and their star pitcher Christy Mathewson. The Pirates have relocated twice since then, and the statue has come along with them. He lead the NL in many hitting categories throughout his 21-year career. Following the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. There was a problem getting your location. Wagner played in the Dead Ball Era. #shorts. Based in Carlisle near Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans, If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into The Grueling Truth sports shows, Where the legends speak. Note that mlb.com's Total Bases do not correspond to the number of hits, 2B, 3B, and HR listed. He was the best offensively, on the bases and defensively in the League. Neither of us got our wish. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals "Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for (An excerpt chapter from the book,Boxing In The Time Of Christ,$5.99 atamazon.com.) This museum chronicles life in the community, and even if you have no connection to the area, its interesting to learn about what life was like in this part of Allegheny County (including why the community was named after industrial tycoon Andrew Carnegie). Top 12 Greatest Home Runs in MLB History! Leaders of the machine-led Republican Party were touting Wagner for sheriff of Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org. Honus Wagner - Society for American Baseball Research The 1900-1909 Pirate had three Hall of Famers; Fred Clarke, pitcher Vic Willis and Honus Wagner. We are talking about the greatest teams ever. [31] The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 57 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public, as compared to the "tens or hundreds of thousands" of T206 cards, over three years in 16 brands of cigarettes, for any other player.
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