There is a lot of debate going around about who is the best baseball player of all time. There are a lot of different answers out there. One thing is certain, though, Babe Ruth's name is always mentioned in the conversation. The slugger from the 1920's is one of the most famous athletes in the world. To this day he still holds some of the records for hitting in the MLB.
The Great Bambino was born in Baltimore, Maryland. For most of his childhood, he thought his birthday was on February 6, 1895, instead it was on February 7, 1894. Ruth was born in his grandmother’s house. His parents Kate and George Sr. had eight children, unfortunately Babe and his sister Mary were the only two that made it past infancy. Babe's upbringings weren't the worse and they weren't the best. In school, Ruth was a troublemaker, he liked to fight with other kids and quite frankly he was a bully. His parents knew that he was on the wrong path and switched him into a Catholic school at the age of seven. This is where he discovered and fell in love with the game of baseball. This was the start of a legend in the making.
Babe Ruth attended St. Mary's Catholic School. There he was coached by a man with the name of Brother Mathis. Until George Jr. was 19 he worked with Brother Mathis on all parts of his game, hitting, catching, pitching, etc. By 1914, Babe Ruth became a household name, but little did he know bigger and better things were to come. The Baltimore Orioles started coming to practices and games, and they soon offered him a contract to play for them. Babe was so young that Jack Dunn his general manager at the time, had to become Ruth's legal guardian to validate the contract.
When Ruth first became a member of the Orioles, the guys on t...
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...lete of his time he didn't take good care of himself or his body. He was an avid smoker and on August 16, 1948 the great Babe Ruth passed away of throat cancer. Today the great left handed hitter is still celebrated, he has his own memorials, museums, and
Nike even dedicated a hall in their headquarters to him. Yankee Stadium has been dubbed "The house that Ruth built", in my opinion, I think that if he was still alive, and he heard that it would've instantly put a smile on his face.
Works Cited
"Biography." Babe Ruth -. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2014. .
Macht, Norman L.. "Tough Early Years." Babe Ruth. New York: Chelsea House, 1991. . Print.
"99 Cool Facts About Babe Ruth | The Strike Zone - SI.com." The Strike Zone SIcom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2014.
The world is a very different place than what it was in the 1920’s; however, despite our differences, many things have stayed the same. No matter what, there’s always something to refer back to. Nearly one-hundred years ago, the 1920’s holds a great deal of historical events that changed the world. One of these historical events is when Babe Ruth changed the outlook on negro leagues and african american baseball players. Ruth could do many things that other people couldn’t in baseball. He in general was an amazing baseball player, but he also did something much more, something that would change the world’s views of not just him, but everybody.
But a sports writer named Tris Speaker thought that maybe he should have stayed as a pitcher when he joined the Yankees when he said this, “Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week, he might have lasted a long time and become a great star. After Babe’s first year with the Yankees, he already looked like he was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime talent. He brought so much power to the plate and so much excitement to the game, it was unreal. In his first year with the Yankees, he had a .376 batting average with a insane 54 homeruns, the most ever in a season by a player. That wasn’t the only year he set the homerun record. The next year he hit 59 homeruns, and then he hit 60 homeruns in 1927. In Nine years with the Yankees so far, Ruth as a .355 batting average and an enormous amount of homeruns with 467. Teammates have loved playing with Ruth, including one teammate Lefty Gomez, as he said this, ”No one hit homeruns the way Babe did. They were something special. They were like homing pigeons. The ball would leave the bat, pause briefly, suddenly gain its bearings then take off for the
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
Roger Clemens started his dominance of baseball in 1981 at San Jacinto junior college. That year he compiled a 9-2 record and was drafted by the New York Mets. He chose not to sign with the Mets and instead continued his college career at the University of Texas. There he again showed signs of brilliance. In two seasons at Texas he compiled a 25-7 record, was a two-time All-American, and led his team to a College World Series title. Again, Major League Baseball came calling and this time Clemens would answer.
