Countdown To Christmas - 11 Days

The next 11 days will be exciting ones for the Countdown. A good mix of modern day and old timers. Which means yours truly will not be scanning in as many cards during this time. I could do the next 11 days with just my cards, but this would come at the expense of much more deserving players.


Paul Waner wore number 11 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Waner played 19 seasons in the major leagues, primarily with the Pirates, from 1926 through 1944. He did begin the 1945 season with the Yankees, but his final at bat was April 26. He was a 4 time All Star during his career, keeping in mind that the All Star game didn't come about until 1933. Waner played in the very first All Star game. He is a member of the 3,000 hit club, with 3,152, and his lifetime batting average of .3332 ranks him 26th best ever on the all time list (minimum of 3,000 at bats). Waner was a three time NL batting champion, and was the 1927 National League MVP. Combined with his brother Lloyd (who also played with the Pirates), the brothers Waner have more hits than any other brother combination in history (5,611), including the three Alou brothers and the three DiMaggio brothers. Waner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952. Lloyed Waner was elected to Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veteran's Committee. They are the only brother combination to have the honor of both being in the HOF.

Honorable mention goes to fellow Hall of Famers Lefty Gomez (winning pitcher of the innagural 1933 All Star game), Carl Hubbell, and Louis Aparicio. Other notable 11's include Jim Fergosi, George Bell, Barry Larkin and Jimmy Rollins.