Humor: Should Babe Ruth be in the Hall of Fame?

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Babe Ruth spent his first 4.25 seasons as a pitcher. Everyone has commented on what a fine pitcher he was, and while there is no doubt that is true, there is also no doubt he was not a good enough pitcher to make the Hall of Fame as such. Therefore, if he is to be considered a legitimate Hall of Famer, it must be on the merits of the years 1919-1935.

We may eliminate the years 1934-1935 at once, for Ruth batted well below .200 in 1935--batting average being a hitter's most important stat--and below .300 in 1934, a scant four years after the National League as a whole had batted over .300. Moreover, everyone knows that for the last ten years of his career, Ruth was a pigeon-toed blimp--a gross caricature of a human being who waddled around right fields in the A.L.

He got away with this in his home ball park for the same reason he hit such a ludicrously high number of HR's there: Because RF was a joke in Yankee Stadium, a scant 296 FT down the line and only 344 FT to straightaway RF. But in the bigger, more normally shaped parks--like Comiskey, Griffith and especially Fenway and Tiger--Ruth's team suffered terribly for having such an unathletic blubberbucket waddling around out there.

Yes, I've seen the absurd stats the old boy put up, thanks mainly to that silly home park they built for his fat butt. But you cannot tell me he didn't give most of those runs back with his slug-like waddling in the expanses of those bigger parks' right fields.

Babe Ruth a Hall of Famer? I don't think so! And PLEASE spare me this Great White Hope nonsense about him as "the greatest player ever." He couldn't start for most teams today.

Yeah, I'm going to infuriate a lot of you. Too bad. It's time someone told it like it is.

So let's hear the votes. Should Ruth be in the Hall? I give a resounding NO.

Baseball History Nut

P.S. Sultan: You are expected to start a "Should Ty Cobb be in the Hall?" thread tonight.

[BoofBonser26]

:laugh :laugh :laugh

[Williamsburg2599]

A)If this a joke :laugh
B) If it isint :mad: :evil :rolleyes:
C)This should be in the HOF fourm

[brett]

Couldn't agree more. Ruth came up in the dead ball era-an era where singles ruled, and yet his singles percentage (sgl%) ranks pitifully low compared to other truly "great" players.

Player sgl%
Cobb .267
Anson .253
Wagner .232
Ruth: .181

1) With that kind of ineptitude at producing the most basic of hits, one must ask the question: Were most, if not all of his homeruns just the result of him being "set up" by the pitcher, planting something in the back of Ruth's mind for the next time they would face?

I remember reading Gred Maddux' claim that with a substantial lead, he would sometimes give the opponents top hitter-Jeff Bagwell for example-a gopher pitch that he would never see with the game on the line. He believed that the hitter was more likely to remember a "successful" at bat than several unsuccessful ones and as a result he could fool the batter into looking for that pitch when it counted.

2) Considering Ruth's enormous home run totals, it seem self evident that the VAST MAJORITY had to be inconsequential set-ups like this.

3) Ruth's range factor in the outfield was a paltry 2.07 versus the league range factor of 2.22. This translates to about 0.22 singles per game that he gave up above a "typical" fielder.

4) His arm is overrated. I have read accounts that the hometown scorers were very liberal with their awarding outfield assists to Ruth-who regularly bought them beers before the game. One can only guess at the number of times Ruth was credited with an assist for having a line drive glance off of his midsection in the "general direction" of the infield, only to have the shortstop retrieve the ball, flip it to the pitcher, and then have the next batter ground out. Well, it is a stretch to say that Ruth actually "assisted" on the groundout just because there was still hot dog grease on the ball from the front of Ruth's monkey suit.

5) Ask any Yankee fan and they will tell you, Ruth was a circus act, a humilitation and a pariah. There is clear evidence for this in the Yankees success after Ruth's departure.

World Series Championships

Before Ruth left the team: 4

After Ruth left the team: 22 including 4 in the first 5 years after his departure.

Ruth's passing in 1948 may have even brought a new optimism to the team that allowed them to become a "dynasty of dynasties." In 1948, the Yankees had failed to win the American League pennant, but after the jubilation brought about by Ruth's death, they exploded for a record 5 consecutive championships from '49-'53.

[Brian McKenna]

I agree. President Grover Cleveland’s daughter shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

Stupid answer - Yeah, but it matches the question.

Perhaps this thread should be in that new frivolous forum.

[RuthMayBond]

His home run total dropped his last five straight years, his pitching career was essentially over at age twenty-four, had the most batter strikeouts five times ,twice in the top10 in walks allowed and wild pitches and hit batters, high of 21 RBI in his first 4 years. He sounds even worse than Joe DiMaggio :laugh

[BaseballHistoryNut]

And nowhere near as good as Nolan Ryan or Duke Snider.

[TonyK]

Never won a Golden Glove.
Won only 1 MVP Crown in 1923.
He had no speed at all (Getting caught stealing to make the last out of a World Series also proves his judgment was not sound).

[digglahhh]

I remember reading Gred Maddux' claim that with a substantial lead, he would sometimes give the opponents top hitter-Jeff Bagwell for example-a gopher pitch that he would never see with the game on the line. He believed that the hitter was more likely to remember a "successful" at bat than several unsuccessful ones and as a result he could fool the batter into looking for that pitch when it counted.


Hilarious post, BTW.

Do you still have this article, I would love to see it. I've referenced this article many times. I think it was in an edition of Sports Illustrated maybe three years ago. I've looked for it but can't find it.

...Okay, so perhaps actually looking was euphemistic, but I've wished really hard that I had it.:)

[brett]

I know it was over 4 years ago, I think early in the 2002 season.

[Blackout]

Never won a Golden Glove.
Won only 1 MVP Crown in 1923.
He had no speed at all (Getting caught stealing to make the last out of a World Series also proves his judgment was not sound).

Ruth played 22 years and only had 2 all-star appearances

and how come he never won any world series MVP awards?

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Who gives World Series MVP Awards to lardbuckets whose fat butts get thrown out trying to steal second base when they're the tying run, in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 7, with last year's HR champ at the plate? And yes, that really happened. Guy should have been barred for life from even appearing in something as dignified as the World Series. Maybe let him appear in something to which he was more suited. Like the World Whoring Series. Or the World Drinking Series.

BHN

[csh19792001]

I remember reading Gred Maddux' claim that with a substantial lead, he would sometimes give the opponents top hitter-Jeff Bagwell for example-a gopher pitch that he would never see with the game on the line. He believed that the hitter was more likely to remember a "successful" at bat than several unsuccessful ones and as a result he could fool the batter into looking for that pitch when it counted.


Actually, in all seriousness...

This is an idea that was propogated in the baseball community, and has been deemed by Cyril Morong to be "The Jeff Bagwell Gambit". There was an article written about it in which I read in a recent edition of the SABR Baseball Research Journal.

You non SABR members lucked out. Here's a link, with due credit (yet again) to author Mr. Morong.

Has Greg Maddux employed the “Bagwell gambit” in his career? (http://www.geocities.com/cyrilmorong@sbcglobal.net/Maddux.htm)

Very interesting stuff. Here's the intro:

In a Newsweek article, George Will called Greg Maddux “the most artistic pitcher of the lively-ball era.” As an example of Maddux’s knowledge of the hitters, Will wrote the following:

“Leading 8-0 in a regular season game against the Astros, Maddux threw what he had said he would never throw to Jeff Bagwell-a fastball in. Bagwell did what Maddux wanted him to do: he homered. So two weeks later, when Maddux was facing Bagwell in a close game, Bagwell was looking for a fastball in, and Maddux fanned him on a change-up away.”

This is what I call the “Bagwell gambit,” allowing a batter to get a hit in a lopsided game to get him looking for a certain pitch in a close game later on (and then get him out on some other pitch). Before looking into the question of whether or not Maddux really makes a habit of doing this, I first look at what happened when Bagwell has homered against Maddux and if it led to a key strikeout in a later game.

[Bill Burgess]

1 BA title
1 MVP
no GG
2 all star games
couldn't sustain his pitching career
His CS% is about 50/50
Only stole home once on his own. His other 9 were with runners on 1B.
His inside the park home runs were a little low for his era.
Never Managed.
From 1920-34, his team won the pennant 7 times, but lost it 8 times!!
His over-shadowing of Lou Gehrig was shameful.
His not talking to Lou after 1933 was also unkind.
He let his wife boss him too much.
He didn't even tell the world his real biological daughter was his own. Let everyone believe she was adopted.
Never went to WWI. Hid behind his husband status.
Couldn't finish out his season in 1935.
Cost his club too much in home run balls never recovered.

But on the plus side:

He did keep a few brothers open, single-handedly. His teammates didn't keep up there.
He also helped out the speak-easys.
He could always be counted on to eat more pig knuckles, that Gehrig could eels.
His late hours allowed Huggins to catch up on his reading, waiting for him to get back to the team hotel. All that reading let Huggins pass the law bar.
His barn-storming helped out the local economies.

[SABR Matt]

This is the most ludicrous thread I've ever seen.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

This is the most ludicrous thread I've ever seen.

Not by much, if you've been keeping your eyes open lately.

[flash143817]

The real question is how is Babe Ruth in the HOF ahead of Zoilo Versalles???

All Star appearances:
Babe - 2
Zoilo - 2

MVP:
Babe - 1
Zoilo - 1

Times leading the league in AB:
Babe - 0!
Zoilo - 1

Pitching Losses:
Babe - 46!
Zoilo - 0!


And Zoilo did it as a GOLD GLOVE SHORTSTOP and not a butter drooling OUTFIELDER!

[Sultan_1895-1948]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would like to thank all of you for pointing out something that should have been so clear before. All this time I have been looking at things backwards. Couldn't agree more. How embarrasing :o

I would just like to point out that upon further review, it is my opinion that he didn't really like baseball. He could have been a shirt tailor, and probably would have been better at that than he was at baseball. Yeah right, he loved the game. It was all about the money. The "story" is, when he was told about the deal with New York, he really didn't want to go, even though he knew it would be a payday. They tell us he said it wasn't about the money and he was happy in Boston. That it was his home. That's a bunch of crap the media put out there to make him look good. Christ, who was he to think he was something special. What did he do that others couldn't? As if people really came out to see him. I'm just sick of it all. And the whole "loving kids" thing is bogus. What a myth.

