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5 unusual facts about Honus Wagner


Cecil Travis

His career batting average of .314 is a record for AL shortstops, and ranks third among all shortstops behind Honus Wagner (.327) and Arky Vaughan (.318).

John Henry Lloyd

Lloyd was also a renowned shortstop, ranked by most experts as second only to Dick Lundy among black shortstops before integration, and was referred to as the "Black Wagner," a reference to Pittsburgh Pirates Hall-of-Famer Honus Wagner.

Ken Kendrick

Kendrick is the owner of the legendary T-206 Honus Wagner baseball card once owned by Wayne Gretzky, considered the most valuable trading card in the world.

Riverside Park, Dawson Springs

Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, who trained on this field for 3 years, organized a team of local young boys known as "Honus Wagners' Young Recruits." Babe Ruth, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Casey Stengel, and Ty Cobb also played baseball in Dawson Springs.

Royal Rooters

The Royal Rooters would go to Pittsburgh and sing Tessie to distract the opposing players, especially Honus Wagner.


1899 Louisville Colonels season

Many star players, including several Hall of Famers, of the first decade of the 20th Century came from the 1899 Louisville squad including Clarke, Honus Wagner, Rube Waddell, Deacon Phillippe, Tommy Leach and Claude Ritchey.

Arky Vaughan

In his New Historical Baseball Abstract, published in 2001, Bill James claimed that Vaughan is the second-best shortstop in major league history, behind fellow Pirate and mentor Honus Wagner.


see also

1903 World Series

Much was made of the influence of Boston's "Royal Rooters", who traveled to Pittsburgh and sang their theme song "Tessie" to distract the opposing players (especially Honus Wagner).

Tommy Leach

-- recanted or recounted? --> to Lawrence Ritter, is the Boston Royal Rooters constant chanting of the popular song "Tessie" threw Honus Wagner off his game, though it is more likely that Wagner played hurt during the series.