Jackie Robinson changed baseball in America in the 1940s by breaking the segregation barrier that was bestowed on baseball. Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers negotiated a contract with Robinson that would bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. Baseball was segregated because of racial intolerance, economic factors, and other complex reasons. The major leagues would rent out their stadiums to the Negro League teams when their own team would be on the road. For example, if the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road they would rent out their stadium to the Kansas City Monarchs. Major League team owners also knew if they integrated the Majors the Negro League would lose their best players and the Negro League would be lost. Also, the Majors would lose significant revenue.
The final argument is who the greatest player is from 1910 to 1920. The better career STATS during this decade were produced by Ty Cobb. Overall he is the best baseball player in the years between 1900 and 1920. Not one other player can compare to Cobb and you can tell this from the numbers and numbers don’t lie.
The reason for this speech is truly heart breaking, Lou Gehrig was being forced to retire from baseball due to illness. In 1938, Gehrig’s batting average fell below .300 for the first time since 1925. After this it was clear that something was not right with Lou. He began to act sluggish on and off the field and during one game when he struggled to get to first to catch a simple throw from the pitcher, he knew that it was time for him to go. On May 2nd, 1939, he removed himself from the starting lineup, breaking his streak of 2,130 games played. Soon after, the doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed Lou Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) and was told that he would never be able to play baseball again; According to the official Lou Gehrig
Since then he has led his team to five world series titles and become the team captain. He is known for his good looks and quiet confidence. He is still playing shortstop for the Yankee’s today and never stops improving. More world series titles are seen in his future.
Lou Gehrig was known as a modest man and a “tireless worker,” with remarkable work habits. Gehrig was the first athlete in history to have his jersey retired. Famous number 4 was retired in 1939. Gehrig also holds the record for most grand slams in a career with 23. Gehrig was the first player in history to drive in 500 runs in three consecutive seasons. Gehrig’s farewell speech was definitely directed towards baseball fans; more specifical...
of all time. Babe had a 92 and 44 record, 67.6%, and a 2.24 career earned- run
The New York Yankees of 1927 were a high-powered machine lead by some of the greats of all time in baseball. This baseball team was composed of seven Hall of Famers, six players including: Earle Combs, George Herman (Babe Ruth), Lou Gehrig, Herb Pennock, Tony, Lazzeri, and Waite Hoyt, and their Manager, Miller Higgins. (New York Yankees Hall of Fame Register, 70) The team had a no-mercy philosophy and had a sense of confidence exceptionally high noted by Babe Ruth: "It was murder, we never even worried five or six runs behind. Wham! Wham! Wham! And wham! No matter who was pitching." The 1920's were an "economic boom for Americans. Now people had more time on their hands with the inventions such as the car and other household products. Those who chose not to be swept up in the Jazz revolution chose to lose themselves in sporting events during the '20s. (Marshall, 1) The newfound confidence propelled the 1927 Yankees to embody the spirit of the 1920's.
...ame the vice-president for the Chock Full O' Nuts Corporation. He also served on the board of the NAACP. He created the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build affordable housing for black families that did not have enough money. In the 1970s Jackie Robinson's heath got bad. On Oct. 15, 1972, he attended a World Series game in Cincinnati that celebrated the 25th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. During pre-game ceremonies he said how he wanted to have a black manager to be hired for a team in major league baseball. Ten days later after the World Series game, Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Jackie will be remembered for his courage, determination, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and his excellence. He is an inspiration for many people that have a dream.
Later in the season the American League President William Harridge made Paige’s hesitation pitch illegal to throw and next time threw it will be considered a balk. Satchel Paige ended his 1948 season with a great 6-1 record, a low 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks and 61 base hits allowed in 722⁄3
In 1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers desperately wanted Robinson to play for him and his team. He would become the first black MLB player since 1889 when baseball became discriminated. In his first year he was the Rookie of the Year. He debuted in the International League with the Montreal Royals. This the led to Branch’s interest in Robinson since he was considered one of the best players in the International League and considering it was his first time playing with white men.
...rst all time in total accumulated bases with 6,856. He was second all time in at bats with 12,364. He was third all time in hits with 3,771. He was third all time in runs scored with 2,174. He was also third all time in games played with 3,298. He was elected into the Hall Of Fame in 1982. His autobiography, I had a Hammer, was published in 1990. In 1999, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of breaking Babe Ruth’s record, Major League announced the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best overall hitter in each league.