Ted Williams painting by Norman Rockwell sold for $22.6 million

Norman Rockwell’s painting of Ted Williams called “The Rookie” was recently auctioned off and one lucky person got to take the painting home for a cool $22.6 million, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

Bill Speros of the Obnoxious Boston Fan blog on Boston.com has a photo of the painting and describes it here:

"The painting appeared on the March 2, 1957 cover of the Saturday Evening Post. In it, Williams [standing in the background with a tilted cap] looms over; White, a catcher, [lower left]; Sullivan, a pitcher, [No. 18] on the bench next to Jensen, an outfielder; and Goodman, who played primarily second and third base, at far right, trying to hold back a smirk.“The Rookie,” labeled “John J. Anonymous” by Rockwell, was actually Pittsfield, Mass., high school athlete Sherman Safford, who was asked to model for Rockwell. Not surprisingly, the only player who did not pose for the painting was Williams. Rockwell had to rely on baseball cards for the details of his face, the museum said.Bill Speros – Obnoxious Boston Fan"

Ted Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. He held a career .344 batting average over 19 seasons. He spent his entire playing career with the Boston Red Sox.