Baseball players get very attached to their numbers. John Lackey has been number 41 for all but one season of his career -- in 2010 with the Red Sox -- and didn't want to go through that again now that he's on the Cardinals. It appears he worked out a deal with reliever Pat Neshek, but the price was steep.
John Lackey traded a signed Babe Ruth baseball for his old number back
That’s expensive for a number! Unless it’s a sinister and genius plan.
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Huge Thanks to John Lackey for the incredible gift for changing my uni # pic.twitter.com/SFnuTh2d7x
— Pat Neshek (@PatNeshek) August 20, 2014 That’s a signed Babe Ruth baseball complete with a letter of authenticity... unless the letter itself is inauthentic (million dollar idea: letters of authenticity to confirm the authenticity of letters of authenticity) which would make John Lackey a huge jerk/fantastic negotiator willing to trample his new friends to get what he wants. Next time he changes teams, if he trades another Babe Ruth autograph to get number 41 back, we’ll know something is awry.
