At the risk of turning the thread into an undergrad psych discussion, i would suggest that people generally have a tendency, or need, to set up exalted figures to genuflect toward - "kings" of sport that "tower" over their colleagues, regardless of what the stats show. Thus, card collectors view Ruth, DiMaggio and Mantle as Yankee royalty, and players such as Berra and Maris as just spear carriers, no matter what they may have accomplished. You can see the same idolatry in other sports, as well.
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