Retiring Babe Ruth's #

[Baseball Guru]

What do you guys think about retiring Ruth's #?

http://retirebabesnumber.com/

[TRfromBR]

I think it could be done, but, statistically speaking, it may not be possible.

[Williamsburg2599]

As you can see on this board, everyone's choice for best player of all-time is diffrent. If you retire Ruth's number, you must retire Cobb's (although he didn't really have one), Mantle's, May's, Bond's, etc..,

[catbox_9]

It's bad enough 42 is retired. This would be even worse.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I say "NO" to retiring Ruth's number.

[PJ-34]

They retire numbers in any sport. I think it would just be the thing to do by honouring Ruth's number. In my mind he was the best player of all time right next to Honus. One of the games greats deserve this even though 3 is my favourite number and (knock on wood) I just happen to make it one day I won't get my number 3:sorry:

[The Kid]

I don't want Babe's # to be retired. I realize what Babe has done for baseball is great, but I feel to many people wear #3 for it to be retired.

[Williamsburg2599]

It's bad enough 42 is retired. This would be even worse.

I sort of agree with you here. Jackie obviously deserves to be honored at the highest level, but name a ballpark after him or something. I don't understand how they can ban his number from being worn, and then they let everyone to wear it on the 50th anniversary. Which way is honoring him?

[Williamsburg2599]

They retire numbers in any sport. I think it would just be the thing to do by honouring Ruth's number. In my mind he was the best player of all time right next to Honus. One of the games greats deserve this even though 3 is my favourite number and (knock on wood) I just happen to make it one day I won't get my number 3:sorry:

Exactly, "in your mind." But what if i think that the best all-time player is Roger Clemens, or Cobb, or Mantle, or Mays......?

[runningshoes]

According to some, he saved the game.

There are those who say that. :crazy :waving

[runningshoes]

Just thought I'd throw some icing on top.

[Tacosaregood/metsguy234]

I think it would be stupid to retire a single digit number. 3 is a very common number, and it would be complicated to make everyone switch. Less people wore 42 in 1997 then wear 3 now. I can see the future of MLB.
Batting First- #33 2/7- Randy Rodriguez
Batting 2nd- #106.7- Louis Louistine

Wouldn't that just be great?

[TRfromBR]

I sort of agree with you here. Jackie obviously deserves to be honored at the highest level, but name a ballpark after him or something. I don't understand how they can ban his number from being worn, and then they let everyone to wear it on the 50th anniversary. Which way is honoring him?

I see the retiring of No. 42 as more a tribute to all those who worked toward the integration of Major League Baseball than to Jackie himself. Thus, I see it as a highly important and deserved honor, when regarded in that manner.

In the case of Babe Ruth, maybe someone could name a youth league after him, or something like that. He always loved kids, and kids always loved him. What greater tribute would he ever want?

[KCGHOST]

I don't see much reason to retire the Babe's number. The damn guy is a legend. Isn't that enough??

[bluezebra]

I see the retiring of No. 42 as more a tribute to all those who worked toward the integration of Major League Baseball than to Jackie himself. Thus, I see it as a highly important and deserved honor, when regarded in that manner.

In the case of Babe Ruth, maybe someone could name a youth league after him, or something like that. He always loved kids, and kids always loved him. What greater tribute would he ever want?

Don't look now, but there has been a Babe Ruth League since 1984. Using my abacus, this is the 24th season.

Bob

[bluezebra]

According to some, he saved the game.

There are those who say that. :crazy :waving

Ruth attracted national attention with his home run hitting, at the time the Black Sox scandal broke. Many fans left, but more remained, fascinated by the Babe's prowess. He was also incredibly charismatic, and the fans grew to love him. Years after he retired, he'd be mobbed by youngsters who weren't even born when he played.

Bob

[TRfromBR]

Don't look now, but there has been a Babe Ruth League since 1984. Using my abacus, this is the 24th season.

Bob

You may need to get a new abacus, Bob.;) The 13-15 league was actually founded two or three years after Ruth's death. Claire Ruth allowed use of Babe's name in '54. Originally it was called the Little Bigger League (or something very close to that), but I guess they thought that sounded a little too reminiscent of Custer, rather than Ruth. As I well recall, this was the age level of ball where pitchers began to seriously scalp batters more and more, so maybe the original name was meant to convey that things were going to get a bit more hairy.:p

[TRfromBR]

Ruth attracted national attention with his home run hitting, at the time the Black Sox scandal broke. Many fans left, but more remained, fascinated by the Babe's prowess. He was also incredibly charismatic, and the fans grew to love him. Years after he retired, he'd be mobbed by youngsters who weren't even born when he played.

Bob

Absolutely. Ruth played a huge role in saving the game - financially, transformationally, and inspirationally. No doubt about it.

As Waite Hoyt said: "Every Big Leaguer and his wife should teach their children to pray: God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, and God bless Babe Ruth."

[bluezebra]

You may need to get a new abacus, Bob.;) The 13-15 league was actually founded two or three years after Ruth's death. Claire Ruth allowed use of Babe's name in '54. Originally it was called the Little Bigger League (or something very close to that), but I guess they thought that sounded a little too reminiscent of Custer, rather than Ruth. As I well recall, this was the age level of ball where pitchers began to seriously scalp batters more and more, so maybe the original name was meant to convey that things were going to get a bit more hairy.:p

True. I was going with when "Babe Ruth League" name was officially adopted.

Bob

[EdTarbusz]

Why now? If this was such a good idea, why wasn't it done in 1948 when the Yankees retired Ruth's number?

[Appling]

It is enough that the Yankees have retired Ruth's #3. Don't make it universal.
BTW: some other decent players also wore #3 -- Harmon Killebrew with the Twins and Bill Terry with the Giants, to name just two.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Why now? If this was such a good idea, why wasn't it done in 1948 when the Yankees retired Ruth's number?

Same here, if they were to do it they should have done it in 1948. What I don't get is the Yankees themselves did not retire it in 1948, not until it was worn for a brief period in 1948.

The legendary Cliff Mapes wore number 3 for about a month in 1948. Mapes also wore number 7 for part of the 1951 season before Mantle was given that number.

[Baseball Guru]

BTW: some other decent players also wore #3 -- Harmon Killebrew with the Twins and Bill Terry with the Giants, to name just two.

As did Earl Averill:)

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Ruth attracted national attention with his home run hitting, at the time the Black Sox scandal broke. Many fans left, but more remained, fascinated by the Babe's prowess. He was also incredibly charismatic, and the fans grew to love him. Years after he retired, he'd be mobbed by youngsters who weren't even born when he played.

Bob

Just to be clear. Ruth attracted national attention even in '15, when his four dingers as a pitcher with just 92 AB, were double the total of any other player on his team. In fact, only six other players (full-time of course) in the entire league had more than him, one with six and the others with five. The snowball built from there until '18 when it gathered much size and momentum, and then in '19 he became a sensation and the biggest star in the game. The day the Black Sox scandal hit the papers in '20, Ruth had just hit #50 the day before and the bad news was over-looked to a certain degree. It got attention, but not nearly the type it would have without Ruth. He distracted fans because they were focused on what was pure.

I say no to retiring Ruth's number although I'm not strongly opposed. If anyone besides Jackie deserves it, it's Ruth. Having the MVP award named after him would be much more fitting imo.