[Dodgerfan66]

well ruth is ovverated but still a HOF

at least he didnt last 13 years....and actually hit 50HR...and has a .340 average

i will say this though......to your dismay......koufax dominated his era more than ruth did his

[Murderers Row]

well ruth is ovverated but still a HOF

at least he didnt last 13 years....and actually hit 50HR...and has a .340 average

i will say this though......to your dismay......koufax dominated his era more than ruth did his


Go sit in a corner.... facing the wall.

[Dodgerfan66]

in the 20's you have ruth....cobb...speaker.....gehrig.....sisler...hor nsby...all were at one point the best in baseball

in the 60's koufax and no one else.....add in his heroics......the mans a hero.........ruth wasnt

when i say hero i mean him pitching with his arm the way it was....and his postseason mastery

[Murderers Row]

in the 20's you have ruth....cobb...speaker.....gehrig.....sisler...hor nsby...all were at one point the best in baseball

in the 60's koufax and no one else.....add in his heroics......the mans a hero.........ruth wasnt

when i say hero i mean him pitching with his arm the way it was....and his postseason mastery

I can't talk to you with ripping my hair out of my head. Did you ever hear of Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

well ruth is ovverated but still a HOF

at least he didnt last 13 years....and actually hit 50HR...and has a .340 average

i will say this though......to your dismay......koufax dominated his era more than ruth did his

Couldn't agree more.



Babe Ruth sucked.--------Back Ruth sucked.----------Babe Ruth sucked.

[Murderers Row]

Couldn't agree more.

Babe Ruth sucked.-----------Back Ruth sucked.--------------Babe Ruth sucked.---------------Babe Ruth sucked


whoaaaaaa, what the hell is that?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

A cool brainwashing tool I found. It helped me get over my Babe Ruth fanatic stage. Well, that and all you guys ;) Barry is now my favorite.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Yeah, the guy's right.

Two players in all of baseball history--before all the B.S. of Steroid Ball--had five consecutive seasons of 40+ home runs. One was Old Blubberbucket. The other was Duke Snider.

One gave away runs by the droves waddling around in the outfield; the other was a greater defensive outfielder than Mays, Andruw Jones, Richie Ashburn or anyone except maybe Tris Speaker. In other words, one gave back 3/4 of the runs he created with his loaded, corked bats; the other stole even more runs from the other teams with his legendary defense.

It's tragic that Snider's, um, something-or-other made him unable to maintain his greatness after they left Ebbetts Field, or the Dodgers would have had the two greatest players in baseball history at the same time. The #1 pitcher, by far, and a five-tool outfielder. The only tool Ruth cared about... well, I won't go there, since Sultan likes to talk about how big it was (!!!).

BHN

[Sultan_1895-1948]

The only tool Ruth cared about... well, I won't go there, since Sultan likes to talk about how big it was (!!!).


:eek: :eek: :eek: HUH? :laugh

Oh you mean the Frank Baker post. Gotcha.

[Baseball Guru]

A cool brainwashing tool I found. It helped me get over my Babe Ruth fanatic stage. Well, that and all you guys ;) Barry is now my favorite.

LMAO!!!:laugh

Now THAT was good!:cool:

I think Ruth only had 14 pretty good seasons at his peak;)

Clearly not enough peak value:D

[RuthMayBond]

in the 60's koufax and no one else.....Especially 1960, AND 1967 AND 1968 AND 1969 :laugh

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Never won a Golden Glove.
He had no speed at all (Getting caught stealing to make the last out of a World Series also proves his judgment was not sound).
Actually he did have some speed.:rolleyes: ....... well OK he didn't but his cars had speed.
Just a small sample from only two years 1920 and 1921.
The Bam caught speeding.
2/17/20
8/14/20
4/21/21
4/28/21
6/05/21
6/09/21
I may have missed some but thats a good number.
I also found some accidents. One while with the Red Sox as he tried to squeeze his big Packard between two trolley cars.... going in opposite directions, demolished his car.
On three occassions he rolled over his car, in one of those rolls his first wife was thrown out of the car, not badly injured.
A wonder this guy lived as long as he did.

[Captain Cold Nose]

While I can appreciate the humor of the thread (although it utterly shocks me some miss the reason the thread was created) and the creativity of some posts, we did have enough homage threads back when Sockeye was doing his polls. Let's not turn this into another trend, please.

[Mariano_Rivera]

You may want to note that their was a rule in place at the time that a player could win only one MVP in their career. Also the fact that Babe Ruth had the most career WARP 3 in history (though Barroid Bonds is very close and will likely catch him through constant walking)

[Captain Cold Nose]

You may want to note that their was a rule in place at the time that a player could win only one MVP in their career. Also the fact that Babe Ruth had the most career WARP 3 in history (though Barroid Bonds is very close and will likely catch him through constant walking)
I heard Bonds goes through two MACH 3 razors a week.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

.
He had no speed at all (Getting caught stealing to make the last out of a World Series also proves his judgment was not sound).

Some guys just never learn. Once before he played a part in ending a game of lesser importance by being thrown out attempting a steal in the last inning.

May 9,1918 pitching and batting fourth the Bam lost a ten inning game to Walter Johnson 4-3. Ruth was the starter, went all the way, Johnson pitched only the 10th inning. Harry Hoopers throwing error in the 7th let in two unearned runs.

With one out in the 10th Ruth doubled off of Johnson, his third double of the game. Ruth was now in scoring position a hit could tie the game.He attempted to steal third, was thrown out. The next hitter was retired, Bosox lose 4-3.

Great day for the Babe up till then. Pitching giving up two earned runs, at the plate 5 for 5, one single, two doubles and one triple.
Some guys just never learn.

[Bill Burgess]

Oh, and another thing. This Babe Ruth person is kinda obscure, so I had to look him up in Baseball-Reference. But look what I was able to discover?

From 1918, he led his league in striking out 5 times and came in 2nd 7 times.
And all with little to no power.

The pitchers of his day were able to hold him, from 1918-31 to only 13 straight 1st places in Slugging, OPS+ and HRs/at-bats! Hall of Fame my ass? Let's see someone else match that pathetic record! The media makes me sick.

And I did look up in Proquest that he did once visit a kid in a hospital, but rumor had it he was paid and it was all staged. But at least he did go once!!

But to create whatever record he did, he did have to use a bat. Without a bat, I doubt he woulda did much.

And by his day, everyone was using gloves in the field. So whatever fielding he was able to do, he WORE A GLOVE! Don't forget that.

Bill Burgess

[brett]

Johnson obviously set up Ruth for the caught stealing by allowing him to go 5-5 with 2 doubles and a triple. Johnson, like Greg Maddux before him, was a genius at using the opposition's overconfidence to defeat them.

Some guys just never learn. Once before he played a part in ending a game of lesser importance by being thrown out attempting a steal in the last inning.

May 9,1918 pitching and batting fourth the Bam lost a ten inning game to Walter Johnson 4-3. Ruth was the starter, went all the way, Johnson pitched only the 10th inning. Harry Hoopers throwing error in the 7th let in two unearned runs.

With one out in the 10th Ruth doubled off of Johnson, his third double of the game. Ruth was now in scoring position a hit could tie the game.He attempted to steal third, was thrown out. The next hitter was retired, Bosox lose 4-3.

Great day for the Babe up till then. Pitching giving up two earned runs, at the plate 5 for 5, one single, two doubles and one triple.
Some guys just never learn.

[Bill Burgess]

Big Jim,

Kudos on one of the most delicious, tongue-in-cheek threads we'd had the pleasure of lampooning in a while. Nice wit. Love it. Keep it up! We need a good laugh around here after all the crap we've been through! Perfect come-back to a nasty situation.

Bill

[Williamsburg2599]

Ruth played 22 years and only had 2 all-star appearances

and how come he never won any world series MVP awards?
Cobb did have any, oh wait, THERE WASN'T ONE BACK THEN:mad:, Ruth made 2 out of 3 possible all-star games, and he was on his way out when the ALS game was created. I hope everyone think this is a joke :laugh.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Cobb did have any, oh wait, THERE WASN'T ONE BACK THEN:mad:, Ruth made 2 out of 3 possible all-star games, and he was on his way out when the ALS game was created. I hope everyone think this is a joke :laugh.
Please refrain from spoiling the irony by pointing out reality.

[RuthMayBond]

Cobb did have any, oh wait, THERE WASN'T ONE BACK THEN:mad:, Ruth made 2 out of 3 possible all-star games, and he was on his way out when the ALS game was created.Where did you hear about this? :confused:

<I hope everyone think this is a joke>

What are you talking about? :noidea

[Williamsburg2599]

Where did you hear about this? :confused:

<I hope everyone think this is a joke>

What are you talking about? :noidea
A little site called www.baseball-almanac.com , not sure if you ever heard of it.:laugh

[RuthMayBond]

A little site called www.baseball-almanac.com , not sure if you ever heard of it.:laughThat's the first I've heard :ughh

[soberdennis]

I realize this is meant as a joke. And I enjoy it.
I just wish another similar thread had the same intention in mind when it was started.

[KCGHOST]

And don't forget that despite the short porch in RF the Babe hit more homers on the road than at home, thus depriving many Yankee fans the privilige of seeing him hit an HR.

[Captain Cold Nose]

And don't forget that despite the short porch in RF the Babe hit more homers on the road than at home, thus depriving many Yankee fans the privilige of seeing him hit an HR.
At least he walked for them.

[RuthMayBond]

At least he walked for them.What, was he afraid to hit?

[Captain Cold Nose]

What, was he afraid to hit?
Probably. That's how he got his nickname. He was just a big baby when he stood at the plate, and was simply waiting for the pitcher's ineptitude to rear its head.

[csh19792001]

I heard Bonds goes through two MACH 3 razors a week.

That sounds like a Bill Brasky homage!! The man, the myth, the legend...

"He goes about 6'8", 480!!"

"Ruth would eat a homeless person if you dared him!"

"The Babe's poop is used as currency in Argentina!"

"Babe hated Mexicans! And he was half Mexican! .......And he hated irony!!"

"I once saw him eat a whole live chicken."

"Ruth had a four day heart attack...a day for each chamber. At the autopsy, they said his heart looked like a basketball filled with riccotta cheese."

"Babe used the Shroud of Turin as a golf towel."

"He orchestrated the merger between Unicef and Smith & Wessen."

"We once had a bachelor party for Ole Babe. He ate the entire cake before we could tell him there was a stripper in it!"

"They used Babe's foreskin as a tarp when it rained at Yankee stadium."

Yeah, CCN, probably time to move this thread to "BETWEEN INNINGS", or wherever all the fodder ends up. :laugh

[LouGehrig]

and has a .340 average



I thought his lifetime BA was a little higher than .340, not that it matters.

