Horsehide, Heroes & Goats

Heroes & Goats

Honus Wagner was one of the original five players inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936. The other four (Ty Cobb,
Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth) certainly knew how to play the game, but in terms of total skills, Wagner takes a back seat to none of them. Over the course of his 21-year career, 1897-1917, he played shortstop, outfield, first, second, and third. When he retired, he was the all-time leader in total bases and steals, having led the league regularly in batting average, doubles, triples, runs batted in, and stolen bases. Some baseball cards referred to him as Hans or John. But the press accurately dubbed him "The Flying Dutchman". In his Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James ranks Wagner second only to Ruth in both peak and career value. This particular Honus Wagner card is from a 1951 Topps set depicting Connie Mack's All Time All Stars.

Joe Dimaggio

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955, he got his start in San Francisco, where he played centerfield for the Seals of the old Pacific Coast League. But in New York he became "The Yankee Clipper". Joltin' Joe Dimaggio. He had a 56-game hitting streak in 1941. He was everybody's hero because he played the game with style and grace. Did I mention he married Marilyn Monroe?

Ted Williams

Ted Williams refused to sit out the final day of the 1941 season to protect his league-leading batting average.
Instead he up and went six for eight in a season-ending doubleheader to finish the year at .406, a mark that hasn't been topped since. He won the tripple crown in 1942, did it again in 1947, then lost it by a fraction in 1949 as the Red Sox lost the pennant on the last day of the season. Hitting the last of his 521 homeruns in his final at bat at Fenway Park, he retired in 1960 with a lifetime .344 batting, average. He might have done a little more, but he missed the better part of five seasons flying combat missions for the Marines in World War 2 and Korea. The Splendid Splinter was one tough stick.