Was Hank Aaron better than Babe Ruth?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by irishdenny

From ESPN's Website:

Babe Ruth at No. 1: There is no doubt that the Babe was the greatest player who ever lived. That doesn't mean he was the greatest person. Years ago, I was sitting at a picnic table in the Yankees' clubhouse, waiting to talk to a player, when Pete Sheehy, the ancient clubhouse man, plopped down opposite me. We made small talk until I asked him, "Pete, you knew Ruth -- what was he like?" Pete thought for a moment, and said, "He never flushed the toilet."

enuf sed...

Because ESPN is the be all, end all authority on baseball history.

As far as sports journalism goes, I put ESPN one rung above the Bleacher Report. In other words, I put next to zero credence in what those jokers say.

[irishdenny]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Because ESPN is the be all, end all authority on baseball history.

As far as sports journalism goes, I put ESPN one rung above the Bleacher Report. In other words, I put next to zero credence in what those jokers say.

Bill,

You have a good point! Only, the one I was making... had to do with the kind of team mate Ruth wasn't. Unfortunately for me(I'm not a BiG of Ruth Fan, I still have to say that The Babe is the Best Ball Player ever! But what do I know... Who know's, Maybe Harper will give us all treat and the Babe a run for his Money... Doubt it though.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by irishdenny

Bill,

You have a good point! Only, the one I was making... had to do with the kind of team mate Ruth wasn't. Unfortunately for me(I'm not a BiG of Ruth Fan, I still have to say that The Babe is the Best Ball Player ever! But what do I know... Who know's, Maybe Harper will give us all treat and the Babe a run for his Money... Doubt it though.

Ok, Denny, I've got it now. Forgive me for being a little dense at times. Can I blame the vicodin and take a mulligan?

The media back then covered up all the sordid stuff Ruth was involved in. But I've always found the man behind the home runs fascinating. The thing about Ruth was...he was actually a pretty good person deep down. He definitely lived a life of excess (I'd imagine he boinked everything in a skirt he could find while the wife and his daughter were at home), he boozed, and he drank like a fish. But of all the superstar sports celebs we've had in any of the major sports, I'd be hard pressed to find somebody that was more giving of his time, and more charitable when it came to helping people out (especially kids).

If you haven't watched the excellent HBO documentary on him (it's available on HBO Go, if you have that), you should. It reinforced some of the things I knew about him, but did an outstanding job of painting a complete portrait. After seeing it, now I really want one of his baseball cards (and I mean one of the classics that was made when he was playing, not one of those cards today with bat barrel pieces, etc. Those are nice, for sure--if they're legit. But I want a card that might have been held by the Babe. Something that was in circulation while the Bambino was swinging for the fences!)