If it wasn't for Babe Ruth, baseball may have been a passing phase.

[the other mike]

In the 1920's, Babe Ruth was so popular he filled up ball parks with fans
coming from miles around just to see him play and hopefully knock one out .
In 1923 they built Yankee Stadium just for him ( the House That Ruth built....).

 

[MarathonMike]

I look at Babe Ruth and Arnold Palmer as similar figures in their respective sports. They generated so much fan interest that it propelled their games to a new level.

 

[gulfman]

Babe Ruth was out of shape,drank,smoked,and still was one of the greatest.

 

[ReinyDays]

It's said that when Babe Ruth hit his 500th career home run ... no one else had ever hit 250 ...

"The date was 23 June, 1917. Babe Ruth was the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox as he faced Ray Morgan of the Washington Senators to start the game. Ruth walked Morgan but the Babe was not happy about it, claiming that home plate umpire Brick Owens had missed two strikes during the plate appearance and said, “open your eyes and keep them open”. Owens then threatened Ruth with ejection from the game if he didn’t quiet down and go back to pitching. Ruth responded: “"You run me out and I will come in and bust you on the nose." Owens ejected him and Ruth kept his promise/threat, running up to Owens and taking two swings (first one missed; second one connected). Red Sox player/manager Jack Barry and several policemen had to drag an incensed Ruth off the field. Barry then replaced Ruth with Ernie Shore…

Morgan attempted to steal but was thrown out. Then, Shore retired the next 26 Senators hitters, but, because he didn’t start, he’s not given credit for a perfect game. The Red Sox won the game 4–0. Until MLB changed the definition of a “no-hitter” in the 1990’s, Shore’s performance was considered a “no-hit, no-run” game."

 

[bluzman61]

In the 1920's, Babe Ruth was so popular he filled up ball parks with fans
coming from miles around just to see him play and hopefully knock one out .
In 1923 they built Yankee Stadium just for him ( the House That Ruth built....).

Exactly. Babe Ruth pretty much single handedly changed the fabric of baseball. He made the home run a much more common occurrence, of course, and as you stated, made baseball a big draw and money making business wherever he played. He IS my pick as THE greatest MLB player ever.

 

[the other mike]

Exactly. Babe Ruth pretty much single handedly changed the fabric of baseball. He made the home run a much more common occurrence, of course, and as you stated, made baseball a big draw and money making business wherever he played. He IS my pick as THE greatest MLB player ever.

Maybe the greatest of any sport .
Can't really think of any comparisons ...a lot of close seconds maybe.
Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Hank Aaron....Tom Brady ( had to mention at least one white guy)

 

[Likkmee]

Troo dat ! Nigga hit dat ball so hard dem skinz got sunburn.
Whoda tunk a lebanese bro would be world class baseball player ? Ole Bae Rut...man o man.

 

[AzogtheDefiler]

Great pitcher and hitter. GOAT!!!

 

[ReinyDays]

Maybe the greatest of any sport .
Can't really think of any comparisons ...a lot of close seconds maybe.
Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Hank Aaron....Tom Brady ( had to mention at least one white guy)

The Great One ... his number 99 has been retired across the entire league ... ask Wayne Gretzky and he says he wouldn't be able to play in the NHL today, too small, too slow ...

Jerry Rice was one of the first to train year-round ... now everybody does ...

Edmund Hillary ... is mountaineering a sport? ...

 

[the other mike]

Maybe the greatest of any sport .
Can't really think of any comparisons ...a lot of close seconds maybe.
Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Hank Aaron....Tom Brady ( had to mention at least one white guy)

The Great One ... his number 99 has been retired across the entire league ... ask Wayne Gretzky and he says he wouldn't be able to play in the NHL today, too small, too slow ...

Jerry Rice was one of the first to train year-round ... now everybody does ...

Edmund Hillary ... is mountaineering a sport? ...

Gretzky- that's who I forgot . Thanks Reiny.
Maybe you're okay (for a 9/11 truth denier )

 

[the other mike]

The Great One ... his number 99 has been retired across the entire league ... ask Wayne Gretzky and he says he wouldn't be able to play in the NHL today, too small, too slow ...

Jerry Rice was one of the first to train year-round ... now everybody does ...

Edmund Hillary ... is mountaineering a sport? ...

John McEnroe sold a lot of tennis rackets.
Speaking of Johnny Mac - his brother had COVID-19

John McEnroe's brother Patrick recovers from COVID-19 at age 53

McEnroe won his only ATP singles title in 1995 at Sydney. He captured a Grand Slam doubles crown at the 1989 French Open alongside compatriot Jim Grabb

www.mid-day.com

 

[the other mike]

 

[ReinyDays]

Maybe you're okay (for a 9/11 truth denier )

In my generation, it was 11/22 ...

 

[the other mike]

Maybe you're okay (for a 9/11 truth denier )

In my generation, it was 11/22 ...

I was 2 when it happened.

 

[the other mike]

As a matter of fact I remember it. It's my oldest memory of anything, because I was at my grandparents house in Kentucky - the black and white TV was on Cronkite and my mom, my aunt Mary and my grandma were all crying- and over the years I continued to recall the moment and it just stayed there. Most things I can't remember to save my life but that's still clear in my mind.

 

[DGS49]

The thing about George Ruth was that he changed the game itself. The universal tradition was "small ball," but he made that obsolete, while at the same time changing the sport from one where only a relatively few people could understand it and enjoy it to one that anyone could enjoy.

Arnold Palmer had a similar impact on golf. Golf tournaments were too boring for most sports fans to watch on television until Arnie came along and "patented" his Sunday charge...he would be five strokes behind early on Sunday, then start running birdies, making the round into compelling television viewing. Even if he wasn't the G.O.A.T., he was the most influential until Tiger.

Wilt Chamberlain had the same impact in basketball. People didn't even care which team won; they came out to see him do superhuman things on the court. Same for Pistol Pete.

Tennis needs one of them now. The Big Three are probably better than anyone who ever played before, but none has the same impact as, say, Pete Sampras.

 

[bluzman61]

Troo dat ! Nigga hit dat ball so hard dem skinz got sunburn.
Whoda tunk a lebanese bro would be world class baseball player ? Ole Bae Rut...man o man.

He WAS dat man, mon!

 

[the other mike]

6'2",215 isn't very big by today's slugger comparisons is it ?
Then again, Hank was only 6'0" 180.

 

[bluzman61]

6'2",215 isn't very big by today's slugger comparisons is it ?
Then again, Hank was only 6'0" 180.

I have a very sneaky feeling Babe weighed MORE than 215 lbs., especially later in his career. But you're absolutely right about Aaron. He didn't look like he could generate the kind of power he did. But it's been said that his power came from the incredible strength in his wrists. The same could be said of Ernie Banks, who I think was even smaller than Aaron.

 

[bluzman61]

6'2",215 isn't very big by today's slugger comparisons is it ?
Then again, Hank was only 6'0" 180.

I have a very sneaky feeling Babe weighed MORE than 215 lbs., especially later in his career. But you're absolutely right about Aaron. He didn't look like he could generate the kind of power he did. But it's been said that his power came from the incredible strength in his wrists. The same could be said of Ernie Banks, who I think was even smaller than Aaron.

Ernie Banks was listed as 6'1"", 180 lbs., almost identical to Aaron.