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 Great Players: Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), also known as “Babe”, “The Bambino”, “The Sultan of Swat”, “The Colossus of Clout”, “The King of Crash”, “The Home Run King” , or simply “The Big Guy”, was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935. Ruth is regarded by many historians and fans as the greatest baseball player of all time, due to a combination of his on-field accomplishments and records; his significant roles both in changing the way baseball is played and in establishing the New York Yankees dynasty; and his resulting worldwide name-recognition. He is a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although he spent most of his career as an outfielder with the New York Yankees, Ruth began his career as a successful starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He compiled an 89-46 win-loss record during his time with the Red Sox and set a number of World Series pitching records. In 1918, Ruth started to play in the outfield and at first base so he could help the team on a day-to-day basis as a hitter. In 1919, he appeared in 111 games as an outfielder. He also hit 29 home runs to break Ned Williamson’s record for most home runs in a single season. In 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000, in part to finance the purchase of Fenway Park, as well as payment of Red Sox related debt. The notion that Ruth’s sale helped finance the broadway play No, No, Nanette was a widely accepted urban legend for many years.[1] Over his next 15 seasons in New York, Ruth led the league or placed in the top ten in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, total bases, home runs, RBI, and walks several times. Ruth hit 59 home runs in 1921 then beat his own single season home run record in 1927 with 60. It stood as the single season home run record for 34 years. With Ruth on the team, the Yankees won seven American League Pennants and four World Series titles. He played his final Major League season with the Boston Braves in 1935. In 1936, Ruth became one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The success Ruth had with the Yankees spawned the popular myth known as the Curse of the Bambino in later years. In 1969, he was named baseball’s Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth Number 1 on the list of “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players.” The next year, baseball fans named Ruth to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. 
In News
Red Sox and othersIt's interesting to watch a team go from the underdog to the team on top that everyone tries to knock down. I am a Bostonian and sat through what seemed like endless years of sub-par Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots teams that disappointed me annually. The poor Red Sox, people thought they had a curse that couldn't be lifted. But now the Sox are World Series winners twice in three years, something I never thought I'd say! All of a sudden, the Red Sox are the mighty that everyone will want to beat. They are the bad guys now, the ones everybody wants a piece of. And it's the same thing with the Patriots. They are now hated by lots of football fans. One commentator called every game against the Pats as that team's Super Bowl. I haven't seen the Patriots this year, but I went to the Angeles vs Red Sox game 3 in the playoffs and also Game 2 of the World Series. I bought game tickets from here. This year, I think I am going to forget about sports for a while and instead check out a show, maybe Young Frankenstein. But of course you can bet you'll see me at Fenway Park or Wrigley Field during this upcoming MLB season. |
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