[LouGehrig]

Did you ever hear of Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal?

Who were they?

[Dodgerfan66]

marichal and gibson werent even close to koufax:lookitup (look it up)

also snider is veeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyy underrated not sayin that cause im a dodger fan.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

:laugh Bill Brasky! Classic SNL skit man. :laugh

Cooperstown has a character policy, right. Here is an example that the Babe should be ousted based on this criteria.

Alice Doubleday Rhodes recalled a time when Ruth played an exhibition in her small town when she was about ten. For some reason she accepted a dare to get Ruth's autograph, and well before the game she sneaked onto the field and walked to the Yankee bench. She had to ask, "Which one is Babe Ruth?" and this, to her confusion, made everyone laugh. He was pointed out and when she walked over to him he said, pleasantly enough, "You want to see me, sister?" She handed him her school notebook and a pen, a brand-new pen that had just been given to her for her birthday. "Here," she said. He signed his name, in a "beautiful, even hand" and gave her back her schoolbook and pen. "There you are, sister," he said. "Now don't go home and sell it."

But she had promised to get autographs for her schoolmates too. She handed the book and pen back to him and said, "Write some more. Write on all the lines." The other players broke up laughing. Ruth shrugged and slowly wrote his name on line after line until the page was filled. "That okay now? he said, not smiling. He handed her the book and, looking out at the field, absentmindedly put the pen in his own pocket. Her marvelous birthday pen. She did not know what to do. Ruth looked at her coldly. "Something else on your mind, little girl?" he asked. She shook her head and said, "No, sir," and left.

Chagrined and not a little afraid, it took her some time to get up the courage to tell her father what had happened, and she was totally unable to understand his hilarity when she did tell him. "Babe Ruth swiped your pen?" he howled. - story from Creamer




So I ask. Does this sound like the character of a man who should be in the HOF? Surely they have higher standards than to let in a big baboon who would steal a little girl's pen.

Also, when he was a year from death and was stricken with his own illness, he went to visit a blind guy. When they left, Babe said, "Some guys get all the bad breaks don't they?"

Now, what a rude comment. What if that blind guy was happy being blind. What if he had adjusted well and didn't want any type of sympathy. He's saying being blind is a bad break. What a put-down to the entire blind population.

[RuthMayBond]

marichal and gibson werent even close to koufax:lookitup (look it up)Right, they both had over 240 wins

<also snider is veeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyy underrated not sayin that cause im a dodger fan.>

You know Duke, and Willie Mays ain't no Duke

[Dodgerfan66]

Right, they both had over 240 wins

<also snider is veeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyy underrated not sayin that cause im a dodger fan.>

You know Duke, and Willie Mays ain't no Duke


mays was a true all-time great but so was snider

[hubkittel]

Go sit in a corner.... facing the wall.

:laugh :laugh :laugh that was perfect and easily the funniest thing i've read regarding this whole thing.

[Brownie31]

Should Chick Gandil and Swede Risberg be in The Hall of Fame?

Brownie31

[Bill Burgess]

"They used Babe's foreskin as a tarp when it rained at Yankee stadium."
Are you quite sure? I've heard rumors that the Yankee fans of the day always said the Stadium hot dogs had a funny flavor. Never know what went into those dogs!

And since Babe loved stadium dogs, does that make him semi-cannibal?

Bill

[markfnc]

Stupid thread. Babe Ruth was one of the tops of all time.

[The Big C]

Stupid thread. Babe Ruth was one of the tops of all time.
Stupid post. This thread is one of the tops of all time.

Just kidding buddy. But you are missing the point of this thread.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Big Jim,

Kudos on one of the most delicious, tongue-in-cheek threads we'd had the pleasure of lampooning in a while. Nice wit. Love it. Keep it up! We need a good laugh around here after all the crap we've been through! Perfect come-back to a nasty situation.

Bill

You know who's next, don't you?

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Probably. That's how he got his nickname. He was just a big baby when he stood at the plate, and was simply waiting for the pitcher's ineptitude to rear its head.

This is exactly what I mean. Is Eddie Joost in the Hall of Fame? Is Ed Yost? No, even though both men had spectacular rates of walks per plate appearances, they are NOT in the Hall of Fame, because a walk is a wuss's way out, and the Hall at least realized that in their cases. Had it not been for all of the media hype surrounding Babe Blubberbucket, the same surely would have happened to him for all of the times he bored his fans by waddling to first after taking four balls.

[STLCards2]

Babe Ruth spent his first 4.25 seasons as a pitcher. Everyone has commented on what a fine pitcher he was, and while there is no doubt that is true, there is also no doubt he was not a good enough pitcher to make the Hall of Fame as such. Therefore, if he is to be considered a legitimate Hall of Famer, it must be on the merits of the years 1919-1935.

We may eliminate the years 1934-1935 at once, for Ruth batted well below .200 in 1935--batting average being a hitter's most important stat--and below .300 in 1934, a scant four years after the National League as a whole had batted over .300. Moreover, everyone knows that for the last ten years of his career, Ruth was a pigeon-toed blimp--a gross caricature of a human being who waddled around right fields in the A.L.

He got away with this in his home ball park for the same reason he hit such a ludicrously high number of HR's there: Because RF was a joke in Yankee Stadium, a scant 296 FT down the line and only 344 FT to straightaway RF. But in the bigger, more normally shaped parks--like Comiskey, Griffith and especially Fenway and Tiger--Ruth's team suffered terribly for having such an unathletic blubberbucket waddling around out there.

Yes, I've seen the absurd stats the old boy put up, thanks mainly to that silly home park they built for his fat butt. But you cannot tell me he didn't give most of those runs back with his slug-like waddling in the expanses of those bigger parks' right fields.

Babe Ruth a Hall of Famer? I don't think so! And PLEASE spare me this Great White Hope nonsense about him as "the greatest player ever." He couldn't start for most teams today.

Yeah, I'm going to infuriate a lot of you. Too bad. It's time someone told it like it is.

So let's hear the votes. Should Ruth be in the Hall? I give a resounding NO.

Baseball History Nut

P.S. Sultan: You are expected to start a "Should Ty Cobb be in the Hall?" thread tonight.

See, I was about to start a "Should Hank Aaron be in the Hall?" thread, since he never hit 50 homeruns and played so many games in a hitters ballpark. This thread is pointless, of course Ruth shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. :laugh :laugh :laugh

Just for fun, we should pay another visit to the Frank Robinson not deserving HOf thread from last year. That was classic too.

[Bill Burgess]

You know who's next, don't you?
Don't know why, but I get a distinct Peachy aroma in the air. However, it should by all rights be started in the new, delightful Between Innings Forum.

[AstrosFan]

Babe Ruth's career home run total ranks behind a guy who couldn't hit 50 in a season despite playing in a park called The Launching Pad. Pathetic. And he retired as the all-time walks leader. Swing the bat, you lazy blubber-butt. Imagine where his teams might have gotten if he had actually done what a hitter is supposed to do, instead of waiting for the pitcher to screw up. 1923, he stole 17 bases, and was caught 21 times. It's a high offensive year, you moron! Didn't the big baby have any idea how costly his blunders on the basepaths were to his team? His election to the Hall makes no sense to me.

[keving7]

After reading all the posts, and not seeing this mentioned in any of them, I thought I would share this peice of information.

For years we have all heard that Yankee Stadium is the House that Ruth built.

Well my brother, knows this guy, whose Grandfather knew one of the architects that designed Yankee Stadium. And he said that Babe Ruth didn't build Yankee Stadium. Never even hammered one nail.

The Bambino is a sham!! :) :)

[Myankee4life]

After reading all the posts, and not seeing this mentioned in any of them, I thought I would share this peice of information.

For years we have all heard that Yankee Stadium is the House that Ruth built.

Well my brother, knows this guy, whose Grandfather knew one of the architects that designed Yankee Stadium. And he said that Babe Ruth didn't build Yankee Stadium. Never even hammered one nail.

The Bambino is a sham!! :) :)


lol :laugh good one

[RedSoxVT92]

:crazy I think all this sarcasm and irony is going to make my head explode! :crazy

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ukgrable2.jpg

[BaseballHistoryNut]

See, now, IF he had stayed with your team, and IF they'd made him stay on the mound and remain in reasonably decent physical shape like he had been with them, I think he'd have been a good enough pitcher by career's end to make the Hall of Fame.

But nooooo, a few HR's in 1918 made everyone lose perspective, and the slob becomes a media sensation, gets to live like a bull in a china shop, eats and drinks and whores like there's no tomorrow, waddles around the OF at "enormous" :laugh expense to his teams, and people who don't know any better think those HR's and selfish walks make up for all his disasters in right fields everywhere.

Just shows what the media can do to people's heads.

[RuthMayBond]

Who wouldn't look good hitting in front of Gehrig?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

This is exactly what I mean. Is Eddie Joost in the Hall of Fame? Is Ed Yost? No, even though both men had spectacular rates of walks per plate appearances, they are NOT in the Hall of Fame, because a walk is a wuss's way out, and the Hall at least realized that in their cases. Had it not been for all of the media hype surrounding Babe Blubberbucket, the same surely would have happened to him for all of the times he bored his fans by waddling to first after taking four balls.

:laugh Dude, you don't even know how hard this is. Every ounce of me wants to snap this thread back to reality. Refraining is torture :crazy

[BaseballHistoryNut]

He may have looked good hitting IN FRONT OF Gehrig, but he sure as hell didn't look good standing NEXT TO Gehrig. Gehrig was six feet of pure muscle... the perfect athletic build, the pure all-American boy, the anti-Ruth.

BHN

[Sultan_1895-1948]

He may have looked good hitting IN FRONT OF Gehrig, but he sure as hell didn't look good standing NEXT TO Gehrig. Gehrig was six feet of pure muscle... the perfect athletic build, the pure all-American boy, the anti-Ruth.

BHN

Yeah, Ruth was no company man. Shame on him. And shame on him for wanting 100K a year, when his estimated value to the Yanks was between 500 and 750K per year.

Ruppert once privately told Grantland Rice, that he could pay Ruth 200K a year without over-paying him.

