Conclusion: If I was selecting the greatest player of all time, the list would be: Ill quote Bill James again from the original Historical Baseball Abstract. (Wagner) was the greatest athlete in baseball. memorial page for Honus Wagner (24 Feb 1874-6 Dec 1955), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1065, citing Jefferson Memorial Park, Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County . Wagner is one of a handful of players that can legitimately be rated first, ahead of even Babe Ruth. Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (/ h n s w n r / HON-s WAG-nr; February 24, 1874 - December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as Hans Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates.Wagner won his eighth (and final) batting title in 1911, a National League record that . He avoided disputes with the umpires and had no salary wrangles with his employers. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. (Subsequent research has since revised this total to 3,418.) Baseball historian and statistician Bill James named Honus Wagner as the second-best player of all time after Babe Ruth, rating him as the best major league player in 1900 and each year from 1902 to 1908. To use this feature, use a newer browser. April 3, 2004. Baseball Almanac presents the actual word-for-word transcript from the obituary of Honus Wagner, taken from The New York Times. Even if you can look past the legend of the Iron Horse, the games played streak, the martyrdom of his tragic death and the "luckiest man alive" speech, or the stable counterpoint he provided to . Wagner was not finished playing baseball after his retirement from major league baseball. [2] Honus Wagner is also the featured player of one of the rarest and the most valuable baseball cards in existence. Wagner played for five teams in that first year, in three different leagues over the course of 80 games. Wagner had a terrible series, going just 1-14 in the best of 9 series. Lets get to why Wulfs conclusion is foolish. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, by Bill James, The Free Press, 2001, pp. "I was too bum last year", he wrote. I'm sitting on the bench the first day I reported, and along about the third inning an opposing batter smacks a line drive down the third-base line that looked like at least a sure double. The portion of the museum dedicated to Honus Wagner is located in a single room off to the side of the main space. According to an October 12, 1912, issue of The Sporting News, Wagner did not give his consent to appear on the baseball card. He was well-known to people in the community, including many that still have memories of their interactions with him as children. PITTSBURGH, Tuesday, Dec. 8 (AP) - John (Honus) Wagner, one of baseball's greatest shortstops died today at his home in near-by Carnegie. In 1900 the National League circuit was reduced from twelve teams to eight and Mr. Dreyfuss bought the Pittsburgh franchise, taking Mr. Wagner with him. He had three daughters with his wife Bessie Baine Smith. In 1901, the American League began to sign National League players, creating a bidding war, which depleted the league of many talented players. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. The encapsulated card was rated as only a 2 on a scale to 10. The pitcher threw Honus a curveball, and he swung at it and missed and fell down on one knee. Primary salary data ( about) courtesy Doug Pappas, and the Society for American Baseball Research. Michael Haupert research of HOF contracts. In doing so, it became the second most expensive baseball card sold at auction at the time. You can even pick up a replica of Wagners famous T206 baseball card to take home with you as a souvenir. On June 9, 1914, at age 40, Wagner recorded his 3,000th hit, a double off Philadelphia's Erskine Mayer, the second player in baseball history to reach the figure, after Cap Anson, and Nap Lajoie joined them three months later. Please try again later. The Honus Wagner Museum is part of the Historical Society of Carnegie and these two museum spaces are housed within the same building in downtown Carnegie, . 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). He never was a hold-out. Wagner was nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. That same year, he was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team by the oversight committee, after losing out in the popular vote to Cal Ripken Jr. and Ernie Banks. Best Online Sports Books Reviews: How To Find The Right One. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world. Many of Wagner's descendants are also from the Pittsburgh suburb, including his nephew, Bill Gallagher, and niece, Marie. "I name Wagner first on my list, not only because he was a great batting champion and base-runner, and also baseball's foremost shortstop - but because Honus could have been first at any other position, with the possible exception of pitcher. An outgrowth of baseball greatness is of course baseball card greatness, and in . The Knife in Ty Cobb's Back | History| Smithsonian Magazine 548549. He retired on a Pirate pension in 1951 and two years later the locker he had used as a player and coach was shipped to the baseball shrine at Cooperstown, N.Y. At the turn of the century the bat-manufacturing concern of Hillerich & Bradsby conceived the idea of having major league ball players endorse their product with the players autographing their particular models, Mr. Wagner was the first to have his autograph appear on one of these bats. Tommy Morrison burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1988. update=copyright.getFullYear(); Oops, we were unable to send the email. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He hit exactly .300 in 1913, the last time he would reach that level. He managed and played for a semi-pro team. Honus Wagner Quotes. He led the league in stolen bases and had 722 steals on his career. The runner was out by two or three steps. Another highlight of the visit is the chance to hold a 1910s era Honus Wagner brand bat that is said to be game-used. 1918, stillborn), Betty Baine (19191992), and Virginia Mae (19221985).[7]. Also known as: Flying Dutchman, John Peter Wagner. Wagner lived the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a friendly figure around town. $1000/month annualized, Honus Wagner, p. 272:10000, 2/24/17 SL: $8,000. 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. Mr. Wagner was born in Carnegie, Pa., on Feb. 24, 1874. As well as the best base runner. When the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class in 1936, he received more votes than any other player, including Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Christy Matthewson and Honus Wagner . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Runs were harder to come by in his time than any other. Baseball, Famous Baseball, Greatest Baseball. Note that mlb.com's Total Bases do not correspond to the number of hits, 2B, 3B, and HR listed. About 25,000 were on hand to witness the pair of contests.3 In the opener, Wagner had two singles, a double, and a stolen base, and he scored two of his . The same card had been previously auctioned for $657,250 in 2014 and $776,750 in 2016. Thats 80 years of history that they know very little about. Wagner himself was not at full strength and hit only .222 for the series. _____________________________ Ranked Among the Immortals He repeated the feat in 1902, 1907, and 1909. Brunauer Press, 2008. That is way too low. His play at Patterson attracted the attention of the Louisville club, then a member of the National League and operated by Mr. Dreyfuss, Louisville purchased Mr. Wagner's release for $2,200 and he began his major league career with the Colonels in 1897, winning a regular position at the start. But the Cobb-Wagner rivalry was one of the best all-time. TOP 7 QUOTES BY HONUS WAGNER | A-Z Quotes Wagner won the 1911 batting title by the narrowest of margins. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. [35] The Wagner cards in particular advertised the Piedmont and Sweet Caporal brands of cigarettes and were produced at Factory 25 in Virginia, as indicated by the factory stamp imprinted on the back of the cards.[36]. Wagner was born just outside of Pittsburg and given the name Johannes Peter Wagner by his German parents. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link: Top 9 Biggest Potential Draft Busts in the 2023 NFL Draft, Top 10 Biggest NFL draft busts of all time. Top 10 Baltimore Orioles of all time: Ripken at Number One? On the occasion of his eightieth birthday in 1954, he was deluged with greetings, one of them from President Eisenhower. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. So many modern fans and sports experts only know sports from their memory or from the video available. Wagner went on to lead the NL in batting average seven more times, and he hit at least .330 in each season between 1899 and 1909. The card is the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, which was once owned by Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky and most recently sold for $2.8 million to Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick. Whereas Wagner, with his unassuming ways, quiet dignity and homespun humility endeared him to the baseball community. About Honus Wagner. They participated in the first modern World Series in 1903 (they lost), came back to play Ty Cobbs Detroit Tigers in 1909 (they won). The Honus Wagner Museum is part of the Historical Society of Carnegie and these two museum spaces are housed within the same building in downtown Carnegie, a suburb of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. A T206 Wagner Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million, which includes a 20% buyer's premium, early Monday morning, shattering the record for highest-selling sports card of all time. Mr. Wagner was an immediate success at Steubenville and the next year advanced to the Paterson, N.J. club of the old Atlantic League. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times. He was the best offensively, on the bases and defensively in the League. This account has been disabled. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Failed to report flower. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? 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.. A bronze statue of Mr. Wagner was unveiled in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh on April 30 of this year. He notes that the league ERA of 2.35 was the lowest of the dead-ball era and about half of the ERAs of modern baseball. Wagner played 21 seasons, primarily with his hometown team the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was the total package. But it needs to be shared here or we would be leaving out part of the aura of the two players. }, Cronkite School at ASU Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. He starred as a sports hero in 1919's Spring Fever with Moe Howard and Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges,[26] and has been depicted as the subject of The Winning Season (2004) and in a brief scene in Cobb (1994). 555 N. Central Ave. #416 He led the National League seven times at bat and he was always up with the leaders when he was in his forties. The current owner rents space to tenants, one of whom was home with his. He led the National League eight times, 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1911. Wagner would continue to be a great player until 1915. It was at this position that Mr. Wagner performed for the greater part of his twenty-one consecutive years of major league service, from 1897 through 1917. Honus Wagner - Wikipedia While you shouldnt come expecting a collection of game-used items from Wagner, the chance to see a few of his personal belongings, learn more about his life, and to uncover the history of an Allegheny County community make this a neat spot to check out if youre in the area. You're awesome for doing it! Copyright 1999- He had 201 hits, including 39 doubles, 19 triples and ten home runs. Wagner was rated 10th. A life-size statue of Wagner swinging a bat, atop a marble pedestal featuring admiring children, was forged by a local sculptor named Frank Vittor, and placed outside the left-field corner gate at Forbes Field. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Successful Sports Betting Tips, Arky Vaughan (39) 1935 & Robin Yount (39) 1982. 1917-09-17 Honus Wagner, retires at 43, Pirates retire his #33. 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. Vaughn played in the high run 1930s, so he matches up well. Bill James says that Wagner is easily the greatest shortstop of all time, noting that the difference between Wagner and the second greatest shortstop, in James' estimation Arky Vaughan, is roughly the same as the gulf between Vaughan and the 20th greatest shortstop. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. I just let my bat speak for me in the summertime. A Honus Wagner baseball card, the most famous and among the rarest sports trading cards in the world, sold at auction Monday morning for a record $6.6 million. "[42], On April 20, 2012, a New Jersey resident purchased a VG-3 graded T206 Wagner card for more than $1.2 million. The Flying Dutchman, Pittsburg's finest, Honus Wagner. He returned to the Pirates early in the 1908 season, and finished two home runs short of the league's Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (for the sixth time) hits total bases doubles triples RBI and stolen bases. He certainly did not look to be a good athlete. ESPN in the late 1990s ran a series listing the 100 greatest baseball players of the 20thcentury. Following the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. 