TW Hit List: Babe Ruth
Having done with the preliminaries (except for all the stuff I forgot to say which will be interspersed in future posts), we can look at Williams’ top 25. I don’t planning on saying much, so these posts should be fairly short. On the upside, this will hopefully mean I will post one every day.
Number one is, of course, Babe Ruth. Williams goes far enough to say that he was the greatest player of all and cites not only his hitting numbers, but his pitching also time (2.28 career ERA through 140 decisions). But his emphasis is on Ruth’s person and effect on the game. This may have impacted Williams’ choice to make Ruth number one, but then, it needn’t do so. It may very well be that Ruth was the greatest. I’m inclined to agree with Williams that Ruth was at least the greatest hitter to ever play the game. For Teddy, there was and is no debate.
As Williams says, Ruth dwarfed everyone else in the game when he played. And by this, not only are his batting feats meant, but his personality. He almost was baseball for a time. Following the Black Sox scandal, when baseball was allegedly at a low, Ruth rejuvenated the game. And the game came to cater to him. No wonder. The man not only dazzled with the bat, but he was an outrageous personality. He was gregarious, zesty, even charming in a way that possibly only Americans relish and appreciate. And so he was an American star in the great American game.
When the dust settled, Ruth’s 1.163 OPS is the best all-time. His numbers were gaudy when he retired, but they remain nearly so decades after. He is remembered for the 60 home runs in 1927, for the alleged called shot of the 1932 World Series, for the hitting the first home run in All-Star game history, for being the undisputed home run king for years until Aaron finally broke through, for hitting a home run at an all-time best, every 12 at-bats. I doubt anyone will ever be as synonymous with baseball as Babe Ruth. As Williams says, “The diamond heroes of yesterday are still revered and they provide the standards by which the next generation is judged.” Each generation of hitters subsequent to Ruth has played in his shadow.
Number one is, of course, Babe Ruth. Williams goes far enough to say that he was the greatest player of all and cites not only his hitting numbers, but his pitching also time (2.28 career ERA through 140 decisions). But his emphasis is on Ruth’s person and effect on the game. This may have impacted Williams’ choice to make Ruth number one, but then, it needn’t do so. It may very well be that Ruth was the greatest. I’m inclined to agree with Williams that Ruth was at least the greatest hitter to ever play the game. For Teddy, there was and is no debate.
As Williams says, Ruth dwarfed everyone else in the game when he played. And by this, not only are his batting feats meant, but his personality. He almost was baseball for a time. Following the Black Sox scandal, when baseball was allegedly at a low, Ruth rejuvenated the game. And the game came to cater to him. No wonder. The man not only dazzled with the bat, but he was an outrageous personality. He was gregarious, zesty, even charming in a way that possibly only Americans relish and appreciate. And so he was an American star in the great American game.
When the dust settled, Ruth’s 1.163 OPS is the best all-time. His numbers were gaudy when he retired, but they remain nearly so decades after. He is remembered for the 60 home runs in 1927, for the alleged called shot of the 1932 World Series, for the hitting the first home run in All-Star game history, for being the undisputed home run king for years until Aaron finally broke through, for hitting a home run at an all-time best, every 12 at-bats. I doubt anyone will ever be as synonymous with baseball as Babe Ruth. As Williams says, “The diamond heroes of yesterday are still revered and they provide the standards by which the next generation is judged.” Each generation of hitters subsequent to Ruth has played in his shadow.
posted by Anaheim RaiderHater @ 2:42 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Nice post, Jason. I agree with everything written here. Babe Ruth is definitely the best to ever play the game.
The Great Bambino. You know, I never realized he was such an efficient pitcher. We really need someone like him in the game today. A person that is not merely a baseball player, but is the essence of baseball.
if he were playing today, people would suspect him of steroids, and they would find every little thing to exploit him.
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