"A disinterested statistician has figured it out that Ruth earned $3,500,000 for Colonel Ruppert in the last twelve years. That stupendous sum represents Ruth's personal box office drawing power over and above what the club would have taken in without him!" - George Trevor, Outlook and Independent, January 27, 1932

Smelser -

The Detroit sportswriter H.G. Salsinger figured the extra income from Ruth's presence in exhibition games in the years from 1927 on was alone enough to pay his salary for those years. A writer remembered T.L. Huston's guess that Ruth drew an average of twenty-five hundred extra customers per game. Counting all games that would mean the Yankees grossed about $280,000 a year drawn solely from Ruth. These suppositions are plausible. The Yankees' share of American League attendance from 1911 to 1920 was about 13.5 percent. From 1921 to 1930 it was 22 percent.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Another character issue. Surely Cooperstown isn't suitable for a man that breaks the child-labor law.

In January of 1927 he was arrested for exactly that. He put up 500 bucks for bail and was supposed to appear on February 7. He didn't even appear. Who did he think he was? Instead he sent two lawyers to represent him. What a big-shot.

His crime: during his late season vaudeville tour in '26, he invited kids up onto the stage during a show. He didn't prepare the kids for it, talked with them, and gave them baseballs! Man, should they have locked him up. Not sure what the judge was thinking. He said that he thought every child in the place would be happy to participate and dismissed the charge. I commend the public official who brought the charge against Ruth. There was certaintly no politcal/publicity angle involved. What a fine upstanding man he must have been.

Babe Ruth: CRIMINAL!

[brett]

C O M E O N

Bosox trade Ruth after '19 and then go on to win the World Series in dominating fashion in '04.


See, now, IF he had stayed with your team, and IF they'd made him stay on the mound and remain in reasonably decent physical shape like he had been with them, I think he'd have been a good enough pitcher by career's end to make the Hall of Fame.

But nooooo, a few HR's in 1918 made everyone lose perspective, and the slob becomes a media sensation, gets to live like a bull in a china shop, eats and drinks and whores like there's no tomorrow, waddles around the OF at "enormous" :laugh expense to his teams, and people who don't know any better think those HR's and selfish walks make up for all his disasters in right fields everywhere.

Just shows what the media can do to people's heads.

[brett]

Ruth on 'roids? Kent says it's possible
Astro says former stars could also have been on drugs

HOUSTON - If baseball fans are going to talk about steroids, Jeff Kent thinks Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other past stars should be included in the discussion.
Kent created a stir this week when he wondered whether past stars were clean.
“People are so pinned on the era now versus the era then,” the Houston Astros second baseman said Friday. “Do we really know about then? I think we’re starting to understand and learn more facts about now, so everybody’s trying to relate the records broken, the way ballplayers are bigger and badder and better than ever now, but how do we know about then?

“We never really tested, so that was my reference. I apologize to all the Babe Ruth fans out there, but geez, I was just trying to make a point.”
In comments that appeared in Friday’s Houston Chronicle, Kent asked whether it can be proved that past players such as Ruth and Gehrig didn’t use drugs to improve their performance. Steroids were first developed in the 1930s.
“Babe Ruth didn’t do steroids?” Kent was quoted as saying. “How do you know? ... People are saying Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth — how do you know those guys didn’t do steroids? So all of a sudden, you’ve got guys doing steroids now in the 20th century, 21st century? Come on.
“Keep going backward. Pete Rose? Who knows? ... How do we know those guys were clean? Did they test those guys?”
The Hall of Fame’s “file on the history of steroids dates back to 2001,” said Jeff Idelson, vice president of communications.
The issue has loomed over baseball since 5-7 percent of anonymous tests last year were positive for steroids. That triggered the start of testing with penalties this year.
Earlier this week, Colorado reliever Turk Wendell said it was clear to him that Barry Bonds, Kent’s former teammate on San Francisco, had used steroids.
Bonds and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi were called in December to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.
Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, admitted to giving steroids to several players and was one of four men with ties to the BALCO charged this month with illegally distributing steroids. Anderson pleaded innocent, and Bonds and Giambi have denied using steroids.
Kent calls the problems a “pure embarrassment” for baseball, though he also lamented the rampant speculation about who might be cheating.
“I think that’s wrong for the media to point fingers at one big-chested guy versus a skinny guy: ‘He did it, he didn’t do it,”’ Kent said.
Then again, he acknowledged it doesn’t add up when almost every player denies taking such substances.
“For people to sit back and say, ‘I didn’t do it,’ well, there’s about 10 percent of the players who are doing it, and that’s a shame,” Kent said. “There should be more integrity in this game, and integrity is that you don’t cheat.”
And for those Ruth backers who might have gotten offended?
“Wah,” Kent said with a mock cry.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Babe was golfing one time in Arizona, and was distracted while putting by some squirrels who were doing what squirrels do; chirping constantly. He borrowed a small rifle (probably a .22), shot the squirrels, and ended up cooking and eating them. ANIMAL CRUELTY/MURDER.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

As far as that goes, didn't he even wear fur coats at times?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Oh you know it. Him and Claire both.

As far as his weight goes, here are some lies for you.

1923

215 playing weight.

1924

Was up to nearly 240 pounds at the end of January. Went to Hot Springs and ended up getting down to 218 for the season.

1925

Was 256 pounds, and had lost twenty-one pounds just before his collapse.

1926

Entered McGovern training at 254, started season at 212.

1927

Started season at 218, had 37.5 inch waistline. Took McGovern with him for the 22 day shoot for The Babe Comes Home. He was on a strict regimen; in bed at 9. He had to be on the set by 6am and was running five miles a day.

1928

"He is physically from five to ten years younger than he was two years ago." - Artie McGovern, February 9, 1928

Entered McGovern training at 237, started season at 225.

1929

Entered McGovern training at 234, started season at 222. Began walking five miles a day along with training.

1930

Claire's influence began. He wasn't allowed to drink hard liquor in the house during the season. If people came over, he could get a keg, but no hard liquor. Babe used to routinely eat at around 11pm, mostly steak and beer. Not any more. A club sandwich and milk became the new late night meal no matter where they were. He would often have steak or some mutton chops for breakfast, and then lunch was a sandwich and milk before he headed to the ballpark, where he was on his own. Needless to say, he snuck a hot dog and soda here and there. Claire made sure he never lifted anything heavy, not even luggage. He never used a can opener or changed razor blades when needed. His curfew was 10pm and he never seemed to mind. He had settled down greatly. A night in with a few beers listening to his favorite radio program "The Lone Ranger" suited him fine.

He entered McGovern training at 233 and lost eight pounds in two weeks. He was started the season at 225. At this point however, despite his taking care of himself much better, he slowly gained weight throughout the seasons.

1931

Entered McGovern training on New Years Eve of 1930 at 235 pounds. His waist was 42.5 inches. All that is known is that the results were very good and stayed that way much in part to a lot of golf. I'm guessing between 220 and 225.

1932

Smelser -

Before going to Florida Ruth had started to work with McGovern in his best condition since the early 1920s. His chest, expanded, was forty-eight inches, the largest ever, and his waist for thirty-eight, the smallest in years. McGovern put him to calisthenics three days a week and golf the other three days, which suggests an interest in the legs of an old ballplayer.

1933

"Ruth in mid-January was working mornings in McGovern's gymnasium and playing golf every afternoon....He was in good condition, a pound or two above his playing weight." - Smelser

1934

He entered McGovern training at 235 and started season at 226 and gained weight throughout.

[flash143817]

I thought it was supposed to be the Hall of Fame?

Anyone who has ever seen the movie "The Sandlot" knows that most people believe Babe Ruth was a female. How can such a relative unknown be HOF material?

[bluezebra]

Babe Ruth spent his first 4.25 seasons as a pitcher. Everyone has commented on what a fine pitcher he was, and while there is no doubt that is true, there is also no doubt he was not a good enough pitcher to make the Hall of Fame as such. Therefore, if he is to be considered a legitimate Hall of Famer, it must be on the merits of the years 1919-1935.

We may eliminate the years 1934-1935 at once, for Ruth batted well below .200 in 1935--batting average being a hitter's most important stat--and below .300 in 1934, a scant four years after the National League as a whole had batted over .300. Moreover, everyone knows that for the last ten years of his career, Ruth was a pigeon-toed blimp--a gross caricature of a human being who waddled around right fields in the A.L.

He got away with this in his home ball park for the same reason he hit such a ludicrously high number of HR's there: Because RF was a joke in Yankee Stadium, a scant 296 FT down the line and only 344 FT to straightaway RF. But in the bigger, more normally shaped parks--like Comiskey, Griffith and especially Fenway and Tiger--Ruth's team suffered terribly for having such an unathletic blubberbucket waddling around out there.

Yes, I've seen the absurd stats the old boy put up, thanks mainly to that silly home park they built for his fat butt. But you cannot tell me he didn't give most of those runs back with his slug-like waddling in the expanses of those bigger parks' right fields.

Babe Ruth a Hall of Famer? I don't think so! And PLEASE spare me this Great White Hope nonsense about him as "the greatest player ever." He couldn't start for most teams today.

Yeah, I'm going to infuriate a lot of you. Too bad. It's time someone told it like it is.

So let's hear the votes. Should Ruth be in the Hall? I give a resounding NO.

Baseball History Nut

P.S. Sultan: You are expected to start a "Should Ty Cobb be in the Hall?" thread tonight.

I don't know about the baseball part, but you are definitely a "nut". And know very little, if any, baseball history.

Ruth's career ERA was 2.28, with a Won-Lost record of 94-46, 671. In the seasons where he appeared in at least 20 games on the mound, his record was 78-40, 661, ERA 2.06 (approx). If those aren't Hall of Fame stats, what are? He completed 107 of 148 starts, with 17 shutouts. He started and won three World Series games, completed two, with an ERA of 0.87. He held the record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, until Whitey Ford broke it.

The Yankees really suffered during the Ruth era. They only won seven pennants and four World Series. The Babe was considered a very good outfielder, with a great arm. Other ballparks? My Dad saw him play at Old Comiskey Park on numerous occassions, and told me stories of Ruth's hitting prowess. He hit one COMPLETELY out of Comiskey. For a "blubberbucket", he did okay, hitting 136 triples.

Many (REAL) baseball historians credit Ruth for saving the game after the Black Sox scandal, when many fans were disillusioned.

1935 was The Babe's final season. He was FORTY years old.

What you know about baseball history would pass through the eye of a needle.

Hall of Fame? Babe Ruth should have his OWN shrine.

Bob

[ElHalo]

marichal and gibson werent even close to koufax:lookitup (look it up).

Uh... ok.

Gibson's eight best ERA+ seasons:
258, 164, 149, 148, 139, 136, 133, 132.

Marichal's eight best ERA+ seasons:
169, 166, 165, 144, 132, 122, 119, 116.

Koufax' eight best ERA+ seasons:
190, 187, 161, 160, 143, 124, 104, 102.

