Wagner and Cobb would go hunting that off-season in Georgia. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. "[33] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by "card doctors" who trimmed corners and dirty edges to improve the appearance of the card. Honus Wagner's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Feb 24, 1874 Death Date December 6, 1955 Age of Death 81 years Cause of Death N/A Profession Baseball Player The baseball player Honus Wagner died at the age of 81. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 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. In 1999 the fans voted for the All-Century Team, their Shortstop again was Cal Ripken. Wagner lived the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a friendly figure around town. ESPN in the late 1990s ran a series listing the 100 greatest baseball players of the 20thcentury. He led in almost every significant category through those years. It now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park. One of the sad things about sports commentary now is a lack of historical perspective. Honus Wagner Obituary - Baseball Almanac He repeated the feat in 1902, 1907, and 1909. Bet with your head, not over it. 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). Interestingly, Wagner was a lifetime resident of the town, and the museum also sits less than 100 yards from where Wagner was born in 1874, though that building is no longer standing. The Greatest Short Stop of All-Time is now mainly remembered for his baseball card, which is the most expensive. The portion of the museum dedicated to Honus Wagner is located in a single room off to the side of the main space. [41], A near mint-mint condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Wagner, agile though massively built, excelled at fielding; he also led the National League five times in stolen bases. 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. And the question of the greatest shortstop of all time is a clear example of that. Wagner was a resident of Carnegie (his house sits less than half a mile away from the museum) so the town is a logical spot to have a small museum in his honor. But its expensive because it is rare and because he is that good. He played all over the field for his first few seasons until the acquisition of Tommy Leach who convinced him to play Shortstop so Leach could play 3rdkept him in the middle of the infield the rest of his career. Honus Wagner Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Honus Wagner Stats Honus Wagner was born on Tuesday, February 24, 1874, in Chartiers, Pennsylvania. 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. The bronze statue of Honus Wagner swinging a bat mentioned in the final paragraph was forged by a sculptor named Frank Vittor, and placed outside the left field corner gate at Forbes Field. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. The move to the Pittsburgh Pirates signified Wagner's emergence as a premier hitter. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. cemeteries found in Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. 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 . Whats that player worth? Wagner would get redemption. Rare Honus Wagner baseball card sells for record $6.6 million at - CNN In all my career, I never saw such a versatile player." 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. I hear other players say they have a cold. Returning in June, he was spiked in July and played only sparingly for the remainder of the year, batting .265. Resend Activation Email. Brunauer Press, 2008. He led the National League eight times, 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1911. This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. He was well-known to people in the community, including many that still have memories of their interactions with him as children. When I was a boy growing up in Kansas, a friend of mine and I went fishing and as we sat there on the warmth of a summer afternoon we talked about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I don't make speeches. He only stood 511 and weighed about 200 lbs. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 The 1909 World Series that pitted the two giants against each other would not disappoint. Honus Wagner, byname of John Peter Wagner, also called the Flying Dutchman, (born Feb. 24, 1874, Mansfield [now Carnegie], Pa., U.S.died Dec. 6, 1955, Carnegie, Pa.), American professional baseball player, one of the first five men elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (1936). I dont even know what it means to be sick. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Search above to list available cemeteries. NBA Playoff Preview: Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns Series Preview and Prediction! To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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. 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. Some cards were awkwardly shaped or irregularly sized, which prompted a belief that many of the cards in the series had been altered at one point or another. He was, however, very fast as a base runner and as a defensive player. [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]. Mathewson felt that the only way to keep Wagner from hitting was not to pitch to him.[28]. Honus Wagner AKA John Peter Wagner Born: 24-Feb - 1874 Birthplace: Carnegie, PA Died: 6-Dec - 1955 Location of death: Carnegie, PA Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Buried, Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, Pleasant Hills, PA Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Baseball Nationality: United States He had a lifetime mark of .328, hit more than .300 in seventeen consecutive seasons. The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even traveled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. Also known as: Flying Dutchman, John Peter Wagner. But the Cobb-Wagner rivalry was one of the best all-time. 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). Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The reason for this is that of all the positions on a baseball field this has the clearest answer, but you really have to know the history of baseball to get the correct answer. 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. A rookie battery. Wagner would outplay Cobb, going .333 on the series to Cobbs .231. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. You can also take a short drive to visit the grave of Honus Wagner in Jefferson Memorial Park in Pleasant Hills. Wagner was nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage. Top 12 Greatest Home Runs in MLB History! We have set your language to 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. About Honus Wagner. Try again later. Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (/hns wnr/ HON-s WAG-nr; February 24, 1874 December 6, 1955[1]), 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. He scored 100 runs and drove in 109. 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. 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 following story is probably false. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. [30] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. He was 81 years old. 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.) GREAT NEWS! The Pirates were in contention into August, but an ankle injury sidelined Wagner for 25 games and the team slid from the race. He was the best offensively, on the bases and defensively in the League. 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. "Pitching in a Pinch." 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. The 1920-1929 Yankees had Hall of Famers; Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earl Combs, pitchers Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock. Primary salary data ( about) courtesy Doug Pappas, and the Society for American Baseball Research. Finally, family history researcher, the seasons are changing. The card came with Sister Virginia Muller's brother's handwritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century! He retired as the NL's all-time hit leader, with 3,430. 2023 Mock Draft 2.0: Four QB'S to go in the Top 10? Here is all you want to know, and more! thegruelingtruth.com is available in the following countries: The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. Visiting the Honus Wagner Museum at the Historical Society of Carnegie [fn]"Honus Wagner for Sheriff: Famous Pirate Is Logical Candidate of Pittsburg Republicans," New York Sun, March 25, 1917. For comparisons; Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were teammates for ten years (1925-1934), they won four pennants (1926, 1927, 1928, 1932) and three World Series (1927,1928,1932). In his final season he was made manager of the team, but the task was not to his liking and he gave it up after less than a week. 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. 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). 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. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He would retire the following season after an unsuccessful attempt at Managing his beloved Pirates. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. 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. But Honus could more than out-field all of them. [23], The Pirates hosted the 1944 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Forbes Field. He only led in one category and that was his 6 errors on the series. The shortstop remained with the Pirates until he retired from active play in 1917 at the age of 43. You're awesome for doing it! Bill James is the most knowledgeable person on baseball I know. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Thats better than the 1920s Yankees, the 1940s Cardinals, the 1950s Yankees, the 1970s Reds, or the 1990s Yankees. 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. Honus Wagner was the most beloved man in baseball before Babe Ruth. 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. Try again. Mr. Wagner was born in Carnegie, Pa., on Feb. 24, 1874. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. Baseball, Famous Baseball, Greatest Baseball. Honus had his last big seasons in 1911 and 1912, winning his final batting title in 1911 and finishing second in the league in RBIs the next year. Wagner is honored in the form of a small stadium residing behind Carnegie Elementary School on Washington Avenue in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.