Pro athletes, in many cases, are really attached to their uniform number. So, when a veteran is traded to a new team and his number is taken, tradition states that the veteran gets his number but there's typically a price attached to the exchange. The veteran will typically write the younger player a nice check, take him to dinner or give him a watch. What John Lackey did to get his coveted No. 41 was huge.

When the Abilene native, Lackey, was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals, he found that reliever Pat Neshek already donned the No. 41. So, he gave Neshek, an avid memorabilia collector, an authenticated Babe Ruth autographed baseball. Now, I'm no expert, but I'd be willing to bet that a baseball signed by, arguably, the greatest player of all-time is worth a lot more than a measly ol' watch or dinner.


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