Koufax is better than Marichal, but it's not so far that it can't be considered close. From the looks of things, Gibson appears better than Koufax. So tell me that again?

[RuthMayBond]

I don't know about the baserball part, but you are definitely a "nut". And know very little, if any baseball history.But at least he understands the thread & doesn't look like the back end of a . . .
donkey

[Skin & Bones]

Babe Ruth's career home run total ranks behind a guy who couldn't hit 50 in a season despite playing in a park called The Launching Pad. Pathetic. And he retired as the all-time walks leader. Swing the bat, you lazy blubber-butt. Imagine where his teams might have gotten if he had actually done what a hitter is supposed to do, instead of waiting for the pitcher to screw up. 1923, he stole 17 bases, and was caught 21 times. It's a high offensive year, you moron! Didn't the big baby have any idea how costly his blunders on the basepaths were to his team? His election to the Hall makes no sense to me.

behind a guy who couldn't hit 50 in a season despite playing in a park called The Launching Pad. Pathetic.

This is false. He didn't play in the " Launching Pad " till the end of his career. Which is why his HR totals rised some.

[brett]

This post only demonstrates how a little creative use of statistics can make anyone look good.

I don't know about the baseball part, but you are definitely a "nut". And know very little, if any, baseball history.

Ruth's career ERA was 2.28, with a Won-Lost record of 94-46, 671. In the seasons where he appeared in at least 20 games on the mound, his record was 78-40, 661, ERA 2.06 (approx). If those aren't Hall of Fame stats, what are? He completed 107 of 148 starts, with 17 shutouts. He started and won three World Series games, completed two, with an ERA of 0.87. He held the record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, until Whitey Ford broke it.

The Yankees really suffered during the Ruth era. They only won seven pennants and four World Series. The Babe was considered a very good outfielder, with a great arm. Other ballparks? My Dad saw him play at Old Comiskey Park on numerous occassions, and told me stories of Ruth's hitting prowess. He hit one COMPLETELY out of Comiskey. For a "blubberbucket", he did okay, hitting 136 triples.

Many (REAL) baseball historians credit Ruth for saving the game after the Black Sox scandal, when many fans were disillusioned.

1935 was The Babe's final season. He was FORTY years old.

What you know about baseball history would pass through the eye of a needle.

Hall of Fame? Babe Ruth should have his OWN shrine.

Bob

[csh19792001]

Post #1 of this thread.

Baseball History Nut


I don't know about the baseball part, but you are definitely a "nut". And know very little, if any, baseball history.

What you know about baseball history would pass through the eye of a needle.

Bob

Were you aware this whole thread is facetious when you composed this? Or is the insult itself in jest as well?

Anyone who has had the opportunity to discourse with BHN on the history of baseball knows he has an extensive background in both reading/researching and watching the game. He's been studying baseball for decades. Even though I completely disagree with him on some things, I've learned quite a bit from him in his time here in the forums and over PM and have really enjoyed his musings.

:o

[csh19792001]

Uh... ok.

Gibson's eight best ERA+ seasons:

258

258 with TWENTY EIGHT complete games and AVERAGING over 9 innings per start. 13 shutouts.

Of course, then throws 3 more CG's in the World Series, 35K's and 4 walks, with a 1.67 ERA against the Tigers, who were the best offensive team in the AL, far and away.

There's a strong case for greatest pitching season ever.

[csh19792001]

But at least he understands the thread & doesn't look like the back end of a . . .
donkey

You beat me to it, man.

:lookitup :waving :)

[Williamsburg2599]

I've never seen a artifact hit a baseball, have you?:mad: Have you ever heard a good induction speech from a statue? NO!
MLB Career Totals for these so called baseball "artifacts":
Hits: 0!
.BA: .000!
OBP:.000!
Slug:.000!
Homeruns:0!

The HOF is for players, not these "historical items of significance." What a joke. And somebody tell these things to stay in shape, some weigh in at over 1000 pounds!:eek:








(ok, did I take that joke a little too far?:laugh :waving )

[AstrosFan]

behind a guy who couldn't hit 50 in a season despite playing in a park called The Launching Pad. Pathetic.

This is false. He didn't play in the " Launching Pad " till the end of his career. Which is why his HR totals rised some.

Well, technically, I never said he played primarily in The Launching Pad. But point taken. I hope you realize that none of this is to be taken seriously.

[yankillaz]

The only Babe Ruth I like is this girlfriend of mine called Ruth, oh, yeah, and the chocolate.

BTW, thanks to all of you folks here in the BBF HOF Talk for starting this thread. The biggest myth in baseball, the most overrated player of All-Time, the reason why people in New England don't get along with people in New York...the silly, and thank god erased curse.

Ruth, alongside Santa Claus are the two chubby most known chubby-mythical personalities i've seen. They both laugh...ho ho ho, or ho..., ho..., ho... Nevermind. Santa goes to fire places looking for Red Socks, while Ruth dumos them. What an egomaniac the guy was.

And to say that those 1920 Yankees had a great team: Gehrig, Meusel, Lazzeri..and this sleezy guy does nothing but mistakes. Yankee fans boo A-Job nowadays, but Babe Ruth started the inefficiency in the pressure situations.

What a looser. Ruth out of the Hall. I rather see Singles hitters like Rose or Jackson rather than an egocentric personality like Ruth in the Hall.

[Bill Burgess]

I have an idea of how to estimate the amount of money Babe cost his team.
Simply calculate the number of attendance of the Yankees above the Giants.

The Yankees WERE the Giants, plus Babe Ruth. So, the additional fans the Yanks drew over the Giants, represents the additional fans drawn by Ruth.

Here are the numbers.




Yankees ------------Giants
Attendance-------------------Attendance
Year
1920 1,289,000 3rd 929,000 2nd
1921 1,230,000 1st 973,000 1st
1922 1,226,000 1st 945,000 1st
1923 1,007,000 1st 820,000 1st
1924 1 053,000 1st 844,000 1st
1925 697,000 7th 778,000 2nd
1926 1 027,000 1st 700,000 5th
1927 1,164,000 1st 858,000 3rd
1928 1,072,000 1st 916,000 2nd
960,000 2nd 868,000 3rd

[Sultan_1895-1948]

My Dad saw him play at Old Comiskey Park on numerous occassions, and told me stories of Ruth's hitting prowess. He hit one COMPLETELY out of Comiskey.

July 12, 1919 - After blasting a home run in the previous game, Babe goes yard again. This was his eleventh homer of the year, and was “Ruthian” even by his standards, landing well beyond the fence just left of centerfield in Chicago. Based on where the ball landed, a paper the next day pointed out that the homer would have been a long one for even a right handed batter. Centerfield was 420.

August 14, 1919 - Ruth connects for home run #17 to set a new AL record. It came in Chicago against the White Sox's Erskine Mayer. The ball cleared Comiskey's right field wall with ease and landed in a nearby soccer field.

August 16, 1919 - One of his longest ever in Chicago. Not sure where it went.

August 17, 1921 - Hit one completely out of Comiskey.

August 19, 1921 - Hit one completely out of Comiskey.


I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT, THAT ALL OF THESE WERE PROBABLY WIND AIDED, AND THE PITCHER PROBABLY TOLD HIM WHAT WAS COMING.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

The guy probably started the fire that killed Helen. Cause you know he was so possessive and could never imagine the thought of her being with another guy. So clingy that Ruth character.

And when Claire's brother Eugene committed suicide by jumping out of Babe's 11 bedroom apartment on Riverside Drive, I believe either seven or eight stories high, yeah, he was probably responsible for that too. Granted, Babe wasn't in town, but he probably paid someone to push him out. That's the kind of guy we're talking about here. NO WAY he should be in the hall.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

What a looser.

As opposed to "a tighter?" ;)

[cbenson5]

He obviously was not a good pitcher since they switched him to being an everyday player. He's an extremely overrated player. Yeah he hit 714 home runs but he fell short of 3000 hits. He could not run the bases or hit for average like Ty Cobb. He didn't field like Tris Speaker. He didn't pitch like Walter Johnson. What's the bid deal with this Ruth fellow. His single season home run record has been shattered. He's not even the career home run champion any more. I think he's in the hall of fame because he played for the Yankees. Now that I think about it he didn't have a legendary heroic peak like Sandy Koufax either. Having him in brings the quality of the hall of fame down a notch.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

And how many Triple Crowns did he win? Zero. Nada. Nix. A big, fat zilch.

BHN

[Sultan_1895-1948]

A wonder this guy lived as long as he did.

lol, no kiddin'. Aside from auto-related stuff, at least two instances I can think of...one where a lady shot at him (glancing shot to the calf), and another where a lady was chasing him with a knife onto a train, through the train, back off the train, until somebody grabbed her. Oh and then there was the elevator incident where he just got his head back in time.

Speakin' of living on the edge, Smelser pointed out that from 1876 through 1953, major league ballplayers, compared with American males as a group, were seven times more likely to die an accidental death, seven times more likely to commit suicide, and twenty-seven times more likely to be murdered. Kinda weird.

Back to the thread...yes, this Babe guy was scared to swing a bat. In 1920 alone...in eleven games he walked three times, and in two games he walked four times. What a chicken! Probably afraid he was going to strikeout.

[Captain Cold Nose]

That sounds like a Bill Brasky homage!! The man, the myth, the legend...

"He goes about 6'8", 480!!"

"Ruth would eat a homeless person if you dared him!"

"The Babe's poop is used as currency in Argentina!"

"Babe hated Mexicans! And he was half Mexican! .......And he hated irony!!"

"I once saw him eat a whole live chicken."

"Ruth had a four day heart attack...a day for each chamber. At the autopsy, they said his heart looked like a basketball filled with riccotta cheese."

"Babe used the Shroud of Turin as a golf towel."

"He orchestrated the merger between Unicef and Smith & Wessen."

"We once had a bachelor party for Ole Babe. He ate the entire cake before we could tell him there was a stripper in it!"

"They used Babe's foreskin as a tarp when it rained at Yankee stadium."

Yeah, CCN, probably time to move this thread to "BETWEEN INNINGS", or wherever all the fodder ends up. :laugh
I hate to say it, because this is a very fun thread, but since we do have people failing to see the jokes here, it may have to go there to cut down on all the "you guys are so wrong, Ruth was great" posts.
If Sultan can take it, everyone should be able to.
Whaddy say, BHN? Mind the move?

[yankillaz]

As opposed to "a tighter?" ;)

Loser...you get my drift...