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). Now Clarke and Willis are legitimate Hall of Fame selections, but were they equal to Gehrig, Dickey, and DiMaggio? 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]. The character Mr. Burns lists three ringers he wants for his company's baseball team, but they are Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, and "Mordecai 'Three Fingers' Brown". Wagner was born just . The Greatest Short Stop of All-Time is now mainly remembered for his baseball card, which is the most expensive. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Wagners total of 252 triples is the greatest ever attained by an NL player. He would stand beside Cobb, Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth. Sorry! Honus Wagner, a Family History Researcher and Baseball Nicknamed "Hans" and "The Flying Dutchman," he began his Major League career on July 19, 1897 with the soon to be defunct Louisville Colonels. Wagner also coached baseball and basketball at Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now part of Carnegie Mellon University. Weve updated the security on the site. Nevertheless, he aged exceptionally well; the three highest OPS+ seasons by any shortstop aged 35 or older belong to Wagner, and even his age-41 season ranks eighth on the list. [47], In August 2021, another example sold for $6.6 million exceeding the previous high for most valuable sports card at the time. His league record of eight batting titles was finally tied by Tony Gywnn in 1997. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Butts persuaded his manager to take a look at his younger brother. "[33] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by "card doctors" who trimmed corners and dirty edges to improve the appearance of the card. We are talking about the greatest teams ever. 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. At shortstop there is only one candidate, the immortal Honus Wagner. Remembering Honus Wagner. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 1916-07-01 Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner, at 42 and 4 months, connects at Cincinnati to become the oldest to hit an inside-the-park HR; Pirates beat Reds, 2-1. Omissions? 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. After retirement, Wagner served the Pirates as a coach for 39 years, most notably as a hitting instructor from 1933 to 1952. Wagner waited for the ball, swung his arm down and smacked Cobb across the face, taking out teeth some say. The answer to this question is clear and unarguable. Year should not be greater than current year. He would pass away in Carnegie, Pennsylvania in 1955. In 1999, 82 years after his last game and 44 years since his death, Wagner was voted Number 13 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Players, where he was again the highest-ranking shortstop. Most fans only know what ESPN or modern baseball announcers tell them, but Wulf doesnt have that excuse. Looked helpless as a robin. Now, this choice was not as outrageous as Wulfs, because this was a fan vote and Ripken was winding down on a brilliant career, but they also placed Ernie Banks second. By this time the Series had been whittled down to a best of 7 series. Thats eight or nine seasons Wagner was the best player in baseball. In 1916, Wagner became the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home run. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. This notebook contains stories of their memories of Wagner, and reading these stories is a great way to get a feel for his private life and his impact on the community. 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). If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. 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. Also, if youre going to discount Wagner because of his era, then players such as Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Eddie Collins, Tris Speaker and Babe Ruth should not be considered either since they all were active during Wagners time. [fn]"Honus Wagner for Sheriff: Famous Pirate Is Logical Candidate of Pittsburg Republicans," New York Sun, March 25, 1917. In 2010, a previously unknown copy of the card was donated to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Baltimore. That blew away the previous record . He was, however, very fast as a base runner and as a defensive player. 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. The answer is rather obvious. The Top 15 Biggest Hits in NFL History (With Video), Beckham signs with Ravens without assurance of Jackson as QB, 2023 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 - The Trades Mock, Top 10 Indiana Hoosier Football Players of all-time. Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. I would be ashamed to have my picture up now."[16]. Finally, family history researcher, the seasons are changing. Thanks for your help! #MLBRank Exploring the greatness of Honus Wagner and Lou Gehrig - ESPN The typical card in the T206 series had a width of .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+716 inches (3.7cm) and a height of 2+58 inches (6.7cm). "Honus Wagner | Society for American Baseball Research", "Honus Wagner Society for American Baseball Research", "The Tiger Woods scandal and celebrity endorsements", "Downtown Honus Wagner store has finally struck out", "National League Managers Pick 6 Cardinals for All-Star Squad; Munger and Lanier Lead Hurlers, With Walters of Reds Musial, Walker of Brooks and Nicholson Top Hitters", The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, "Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner (ESPN Films' 30 For 30 Shorts)", "Wagner A Wonder: One Player In Game Who Is Not Money Mad", Nuns cash in big on sale of Honus Wagner T-206 card Big League Stew MLB Blog Yahoo! He was the first winner of 'The World's Championship Batsman' 's Cup, in 1908, made by Welshman George "Honey Boy" Evans. In 1969, on the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, a vote was taken to honor the greatest players ever, and Wagner was selected as the all-time shortstop. That was in fielding. It took 45 years for St. Louis' Stan Musial to surpass Wagner's hit total. He retired in 1917, finishing his 21-year career with a lifetime batting average of .328 and 3,420 hits. Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members.

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