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In {{by|1904}}, a major change occurred in Wagner's life. That season would be the first in which he primarily played shortstop. In prior years, Wagner had played several positions, never really having a permanent home. After the {{by|1907}} season, Wagner retired. Starting to panic, Barney Dreyfuss offered him 10,000 dollars, making him the highest paid players for many years. It is debatable whether Wagner actually meant to retire, or if he just wanted a raise in salary.
In {{by|1904}}, a major change occurred in Wagner's life. That season would be the first in which he primarily played shortstop. In prior years, Wagner had played several positions, never really having a permanent home. After the {{by|1907}} season, Wagner retired. Starting to panic, Barney Dreyfuss offered him 10,000 dollars, making him the highest paid players for many years. It is debatable whether Wagner actually meant to retire, or if he just wanted a raise in salary.


Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in {{by|1909}}. The Pirates faced off against [[Ty Cobb]]'s [[Detroit Tigers]], which would be the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day. Wagner was by this time 35 years old, while Cobb a mere 22. This time Wagner would not be stiffled as he would outhit Cobb, .333 to .231, and [[stolen base|stole]] six bases, which established a new Series record. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but [[Silk O'Loughlin]], the [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]], overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up. He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.' ."<ref name=williams>{{cite book | last=Williams | first=Joe | title=The Joe Williams Baseball Reader | publisher=Algonquin Books | year=1989 | pages=205 pgs | isbn=0945575076 }}</ref>
[[Image:HONUS_WAGNER_LOCKER.JPG|thumb|right|Honus Wagner's locker on display at the Hall of Fame]]Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in {{by|1909}}. The Pirates faced off against [[Ty Cobb]]'s [[Detroit Tigers]], which would be the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day. Wagner was by this time 35 years old, while Cobb a mere 22. This time Wagner would not be stiffled as he would outhit Cobb, .333 to .231, and [[stolen base|stole]] six bases, which established a new Series record. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but [[Silk O'Loughlin]], the [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]], overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up. He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.' ."<ref name=williams>{{cite book | last=Williams | first=Joe | title=The Joe Williams Baseball Reader | publisher=Algonquin Books | year=1989 | pages=205 pgs | isbn=0945575076 }}</ref>


There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second; Wagner placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words. 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. The Pirates won the series 4 games to 3 behind the pitching of [[Babe Adams]], thereby vindicating Wagner and the Pittsburgh team.
There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second; Wagner placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words. 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. The Pirates won the series 4 games to 3 behind the pitching of [[Babe Adams]], thereby vindicating Wagner and the Pittsburgh team.

Revision as of 01:28, 1 October 2008

Template:Infobox MLB retired Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (Template:PronEng; February 24 1874 – December 6 1955[1] ), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage, was an American Major League Baseball shortstop who played in the National League from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members, receiving the second-highest vote total behind Ty Cobb and tied with Babe Ruth. Although Cobb is frequently cited as the greatest player of the dead-ball era, some contemporaries regarded Wagner as the better all-around player, and most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop ever. Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond".[2]

Early Life

Wagner was born to German immigrants Peter and Katheryn Wagner in the Chartiers neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is now a part of the borough of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.[3]

Wagner was one of nine children, although only five lived past childhood. As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which would later evolve into Honus. "Hans" was also an alternate nickname during his major league career. Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. In their free time, he and his brothers played sandlot baseball and developed their skills to such an extent that three of his brothers would go on to become professionals, as well.[citation needed]

Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major league career himself, is often credited for getting Honus his first tryout. Following after his brother, Honus trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball.[citation needed]

In 1916, Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, and the couple went on to have three daughters, Elva Katrina (born 1918), Betty Baine (born 1919), and Virginia Mae (born 1922).[citation needed]

Professional career

Career before Major League Baseball

Honus' brother Albert "Butts" Wagner was considered the ballplayer of the family. Albert suggested Honus in 1895 when his Inter-State League team was in need of help. In his first year, Honus played for five teams. Edward Barrow of the Atlantic League liked what he saw in Wagner, and, in 1896, he signed him. In 1896, Wagner hit .313. The next year, Honus hit .375 in 74 games played. Edward Barrow would become Honus' bridge to the Major Leagues.

Louisville Colonels

Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games.

By his second season, Wagner was already one of the best hitters in the National League although he would come up short a percentage point from finishing the season at .300. After the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. Along with Wagner, owner Barney Dreyfuss took many of his other top players with him to Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The move to the Pittsburgh Pirates would signify Wagner's emergence as a hitter. In 1900, Wagner won his first batting championship with a .381 mark and also led the league in doubles (45), triples (22), and slugging percentage (.573), all of which were career highs. For the next couple of seasons, Wagner's average did not fall below .330.

Honus Wagner in 1911

In 1901, the American League began to sign National League players, creating a bidding war, decimating the league. Wagner was offered a $20,000 contract by the Chicago White Sox, but instead turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates.