[Bill Burgess]

Yeah, the big, fat slob had a lot to answer for in terms of career failures. Helped lose the Yankees 8 pennants, but the biggest failure was he couldn't keep his pitching career going.

The Yankees', or at least Ed Barrow just didn't believe in his arm. He might have done well in a pie eating contest on Field Day. I also believe he set a record for the number of days in a row he didn't change his underwear.

And anyone who couldn't get along with Lou Gehrig is SUCH a loser, or should I say 'looser'.

Sad about that guy Ruth. TWO girl's names! If he had stayed a pitcher, he might have become famous and lasted a long time. So sad. But he did run fast for a fat man.

Randy: Kudos for FINALLY reading Dorothy Ruth's book, about Eugene Merritt! 'Bout time!

Bill Burgess

[brett]

WHAT THE...

Frank Robinson won a triple crown.....FRANK ROBINSON!

And how many Triple Crowns did he win? Zero. Nada. Nix. A big, fat zilch.

BHN

[brett]

It all depends did he pay for the hot dogs?

I have an idea of how to estimate the amount of money Babe cost his team.
Simply calculate the number of attendance of the Yankees above the Giants.

The Yankees WERE the Giants, plus Babe Ruth. So, the additional fans the Yanks drew over the Giants, represents the additional fans drawn by Ruth.

Here are the numbers.




Yankees ------------Giants
Attendance-------------------Attendance
Year
1920 1,289,000 3rd 929,000 2nd
1921 1,230,000 1st 973,000 1st
1922 1,226,000 1st 945,000 1st
1923 1,007,000 1st 820,000 1st
1924 1 053,000 1st 844,000 1st
1925 697,000 7th 778,000 2nd
1926 1 027,000 1st 700,000 5th
1927 1,164,000 1st 858,000 3rd
1928 1,072,000 1st 916,000 2nd
960,000 2nd 868,000 3rd

[Brownie31]

Chick Gandil was older than Babe Ruth. We should respect our elders.
Put Chick Gandil in the HOF!

Brownie31

[brett]

Sad about that guy Ruth. TWO girl's names! If he had stayed a pitcher, he might have become famous and lasted a long time.

Bill Burgess

Not a chance. Ruth was one of those "dead ball pitchers" and if you closely analyse league stats, home runs started to rise oh, around 1919. This coincides precisely with the years that Ruth would have been pitching.

Year Lg HRs Ruth's Starts
'18 96 19
'19 240 15
'20 369 1
'21 477 1
'22 525 1
'23 554 0

With the sudden an unexpected rise in league power output, Ruth simply would not have been able to just "lob it in" to half of the lineup.

Had he stayed with Boston, one must ask how he would have done against the rising powerhouse, the New York Yankees, who were leading the way to a more offense oriented game.

New York
year HRs
'18 30
'19 45
'20 115
'21 134





I just don' believe he could have gotten away with lobbing it in to half the lineup

[bluezebra]

well ruth is ovverated but still a HOF

at least he didnt last 13 years....and actually hit 50HR...and has a .340 average

i will say this though......to your dismay......koufax dominated his era more than ruth did his

What an asinine statement. The Babe not only set home run records, he out-homered most TEAMS, except for his Yankees.
1920..54 home runs, the closest team in the AL had 50. The Phillies with 64, were the only NL team with more.
1921..Two AL teams had more than Ruth's 59. Four NL teams had more, and one tied.
1927..His 60 home runs were more than any other team in the AL. And more than five of the eight NL teams.

NO other hitter in the history of MLB has even come close.

While Koufax was great in his time, he did not dominate like Ruth did. In fact, Babe's pitching stats, admittedly for a shorter time, were better than Sandy's.

Bob

[RuthMayBond]

In fact, Babe's pitching stats, admittedly for a shorter time, were better than Sandy's.

BobYeah, it would have to be a REAL short time

[GiambiJuice]

Babe Ruth:

Never hit a homerun in a dome
Was never on Sportcenter's "top plays"

[Bill Burgess]

What an asinine statement. The Babe not only set home run records, he out-homered most TEAMS, except for his Yankees.While Koufax was great in his time, he did not dominate like Ruth did. In fact, Babe's pitching stats, admittedly for a shorter time, were better than Sandy's.

Bob
Bobby Boy,
Are you unaware of something essential about this thread? Perhaps something is being missed here? Either a second cup of coffee is in order, or our celebrity roast is not obvious enough.

[RuthMayBond]

Bobby Boy,
Are you unaware of something essential about this thread? Perhaps something is being missed here? Either a second cup of coffee is in order, or our celebrity roast is not obvious enough.C'mon, let's string him along some more :waving

[Captain Cold Nose]

C'mon, let's string him along some more :waving
I, um, don't think Dodgerfan66 was joking when he said Koufax was more dominant than Ruth. In that case, Bob is right to show the error of his ways.

[RuthMayBond]

I, um, don't think Dodgerfan66 was joking when he said Koufax was more dominant than Ruth. In that case, Bob is right to show the error of his ways.Like it will do any good :rolleyes:

[Captain Cold Nose]

Like it will do any good :rolleyes:
He has softened on DiMaggio, so, who knows?
I'm not holding my breath, though. Oh, well, it's his unsubstantiated bias.

[soberdennis]

Actually he did have some speed.:rolleyes: ....... well OK he didn't but his cars had speed.
Just a small sample from only two years 1920 and 1921.
The Bam caught speeding.
2/17/20
8/14/20
4/21/21
4/28/21
6/05/21
6/09/21
I may have missed some but thats a good number.
I also found some accidents. One while with the Red Sox as he tried to squeeze his big Packard between two trolley cars.... going in opposite directions, demolished his car.
On three occassions he rolled over his car, in one of those rolls his first wife was thrown out of the car, not badly injured.
A wonder this guy lived as long as he did.
that shows that he definitely was not the model citizen that deserves HOF membership. Law breakers belong in jail, not the HOF.

[soberdennis]

Babe Ruth:

Never hit a homerun in a dome
Was never on Sportcenter's "top plays"
Yep only Sportscenter Top Playmen should be in the HOF. You're beginning to convince me Ruth should never have been elected to the HOF>

[Williamsburg2599]

Babe Ruth:

Never hit a homerun in a dome
Was never on Sportcenter's "top plays"
Not only that, the guy simply refused to play in a dome from what I heard. He also never played in the WBC, some representive for this country he is.:mad: He must of hated America!:eek:

[soberdennis]

I don't know about the baseball part, but you are definitely a "nut". And know very little, if any, baseball history.

Ruth's career ERA was 2.28, with a Won-Lost record of 94-46, 671. In the seasons where he appeared in at least 20 games on the mound, his record was 78-40, 661, ERA 2.06 (approx). If those aren't Hall of Fame stats, what are? He completed 107 of 148 starts, with 17 shutouts. He started and won three World Series games, completed two, with an ERA of 0.87. He held the record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, until Whitey Ford broke it.

The Yankees really suffered during the Ruth era. They only won seven pennants and four World Series. The Babe was considered a very good outfielder, with a great arm. Other ballparks? My Dad saw him play at Old Comiskey Park on numerous occassions, and told me stories of Ruth's hitting prowess. He hit one COMPLETELY out of Comiskey. For a "blubberbucket", he did okay, hitting 136 triples.

Many (REAL) baseball historians credit Ruth for saving the game after the Black Sox scandal, when many fans were disillusioned.

1935 was The Babe's final season. He was FORTY years old.

What you know about baseball history would pass through the eye of a needle.

Hall of Fame? Babe Ruth should have his OWN shrine.

Bob
I think you have missed the sarcasm meant here. I doubt anyone here is taking it seriously, even the starter of the thread.

[Captain Cold Nose]

I think you have missed the sarcasm meant here. I doubt anyone here is taking it seriously, even the starter of the thread.
There's been a couple. The starter is having the most fun.

[Gee Walker]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but for the entire period of 1919 to 1933, which essentially covers Ruth's peak as a position player, he was a flagrant abuser of illegal drugs. The particular drug that Ruth abused was considered so heinous that an actual constitutional amendment was passed to prohibit its sale.

Ruth not only abused it himself, but he encouraged teammates, reporters, and fans to join him in his addiction. On countless occasions he provided the substance free of charge to his "friends", and it was considered very important for Ruth to have a connection to provide him with his drug in the other seven AL cities.

So he was essentially the Jose Canseco of the 1920's.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Randy: Kudos for FINALLY reading Dorothy Ruth's book, about Eugene Merritt! 'Bout time!


Haven't read it yet Bill. I remember reading something about it in Smelser's book. Wasn't Eugene messed up in the head from the war or something? Maybe he thought he was dodging a grenade when he jumped out the window?

[BaseballHistoryNut]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but for the entire period of 1919 to 1933, which essentially covers Ruth's peak as a position player, he was a flagrant abuser of illegal drugs. The particular drug that Ruth abused was considered so heinous that an actual constitutional amendment was passed to prohibit its sale.

Ruth not only abused it himself, but he encouraged teammates, reporters, and fans to join him in his addiction. On countless occasions he provided the substance free of charge to his "friends", and it was considered very important for Ruth to have a connection to provide him with his drug in the other seven AL cities.

So he was essentially the Jose Canseco of the 1920's.

Not only that, he used this drug to seduce some of the adulteresses for whom he did not pay. I mean, have you ever heard of Bonds' using steroids to seduce chicks? Hall of SHAME, Dude!!!

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Not only that, he used this drug to seduce some of the adulteresses for whom he did not pay. I mean, have you ever heard of Bonds' using steroids to seduce chicks? Hall of SHAME, Dude!!!

They should have payed him. They were sleepin' with Babe friekin' Ruth. The non-HOF worthy Babe friekin' Ruth that is.

[bluezebra]

Ruth played 22 years and only had 2 all-star appearances

and how come he never won any world series MVP awards?

Considering the FIRST All-Star Game was in 1933, and his last two full seasons were 1933 and 1934, what else did you expect?

The FIRST World Series Award was given in 1955. Ruth was dead for seven years.

The next time you post something, check baseball history, BEFORE making a fool of yourself. AGAIN.

Bob

[AstrosFan]

Join us, Bob, and start making fun of the Babe. Don't convince everyone that you're the only person posting who fails to see the obvious repeatedly.

[bluezebra]

But at least he understands the thread & doesn't look like the back end of a . . .
donkey

Understands what? The goofy premise that Babe Ruth doesn't belong in the Hall?

You know where you have to be to recognize the back of a donkey.

