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Don’t need an umpire to call this one.
The Baltimore School Sisters of Notre Dame have scored big with their sale of a rare Honus Wagner baseball card to the current highest bidder – Philadelphia cardiologist, Dr. Nicholas DePace. DePace, a Catholic, became the winning bidder after the original one failed to meet the payment deadline. Although DePace at first balked at the $220,000 “price tag,” he is now delighted that the nuns will be using this money to support their international schools and ministries.
Honus Wagner might have been delighted, as well. Within the historical accounts of this baseball card are anecdotes about Wagner’s social consciousness. After the T206 Honus Wagner cards were first issued by the American Tobacco Company from 1909 to 1911, Wagner put a halt to their production. Some say it was because he didn’t get enough compensation from the tobacco company. Others say it was because he didn’t want youngsters buying cigarettes in order to get this card. Perhaps a little of both…
According to Scholastic, Honus Wagner was dubbed “immortal” by none other than Babe Ruth himself. Ruth went on to explain that Wagner was “head and shoulders above anyone else” as a shortstop. That sort of gumption was evident early on. When Honus was only twelve, he dropped out of school in order to help his father and brothers mine coal. During whatever precious free time they had, Honus and his family would play sandlot ball. Incredibly, three of his brothers also went on to play professionally.
Wagner has been honored in many ways. He’s on a U. S. postage stamp. He’s been described in an Ogden Nash poem. A stadium in his home town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania bears his name. He’s the inspiration behind a William Hartz march.
His legacy is now blossoming once again – thanks to this unlikely "marriage" of nuns and baseball.
Copyright December 22, 2010 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
Research
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Catholic-nuns-sell-Honus-Wagner-card-for-262000-15092916?GT1=39002
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honus_Wagner#cite_note-3
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