In 1903, the Pirates played the Boston Americans in Major League Baseball's inaugural World Series. Wagner, by this point, was an established star and much was expected of him, especially since the Pirates' starting rotation was decimated by injury. Wagner himself was not at full strength and hit only .222 for the series. The Americans, meanwhile, had some particularly rowdy fans, called the "Royal Rooters" who, whenever Wagner came to bat, would sing "Honus, Honus, why do you hit so badly?" to the tune of "Tessie", a popular song of the day. The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even travelled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. 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 baseman-manager Jimmy Collins. Christy Mathewson, in his book "Pitching in a Pinch" wrote: "For some time after "Hans" Wagner's poor showing in the world's series of 1903... it was reported that he was "yellow" (poor in the clutch). This grieved the Dutchman deeply, for I don't know a ball player in either league who would assay less quit to the ton than Wagner... This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career. Notwithstanding his stolid appearance, he is a sensitive player, and this has hurt him more than anything else in his life ever has."[4]

In 1904, a major change occurred in Wagner's life. That season would be the first in which he primarily played shortstop. In prior years, Wagner had played several positions, never really having a permanent home. After the 1907 season, Wagner retired. Starting to panic, Barney Dreyfuss offered him 10,000 dollars, making him the highest paid players for many years. It is debatable whether Wagner actually meant to retire, or if he just wanted a raise in salary.

Honus Wagner's locker on display at the Hall of Fame

Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in 1909. The Pirates faced off against Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers, which would be the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day. Wagner was by this time 35 years old, while Cobb a mere 22. This time Wagner would not be stiffled as he would outhit Cobb, .333 to .231, and stole six bases, which established a new Series record. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but Silk O'Loughlin, the umpire, overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up. He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.' ."[5]

There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second; Wagner placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words. 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. The Pirates won the series 4 games to 3 behind the pitching of Babe Adams, thereby vindicating Wagner and the Pittsburgh team.

The following year, however, would not be as great as 1909. Honus' average fell to .320, his lowest average since 1898. On June 14th, 1914, at age 40, Wagner recorded his 3,000th hit. Besides that highlight, Wagner and Pirates were on a decline. Wagner only hit .252 in 1914. It proved to be Wagner's lowest batting average for a season.

In 1917, Wagner returned for his final season. He hit .265, and was given the role of interim manager, but after going 1-4, Wagner told Dreyfuss the job wasn't for him.

Wagner has been considered one of the very best all-around players to ever play baseball since the day he retired in 1917. Famed "sabermatician" Bill James rates him as the second best player of all-time, right behind Babe Ruth.[6] Statisticians John Thorn and Pete Palmer rate Wagner as ninth all-time in their "Total Player Ranking".[7] 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.[8]

Life after baseball

Wagner served as the Pirates' manager briefly in 1917, but resigned the position after only 5 games. He returned to the Pirates as a coach, most notably as a hitting instructor from 1933 to 1952. Arky Vaughan, Kiki Cuyler, Ralph Kiner, and player-manager from 1934–1939 Pie Traynor, all future Hall of Famers, were notable "pupils" of Wagner. During this time, he wore uniform number 14, but later changed it to his more famous 33, which was later retired for him. His entire playing career was in the days before uniform numbers were worn. His appearances at National League stadiums during his coaching years were always well received and Hans remained a beloved ambassador of baseball.

In 1928, Wagner ran for sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania but lost. He was made deputy county sheriff in 1942. He also ran a well-known sporting goods company. In fact, a sporting goods store bearing the name "Honus Wagner" still operates in downtown Pittsburgh.

Wagner lived out the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well-known as a friendly figure around town. He died on December 6 1955 at the age of 81, and he is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh.

Baseball Legacy

Wagner statue at
PNC Park
  • When the Baseball Hall of Fame held its first election in 1936, Wagner tied for second in the voting with Babe Ruth, trailing Cobb. 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. In 1999, despite 82 years having passed since his last game and 44 years since his death, Wagner was voted Number 13 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Players, making him still the highest-ranking shortstop. 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.[9]
  • "A stirring march and two step," titled "Husky Hans", and "respectfully dedicated to Hans Wagner, Three time Champion Batsman of The National League" was written by William J. Hartz in 1904.
  • Famed baseball historian and author Bill James lists Wagner as the second greatest player of all time behind Babe Ruth. He also goes on to say that he is easily the greatest shortstop of all time noting that the difference between Wagner and the second greatest shortstop (in his estimation Arky Vaughan) is roughly the same as the gulf between Vaughan and the 20th greatest shortstop.
  • 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. It was dedicated on April 30 1955, and the then-frail Wagner was well enough to attend and wave to his many fans. The Pirates have relocated twice since then, and the statue has come along with them. It now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park. The statue roughly faces the site of the Pirates' original home, Exposition Park, so in a sense Wagner has come full circle.
  • Wagner is also honored in the form of a small stadium residing behind Carnegie Elementary School on Washington Avenue in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. The stadium serves as the home field for Carlynton High School varsity sports.
  • In 2000, Honus Wagner was honored with a U.S. postage stamp. The stamp was issued as part of a "Legends of Baseball" series that honored twenty all-time greats in conjunction with MLB's All Century team.
Lineup for Yesterday

W is for Wagner,
The bowlegged beauty;
Short was closed to all traffic
With Honus on duty.

— Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[10]

Wagner is mentioned in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:

T206 Baseball card

Main article: T206 Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner card

The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is a rare baseball card depicting Honus Wagner.[11] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 50 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. 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 in the world at the time.

The American Tobacco Company was formed as a result of an 1889 merger of five major cigarette manufacturers—W. Duke & Sons & Company, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, F. S. Kinney Company and William S. Kimball & Company. Because the company came to monopolize the tobacco industry, ATC did not have to conduct advertising or promotions for its products. Since baseball cards were primarily used as a sales promotion, ATC removed them from its tobacco packs, almost driving the cards into obsolescence.[12] During the presidency of trust-buster Theodore Roosevelt, the ATC was subjected to legal action from the government, in hopes of shutting down the monopoly in the industry.[12]

The typical card in the T206 series had a width of 1 7/16 inches (3.65 cm) and a height of 2 5/8 inches (6.67 cm). 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. In his work Inside T206: A Collector Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set, Scot A. Reader wrote that "[i]t is not at all uncommon to find T206 examples that have been altered at some point during their near-century of existence."[13] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by "card doctors" who trimmed corners and dirty edges to improve the appearance of the card. The front of all T206 series cards, including the Wagner card, displayed a lithograph of the player[14] created by a multi-stage printing process in which a number of colors were printed on top of each other to create a lithograph with the appropriate design. The backs of the cards featured the monochromatic colors of the 16 tobacco brands for which the cards were printed.[15] 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.[16]

Starting from January 1909, the ATC sought authorization from baseball players for inclusion in the T206 series, which would feature 524 major league players, 76 of whom would later be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[17][18] Wagner had been at the top of his game throughout the decade, and was even considered to be the game's greatest player at the time.[19] He had appeared on advertisements for a number of other products such as chewing gum, gunpowder and soft drinks. Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. According to an October 12 1912, issue of The Sporting News, Wagner did not give his consent to appear on the baseball card. In response to the authorization request letter sent by John Gruber, a Pittsburgh sportswriter hired by the ATC to seek Wagner's permission, Wagner wrote that he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes." He threatened to seek legal action against ATC if they went ahead and created his baseball card.[20]

Statistics

Career statistics:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Honus Wagner". infoplease.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Cobb, Ty (1993). My Life in Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 283 pgs. ISBN 0803263597.
  3. ^ "Hall of Fame profile". baseballhalloffame.org. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  4. ^ Mathewson, Christy (2008). Pitching In A Pinch. Read Books. pp. 324 pgs. ISBN 1408691027.
  5. ^ Williams, Joe (1989). The Joe Williams Baseball Reader. Algonquin Books. pp. 205 pgs. ISBN 0945575076.
  6. ^ Bill James (1988). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Villard. p. 448.
  7. ^ Thorn, John (1997). Total Baseball. Penguin USA. pp. 2464 pgs. ISBN 0670875112.
  8. ^ Bill James (1988). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Villard. p. 157.
  9. ^ "All Century Team". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  10. ^ "Line-Up For Yesterday by Ogden Nash". Ogden Nash. Sport Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. p358. ISBN 0-684-80697-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help) James, one of baseball's premier historians and statisticians, ranked Wagner as the second-best player of all time, behind Babe Ruth. Wagner was also selected the shortstop on the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997, and was one of three shortstops named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
  12. ^ a b O'Keeffe, Michael (2007). The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card. New York: HarperCollins. pp. p32. ISBN 0-06-112392-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Reader, Scot A. (2006). Inside T206: A Collector's Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set (PDF) (3rd edition ed.). pp. p13. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
  14. ^ Reader, p11.
  15. ^ Reader, p12.
  16. ^ Reader, p45.
  17. ^ Reader, p9.
  18. ^ Wong, Stephen (2005). Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections. New York, New York: HarperCollins. pp. p66. ISBN 0-06-083851-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  19. ^ James, p132.
  20. ^ Davis, Ralph S. (1912-10-12). "Wagner A Wonder: One Player In Game Who Is Not Money Mad" (PDF). The Sporting News. Retrieved 2007-10-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Bibliography

  • Hall of Fame Network: "Honus Wagner as Mona Lisa" http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/1038/30/
  • Honus Wagner: A Biography, by Dennis DeValeria and Jeanne Burke DeValeria, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1995.
  • Hittner, Arthur D. Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's "Flying Dutchman." Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996 and 2003 (softcover). Winner of the 1996 Seymour Medal, awarded by the Society for American Baseball Research.
  • Honus and Me by Dan Gutman



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