Bob

[BaseballHistoryNut]

How could a guy who repeatedly led the league in strikeouts, and was built more like the Hindenburg than an athlete, belong in the Hall of Fame? You talk about his great pitching--and I agree his pitching was great, for the time that it lasted--but you cannot seriously think he should be elected to the Hall for a pitching career which netted him less than 100 wins!

So he either gets in for his record as a position player, or not at all. As a position player, he cowardly walked over 2,000 times, struck out what seems like 10,000 times, hit a bunch of HR's, and failed to get to probably 5 times that many balls because of his comical obesity. You want him to have a shrine? YOU build it!!!

BHN

[brett]

You talk about his great pitching--and I agree his pitching was great, for the time that it lasted--but you cannot seriously think he should be elected to the Hall for a pitching career which netted him less than 100 wins!
BHN

Damstrait! In my book, a pitcher must exceed-I said exceed-the MOST MINIMAL barrier of 165 wins to be considered a BORDERLINE great.

[TonyK]

This so called slugger never hit a single home run in a night game! Who would want an overweight guy that could only play day games for you?

[RuthMayBond]

Understands what? The goofy premise that Babe Ruth doesn't belong in the Hall?

You know where you have to be to recognize the back of a donkey.

BobExactly where you are, until you figure this thread out, and it's NOT all that tough

[BaseballHistoryNut]

I mean, if I want a left-handed pitcher who had some decent HR power, but who struck out a preposterous amount of the time, I would get Lefty Grove. He was a vastly greater pitcher than Ruth, and while he may (may?:noidea ) have been nastier on the field, he didn't lead such a scrofulous lifestyle and set such depraved standards for American youth.

[RuthMayBond]

This so called slugger never hit a single home run in a night game! Who would want an overweight guy that could only play day games for you?He never pitched his team to a night win either

[SHOELESSJOE3]

that shows that he definitely was not the model citizen that deserves HOF membership. Law breakers belong in jail, not the HOF.

Actually Ruth did serve some time, four hours, June 8, 1921, the charge speeding. He was finger printed and locked in a cell. His words jus before released, " I'm going to run like hell to get to the game (3:30 PM). Keeping you late like this makes a speeder of you." Ahh, sounds just like the Babe would view the situation, what great logic.

He phoned the Yanks, had his uniform delivered to the jail. Put on his uniform, put his street clothes over his uniform and left for the Polo Grounds. He was given a police escort to the Polo and according to witnesses, the speed limit was exceeded by all to get him there on time.

More law breaking, fined 15.00 for fishing in the state of Michigan, with no license, August 1926.

[brett]

Actually Ruth did serve some time, four hours, June 8, 1921, the charge speeding. He was finger printed and locked in a cell. His words jus before released, " I'm going to run like hell to get to the game (3:30 PM). Keeping you late like this makes a speeder of you." Ahh, sounds just like the Babe would view the situation, what great logic.


He obviously knew he was wrong and just didn't care, unlike true heros like, for example, Barry Bonds who honestly thought he was just taking $10,000 arthritis balms upon use of which he happened to gain 30 pounds in 12 weeks.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

lol, he was going more than 30 MPH for that ticket. Refused to play a game of dice with other inmates. Drove nine miles in eighteen minutes to get to the park.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Never hit .400.

Never won an ESPY.

[flash143817]

I can't believe this thread is even debateable.










If we are going to induct hot dog eating champions like Babe Ruth, then Kobayashi should easily be in the HOF too. It is a shame that the world record hot dog eater is not in the HOF but a far inferior hot dog consumer is, just because he moonlighted as a slobbering oaf of a baseball player.

[soberdennis]

Don't forget. The HOF didnot even open until 1939. Who gets elected to something three years before it even exists?

BTW, for you fans of this kind of roast, I just opened a Cobb thread.

[brett]

Don't forget. The HOF didnot even open until 1939. Who gets elected to something three years before it even exists?

BTW, for you fans of this kind of roast, I just opened a Cobb thread.

It was strongly suggested to start that in the Between the Innings Forum.

[rugbyfreak]

He may have looked good hitting IN FRONT OF Gehrig, but he sure as hell didn't look good standing NEXT TO Gehrig. Gehrig was six feet of pure muscle... the perfect athletic build, the pure all-American boy, the anti-Ruth.

BHN

Yeah, but Nut, you're forgetting one very important fact: The Babe packed a gargantuan stick, if you follow. How else do you think a HOF-ugly cat like him went dog as often as he did?

Here's to the Babe's unappreciated career! First-ballot Anatomy HOF electee!

freak

[rugbyfreak]

Another character issue. Surely Cooperstown isn't suitable for a man that breaks the child-labor law.

In January of 1927 he was arrested for exactly that. He put up 500 bucks for bail and was supposed to appear on February 7. He didn't even appear. Who did he think he was? Instead he sent two lawyers to represent him. What a big-shot.

His crime: during his late season vaudeville tour in '26, he invited kids up onto the stage during a show. He didn't prepare the kids for it, talked with them, and gave them baseballs! Man, should they have locked him up. Not sure what the judge was thinking. He said that he thought every child in the place would be happy to participate and dismissed the charge. I commend the public official who brought the charge against Ruth. There was certaintly no politcal/publicity angle involved. What a fine upstanding man he must have been.

Babe Ruth: CRIMINAL!

Don't forget he was the first player with the temerity to use an agent (Christy Walsh, same as Gehrig's). So, in addition to popularizing the Hr, we have him to thank for all the agent scum driving up salaries. Shame on him!

freak

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Don't forget he was the first player with the temerity to use an agent (Christy Walsh, same as Gehrig's). So, in addition to popularizing the Hr, we have him to thank for all the agent scum driving up salaries. Shame on him!

freak

And the first with a personal trainer. So he's responsible for the whole steroid era.

[cavalier1968]

I can't talk to you with ripping my hair out of my head. Did you ever hear of Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal?


Best laugh I had all day.....

Cav

[Bigrcube]

Never won a Golden Glove.
Won only 1 MVP Crown in 1923.

The MVP voting sucked back then. In 1928 when the Yankees finished first AGAIN, Mickey Cochrane of the 2nd place Philadelphia Athletics won the AL-MVP with .293 - 10 HRs - 57 RBI. Ruth had: .323 - 54 HRs - 142 RBI and
Lou Gehrig: .374 - 27 HRs - 142 RBI. Why elect Cochrane? If they had finished in first place, maybe you could legitimately argue that. But they did NOT! So only winning ONE MVP is a poor choice. He should have won more.

[Captain Cold Nose]

The MVP voting sucked back then. In 1928 when the Yankees finished first AGAIN, Mickey Cochrane of the 2nd place Philadelphia Athletics won the AL-MVP with .293 - 10 HRs - 57 RBI. Ruth had: .323 - 54 HRs - 142 RBI and
Lou Gehrig: .374 - 27 HRs - 142 RBI. Why elect Cochrane? If they had finished in first place, maybe you could legitimately argue that. But they did NOT! So only winning ONE MVP is a poor choice. He should have won more.
You do realize this is a joke thread, right?

[Bigrcube]

You do realize this is a joke thread, right?

Oh. . . . . er. . . . . well ?!?1

Like Roseanne Roseanna-danna would say on SNL. . . . . "Never-mind!?"

[Captain Cold Nose]

Oh. . . . . er. . . . . well ?!?1

Like Roseanne Roseanna-danna would say on SNL. . . . . "Never-mind!?"
Anyone making a Gilda reference is more than allowed a few misunderstandings. Welcome to Baseball Fever.

[Mariano_Rivera]

Shouldn`t this thread be in Between Innings?

[jalbright]

Since there has been some confusion over how serious this thread is, I've taken two steps which I hope will remove the confusion: 1) I added the word Humor to the title, and 2) I've moved the thread to the Between Innings forum.

Jim Albright

[brett]

Let's face it, If Ruth had not put up an .847 slugging percentage, Barry Bonds would have never turned to the dark side-the easy way-to surpass it.

.847=steroids

[RuthMayBond]

Since there has been some confusion over how serious this thread isThe next thing you're gonna want us to swallow is that this was a joke

[Bill Burgess]

The next thing you're gonna want us to swallow is that this was a joke
Taint neither. It was a Roast. The pot got roasted.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Pot? Ruth was a lot more corpulent than any "pot" I've ever seen. More like, "The dirigible got deflated."

[Bill Burgess]

Pot? Ruth was a lot more corpulent than any "pot" I've ever seen. More like, "The dirigible got deflated."
Ha ha ha ha. That was a good one.

BTW - Did you happen to notice that I was actually able to find the deleted post of yours. I was actually able to locate it. I restored it to your original post #29, on the other thread. I will do whatever I must to make amends to those I wrong, and further make restitution if still possible. Hope I have made you whole in your original post. Still buds?

Bill

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Yes, Bill, I saw that, and thank you, and as I thought I made clear, we never ceased being buds because I never doubted your mistake was exactly that.

Jim

[Honus Wagner]

He should be in HOF, but as a lesser member...the caliber of actors that played the man should be considered when ranking HOFness.

William Bendix and John Goodman no Academy Awards

Tommy Lee Jones, 1 award

Cary Cooper, 2 awards

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Let's face it, If Ruth had not put up an .847 slugging percentage, Barry Bonds would have never turned to the dark side-the easy way-to surpass it.

.847=steroids

Its actually .849 but who's counting. Who would bother to keep track of this bozo's stats anyway.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Since there has been some confusion over how serious this thread is, I've taken two steps which I hope will remove the confusion: 1) I added the word Humor to the title, and 2) I've moved the thread to the Between Innings forum.

Jim Albright

As the author of this surprisingly successful thread, I must protest (mildly, no big deal, like the thread itself) its move. If people can't figure out that all of these posts--including my #1 post--are facetious, then let them suffer a little good-hearted embarrassment. I've suffered my share on here, and really, how hard should it be to know, from the content of this thread, if not the title, that it's a joke?

[RuthMayBond]

As the author of this surprisingly successful thread, I must protest (mildly, no big deal, like the thread itself) its move. If people can't figure out that all of these posts--including my #1 post--are facetious, then let them suffer a little good-hearted embarrassment. I've suffered my share on here, and really, how hard should it be to know, from the content of this thread, if not the title, that it's a joke?I gotta side wid ya on this one :clapping

[Seattle1]

No. He was big and fat and had little spindly girls legs.

[Bill Burgess]

Yes, Bill, I saw that, and thank you, and as I thought I made clear, we never ceased being buds because I never doubted your mistake was exactly that.

Jim
Thanks, Jim. Your friendship means a lot to me. You have great value to me, and I know you have great value to others here. You have made many friends, and have made your mark. I hope you only withdraw a little strategicly, and keep you hand in.

