Babe Ruth 714*
Everyone in the pub where I hang out and drink beer is following our national pastime — hating Barry Bonds. They want his home run total to have an asterisk next to it (not a footnote), or he should be left off the list of lifetime home run hitters completely.
Now I'll admit, I'm not much of a baseball fan. Sure, I love the ambience of the ballpark, but I don't follow the game or the players. In spite of my lack of deep knowledge about baseball, I feel the need to weigh in on this topic.
I believe Babe Ruth deserves an asterisk next to his home run total as well, as do all major leaguers who played before Jackie Robinson took the field. Playing in a racially segregated league made it easier for the Babe and others, they didn't have to face talented pitchers, fielders and batters from the Negro Leagues.
If the Bambino should not have an asterisk, and his records from a segregated league should be allowed into the books unblemished, then the records of the Negro Leagues should also be included, unblemished. If Ruth deserves a hallowed place in baseball history, it should be behind Josh Gibson, who hit 84 homers in one season, and 962 over his carrier.
Touche
Well played*
This is silly
Nobody deserves an asterisk.
Babe Ruth never played against black players. Barry bonds used steroids. You know what? Every era had something. Livelier balls, lighter balls, heavier balls, harder bats (today)...until 1931 if a ball BOUNCED over the fence it was a home run. It's a ground rule double now.
Hank Aaron hit 41 more home runs than Ruth, but it took him THOUSANDS more times at bat. He's the home run king though.
The Josh Gibson argument is null because while, yeah, Ruth never played against blacks, Gibson never played against whites! And that isn't the fault of either player so penalizing them is pointless and silly.
There are guys in the hall of fame who threw nothing but illegal spitballs. Should whatever accomplishments they have be asterisked as well?
Each era was different. That's the game of baseball for you...and there's nothing really to be done about it.
A note on the Gibson stats you gave...unfortunately the Negro Leagues were loosely based and thus, statistics weren't kept all that well. Thus, there really is no solid number one can cite for Gibson's accomplishments. Everyone seems to agree that he hit more than Ruth. But the exact number is lost to the ages. I've heard claims ranging from 800 to 1300.
And if it's on the lower end, he'd be behind Sadaharu Oh of Japan, who hit 800+ - playing only against Japanese players and in parks with fences on average 100 feet closer than in US parks. Asterisks galore.
Don't Know Much About...
See, I told you I wasn't a devotee of baseball.
914
um...that number is 714 not 914.
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