"Ruth saved baseball," said Billy Rogell, a Chicago orphan who grew up worshiping Shoeless Joe Jackson from the bleachers. Like the rest of the country, Rogell was devastated when his hero and the other Black Sox were found to have spikes of clay. A few years later, as a shortstop for the Red Sox and Tigers, Rogell had occcasion to experience Ruth's redemptive magic firsthand: "That's the only guy who in my thinking was a super ball player. There was only one like him. Listen, just walking out to the ballpark he'd have everybody clapping like hell. Ever see them do that for any other ball player? Like hell."
- Cobb Would have Caught It
The Golden Age of Baseball in Detroit
pg. 30-31
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John Hat.cher
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