Do you like the new format with the menu of best past threads, stuck at the toop of the History thread? I think its a major improvement.

BTW - the way I was able to find your deleted post was via a google search. Was all there intact. I was flabberghasted and delghted.

I always feel the need to make up to those who I mess up, even accidentally.
Was I able to boldface correctly your portion of the deleted material?

Bill

[jalbright]

As the author of this surprisingly successful thread, I must protest (mildly, no big deal, like the thread itself) its move. If people can't figure out that all of these posts--including my #1 post--are facetious, then let them suffer a little good-hearted embarrassment. I've suffered my share on here, and really, how hard should it be to know, from the content of this thread, if not the title, that it's a joke?

I'm going into umpire/moderator mode and noting your protests, but the decision stands.

Jim Albright

[AG2004]

Let's face it, If Ruth had not put up an .847 slugging percentage, Barry Bonds would have never turned to the dark side-the easy way-to surpass it.

.847=steroids

Ruth admitted to using a substance to boost his performance that, while not technically banned by major league baseball, was deemed illegal by the United States government.

It was called booze.

How bad would his numbers really have been had he abstained from using that super carbo-loading potion? Hey, we know that alcohol improved Tom Seats' pitching, so we know it's a performance-enhancing substance.

Why should we let booze cheats into the Hall of Fame?

[BaseballHistoryNut]

There was never more alcohol used in the U.S. than during Prohibition. I've read that in numerous places, and I was told that both by my parents and by my maternal grandmother, who played an enormous role in raising me. The Roaring 20's, like my Sixties Generation, was everything it was cracked up to be.

Babe Ruth was every bit as much the King of the 20's as the Beatles were the Kings of the late 60's. He was the foremost American icon of the first half of the century, just like the Bealtes and the genius classical composer/producer/harmony arranger who structured anywhere from 50% to 90% of their songs, George Martin, were the foremost icons of the second half. Only he was all American and there were no pretenses or frauds about him. What you saw and heard was what you got. Not always so from John or Paul.

It is preposterous to compare Ruth's alcoholism to the use of modern drugs designed to turn players into small mountain rangers. No sane argument can be made that Ruth's drinking helped his career or its longevity. No sane denial can be made that Bonds' steroid use did anything but massively aid his career, changing him from the game's greatest power/speed combo and great defensive LF into Babe Ruth, Jr., all at a ludicrous age, and made him start hitting dozens of HR's preposterously farther than ever before.

There is another sports website where a Bonds apologist of world-class proportions has made all sorts of posts, embarrassing in the extreme, though I don't think he knows it, to rationalize Bonds' cheating. One of them, in essence, WAS: "Oh, yeah, well so what if Bonds broke federal law by taking steroids? The Volstead Act (Prohibition) was federal law, and no matter how widely it was disobeyed, there's no denying Ruth was the most conspicuous breaker of that law in MLB. He's as guilty as Bonds."

Well, of breaking federal law, PERHAPS, though that law was enforced just about as vigorously as tiny possessory laws about marijuana are in most states today, and such laws are awfully hard to compare to massive, ongoing violations of federal steroids law.

But it's one thing to say that the law is the law, and that flagrant disregard for federal drug felonies cannot be countenanced, whether the drug is alcohol or steroids. It's a radically different thing to say that drinking alcohol habitually, and thereby inevitably DAMAGINING your game (no matter what your alcoholic denial causes you to say), has results remotely analogous to what steroids did for Bonds.

That's nuts.

BHN

[Bill Burgess]

Babe used many performance enhancing things. Women, pigknuckles.

Maybe he got the name Babe, because he constantly used them to boost his performances!

[AstrosFan]

Babe used many performance enhancing things. Women, pigknuckles.

Maybe he got the name Babe, because he constantly used them to boost his performances!

Oh yeah. Pigknuckles were the HGH of the 1920s.

[sandlot]

I've read this whole thread carefully, and there's been a lot of talk about Ruth's gravitationally challenged butt, which is fair enough. But it's absolutely amazing to me that not a single person has bothered to point out the incredible growth in the size of Ruth's head between 1919 and 1935! C'mon, look at the freakin' pictures! Check out his cap sizes! Admit it: There are smaller objects than Ruth's head in solar orbit. You think you can blame that kind of cranial expansion on pickle relish and bathtub gin? Gimme a break. Face facts, fans -- the dude was juicin'! And of course there was the eventual dropoff, and he came down with some weird illness and went into decline, just like all the users do. But the Yankees' PR machine just spins the whole thing into a big old urban myth, like that's a real hard trick for them to pull off with all that dough. I mean, Bambino = Giambino -- you're thinking those nicknames are just some kind of meaningless coincidence? Hah! And people wonder why Giambi gets an easy ride. It's a freakin' tradition!

[sandlot]

I hope my last post didn't kill this thread -- that certainly wasn't the intention. I've really appreciated the humor, which we can always use more of.

[RuthMayBond]

I hope my last post didn't kill this thread -- that certainly wasn't the intention. I've really appreciated the humor, which we can always use more of.It was funny. Hopefully people will lighten up, seeing as the thread HAD to be moved to this forum already

[flash143817]

He was nicknamed after President Grover Cleveland's daughter Ruth.

Basically what they were trying to tell him was that HE PLAYED BALL LIKE A GIRL!

No guy that plays ball like a girl has a place in my HOF.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Yeah, the same little crying brat whom, for a great many decades, everyone told us they named the Baby Ruth bar after.

Well, one thing for Ol' Blubberbucket: You can bet he ate a ton of those.

BHN

[Bigrcube]

I've read this whole thread carefully, and there's been a lot of talk about Ruth's gravitationally challenged butt, which is fair enough. But it's absolutely amazing to me that not a single person has bothered to point out the incredible growth in the size of Ruth's head between 1919 and 1935! C'mon, look at the freakin' pictures! Check out his cap sizes! Admit it: There are smaller objects than Ruth's head in solar orbit. You think you can blame that kind of cranial expansion on pickle relish and bathtub gin? Gimme a break. Face facts, fans -- the dude was juicin'! And of course there was the eventual dropoff, and he came down with some weird illness and went into decline, just like all the users do. But the Yankees' PR machine just spins the whole thing into a big old urban myth, like that's a real hard trick for them to pull off with all that dough. I mean, Bambino = Giambino -- you're thinking those nicknames are just some kind of meaningless coincidence? Hah! And people wonder why Giambi gets an easy ride. It's a freakin' tradition!

Wow. . . . . talk about "humor". . . . . do you do this professionally for a living.
You're GOOD!! I always thought I had a flare for that, but you put me to shame here. But, what the hey. . . . . let me TRY anyways?!

If Ruth's head did in fact expand as you suggest and his hat size would have increased toward the end, then that authentic actual Ruth cap that current Red Sox lefty David Wells wore in the first inning while pitching for the NY Yankees a few years ago, MUST have been Ruth's REAL hat, no? Afterall, it seemed to fit the rotund, portly, and Big-Boned lefthanders' (Wells) head pretty well?! Guess that just means Wells' head is SWOLLEN larger beyond that of Ruth's, each's belly, and probably ego too?! Wouldn't you say?

And that "mysterious" illness Ruth had in 1925 that kept him out of the lineup
for so long. . . . wasn't just a BIG stomach ache from too many beers & dogs,
but in point of fact "crotch rot" from way too many "ladies of the evening"?!

There, I said that delicately and politely not to offend anyone with the real
words (like; "Syphilis/Gonorrhea", etc. or STD in today's PC world, and just plain "whores").
He was afterall, a rascal you know?!

Thus the Juicin' part was actually dribbling out of the end of his. . . . . .
. . . . . well, you know where I'm going and what I mean, eh?!

But man, could that character hit a baseball and exite a crowd?!?!

[sandlot]

Wow. . . . . talk about "humor". . . . . do you do this professionally for a living.Thanks for the kind words, bc. There's only one secret to writing humor: Stick with a single premise, avoid the overly graphic and the pornographic, and know when to stop.

BTW, Astronomers have just downgraded to the status of Pluto to "dwarf planet." As this strikes me as a description of truly Ruthian proportions, I hereby move that Dwarf Planet Pluto be immediately renamed.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and The Babe -- has a nice ring, don't you think? I'd say it gets Ruth's overstuffed proportions and personal warmth just about right.

(No prize for the first person who can't resist the obvious and suggests officially renaming Uranus as "Barry.")

[Bigrcube]

(No prize for the first person who can't resist the obvious and suggests officially renaming Uranus as "Barry.")

Well.....he IS an "ASS" afterall, no? Sorry, couldn't resist.....in any casel, it is my birthday today, so please indulge me.
I am now officially beyond just an "old man". Wish I could start going backwards again.

About his aloofness, media unsavvy, his crass behavior, etc., he can be a charmer. I have heard from several people and their first hand encounters with Mr. Juicer, ah...er...Uranus Lord Barry.....that they've found him to be engaging, talkative, polite.....yes, I'm still talking about Barry Bonds.....!!!
One fellow was a season ticket holder for the Prince William Cannons, a class A team in the Carolina League down in Woodbridge, VA, who every year had a bat made up special and then had the entire team autograph it.
He remembers watching young Barry during his short stay at that level back in 1986.
When he ran into Bonds in an airport onetime while he was traveling on vacation, they struck up a conversation,
and this guy mentioned the Carolina League and Woodbridge, VA.
Barry's eyes lit up and he recalled all the fond memories he had of the area, the fans, the team, the local folks where he lived, etc.
Guy said he just didn't see the "bad" side of Bonds that people always speak of.
But, then again.....this was long before he was pumped up.

Guess dem 'roids due cause RAGE?!

[AG2004]

It is preposterous to compare Ruth's alcoholism to the use of modern drugs designed to turn players into small mountain rangers. No sane argument can be made that Ruth's drinking helped his career or its longevity.



If you haven't noticed, this entire thread is in the "humor" department.

Also, Ruth himself claimed that drinking helped his career. I'm not interested in whether or not it actually did - the fact that he believed that using an illegal substance helped to improve his performance is enough to create an insane argument.

[AG2004]

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and The Babe -- has a nice ring, don't you think? I'd say it gets Ruth's overstuffed proportions and personal warmth just about right.

(No prize for the first person who can't resist the obvious and suggests officially renaming Uranus as "Barry.")

Actually, I was going to suggest officially renaming Uranus as "Georgium Sidis" (the planet's original name, Latin for "George's Star") in honor of Steinbrenner.