*Babe Ruth Thread*

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Don't know about this one, at the bottom of the page, a post from BHNut
First Willie turned 15 in May of 1946. Possible start 1948, still very young.
Had Willie not missed that time in the service, he may have matched Ruth and even passed 714.

What has to be remembered, the game is not always based on cumulative stats, numbers based on totals, the great are also judged on percentage based stats, batting average, slugging, OBA, AB/HR ratio and some others and Babe is at or near the top in all of those.

He is 5th in career batting average modern players, first in slugging by a mile, second best OBA, if I recall only .008 behind Ted Williams and second only to McGwire in AB/HR. Evident Mac passed Babe in his last 4 or 5 years, admitted user.
Williams lost some good years in the service , Mays around 270 games in the service.
But being a pitcher for a while, pitching only 1914 ( mostly minors) 1915-1916 -1917, batting only every 4th or 5fth day.

Career at bats, Babe has 693 more at bats then Williams.
Mays has 2482 more at bats than Ruth.

Slow start for Babe, yet he is only one of three in the 700 club.
Total home runs first 6 seasons. Ruth--49----Williams--197----Mays--187.
Babe had only 49 career home runs up until 1919, his career is a bit more than one quarter over, still hits 714 home runs.
Most seasons 40 or more, Ruth 11, Aaron, Killebrew and Bonds all with 8, 40 or more home run seasons. Ruth never hit 40 until his 7th season, 1920.
He's just too much, too consistent. It's like he's in his own world

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Lets play a what-if. What if the Babe hadn't died from cancer and lived to at least 1974? He only would have been 79 years old in 1974. How do you think he would have reacted to Hank Aaron supassing 714 home runs? Would the Babe have publically supported Aaron from the racist mail onslaught?

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Lets play a what-if. What if the Babe hadn't died from cancer and lived to at least 1974? He only would have been 79 years old in 1974. How do you think he would have reacted to Hank Aaron supassing 714 home runs? Would the Babe have publically supported Aaron from the racist mail onslaught?

I think when any player's record is broken, they have to feel some loss.
But I think he would congratulate Hank.

[pheasant]

I think Ruth would have been hurt more by Whitey Ford breaking his World Series record of 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Some sequential shots from a video, I think thats a word................it is now. Babe hitting a home run as a Brave, exhibition game against Newark Bears, Ruppert Stadium, April 7, 1935.

Lower pic, spectators looking over wall, ball landed in the street
If you never saw this video, you've never really seen the Babe swing a bat, it's the best........turn up the sound.
I had the video saved for some time. Can't recall the site it was on......maybe T3 Media.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

More on that Newark homer, his second of the game.

[Badge714]

Always worth another look. Tremendous power. Simple physics, look at that leading leg locked out. Hard to believe that bat speed at age 40. Jenkinson had him hitting two five hundred footers at Forbes field a bit later as you well know. At age 40? Amazing.

http://www.t3licensing.com/video/clip/3871900.do

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Always worth another look. Tremendous power. Simple physics, look at that leading leg locked out. Hard to believe that bat speed at age 40. Jenkinson had him hitting two five hundred footers at Forbes field a bit later as you well know. At age 40? Amazing.

http://www.t3licensing.com/video/clip/3871900.do

Thanks for posting that site 714, some other posters can take a look.
Thats what I noticed first, the bat speed and not a young Babe and then........................the sound, bat meeting the ball.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

(Note: I also posted this in the Buzz Arlett thread).

Here is a short story by Harry Turtledove that involves Buzz Arlett and Babe Ruth. Tutledove is known for his alternate history novels. In this story called "The House the Ruth Built", the Federal League doesn't place a team in Baltimore which leads to Baltimore Orioles owner Jack Dunn not selling Ruth to the Red Sox. Instead Buzz Arlett joins the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1922 and becomes the "Sultan of Swat" and dominates the majors in the 1920's.

http://www.tor.com/stories/2009/06/the-house-that-george-built

[SHOELESSJOE3]

(Note: I also posted this in the Buzz Arlett thread).

Here is a short story by Harry Turtledove that involves Buzz Arlett and Babe Ruth. Tutledove is known for his alternate history novels. In this story called "The House the Ruth Built", the Federal League doesn't place a team in Baltimore which leads to Baltimore Orioles owner Jack Dunn not selling Ruth to the Red Sox. Instead Buzz Arlett joins the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1922 and becomes the "Sultan of Swat" and dominates the majors in the 1920's.

http://www.tor.com/stories/2009/06/t...t-george-built

Good one HWR. I got more out of ith in my second reading.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Long before the great boxer Ali, there was another athlete who talked a lot and backed up much of what he said.

Predicted hitting 40 in 1920, finshed with 54.
Predicted hitting 60 in 1921 and finished with 59 home runs. In July 1921 at the Polo Grounds a fan reached up and knocked a ball back on to the field, today thats interference, lost home run. I do have the article for the 1921 prediction, if I recall he said that before pre-season began, Janurary or February.

Exhibition game in 1927. Babe "wires", he will hit 2 home runs off of Charlie Root in an exhibition game.
He did not but don't know how long Root was in the game and looks like he got nothing to hit, only one at bat.
Then, 5 years later they face off in the 1932 World Series and Babe hit 2 home runs, against Charlie Root.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

A couple of Babe articles.Surprised at all the coverage and print he was getting in so many small cities anmd even town newspapers.

He lived only 53 years but I think that was a long time for a man who was always on fast forward, his personal life and his driving.
I have a folder with just some of his accidents, three of them rollovers.

A terrible one in Boston when with the Bosox. Tried to squeeze in between two trolley cars.......... going in opposite directions.
Total wreck wreck. Woman badly injured, was not his wife.
Hard to believe the 1920 accident, pinned under car and not seriously injured.
They mention "the top up", maybe a convertible type. Cars were much bigger and higher, probably just enough room to not get crushed.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Put these sequences together, Walter and Babe. This is probably what it may have looked like.
Although some times a different ending, Walter throwing the third strike by The Babe.

[Badge714]

This reminds that Walter Johnson once gave up only two home runs in a two year period. Yeah, you guessed it, Ruth hit both.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

This reminds that Walter Johnson once gave up only two home runs in a two year period. Yeah, you guessed it, Ruth hit both.

Ruth hit 10 home runs off of Walter, the most by any batter.


Lefty Grove, one of the greatest lefthanders ever, the players with the most career home runs hit off of him.

Ruth 9---Gehrig 9--Greenberg 9.

Ruth never faced Grove until his (Ruth) 12th year in MLB and the Grove he faced was younger than the Grove that Lou and Hank batted against, more often
One more note. Shibe Park 1930, Ruth's drive clears RCF wall, strikes speaker supports, bounds back on to playing field. Ruth sent back to second base, Yanks protest, they lose, only a double. Hard to believe this happened twice in the 1930 season, two lost home runs, one off of Grove, he could have been all alone with the most ever off of Grove 10 career home runs. Not only that, he finished with 49 that year, that would have been his 5th season with 50 or more, the most 50 home run seasons.

Only a small sample but we see Ruth's long ball hitting against one of the greatest RH and LH pitchers and he hit them as well as any other hitter.
I'll give some ground on Johnson, Babe was swinging from the heels before many others, possibly a plus for him with those 10 career home runs.
But then look at how many he hit off of Grove late 1920's-1930's.