Honus and Me

Baseball is central to the novel. Through the game, Joe grows, matures, and finds purpose. The story demonstrates how sports inspire individuals and connect people across generations and time.

For Joe, baseball is a pivotal part of his identity. He knows everything about the game’s history, and has a passion for collecting baseball cards: “I may not have been a great hitter, but I knew more about cards than any kid around” (13). Joe’s magical connection to baseball cards is not just a feeling of awe, but literally magical, as he feels a strange tingling sensation when he touches them. For Joe, who struggles with family issues, teasing, and low self-esteem, baseball offers an escape and a way to cope with life’s difficulties. Challenges, such as Miss Young tearing up the Honus Wagner card, do not derail him from his passion. As he reveals: “I got over it. Soon I was haunting the baseball-card stores again” (89). His love for baseball and baseball cards is too strong to be diminished.

Baseball is not only important to Joe for the game itself but for the mentorship it provides in the form of Honus Wagner. Wagner becomes a role model for him.