Pittsburgh fans go to bat for Willie Stargell stamp
Stamps and baseball are two iconic traditions of American culture. But while the national pastime is in the midst of a resurgence that rivals that of football, stamps have been something of an afterthought - but not totally forgotten, as new numbers from the U.S. Postal Service indicate.
The USPS has been tracking the sales of a recent stamp collection which features four Cooperstown greats - Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Willie Stargell and Larry Doby - and recently announced the final results of its own version of the pennant race.
Willie Stargell, the Pittsburgh Pirates legend who led the team to two World Series titles, topped the list in Stamps Batted In (SBI) to win the Most Popular Player of the four baseball icons in the Major League Baseball All-Stars Forever stamp collection with more than 8.22 million total SBI. Ted Williams finished a close second with approximately 8.21 million, Dimaggio was next with 8.07 million and Doby finished fourth with 7.84 million.
The USPS sold more than 32 million stamps - including a pre-order special which netted 2.29 million stamp sales before the regular season, which kicked off on July 20 - indicating a thriving stamp market.
Businesses that celebrate the game by adorning their direct mail with the likes of "Pops," "The Yankee Clipper," "Teddy Ballgame" and Larry Doby can also use address verification software to ensure mail makes it to home safely, just like these baseball legends did so often during their careers.