MLB's The Baseball Network

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Babe Ruth won 18, 23 and 24 games as the game's best left-hander and third-best pitcher overall behind Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander. His World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings once held by Christy Mathewson stood until 1961 when Whitey Ford broke it. He won an AL ERA title and still shares the AL single-season record for shutouts by a lefty. Then, at age 25, at the dawn of the lively ball era that he ushered in, he slugged 54 homers in 142 games. By the time he was 26, he was the game's all-time home run king with two 50-homer seasons, two 20-win seasons, four home run crowns and an ERA title under his belt.

Never has another man been a league-leading pitcher and league-leading slugger. Combined, he led the league in 78 pitching and batting categories. And until someone does come along and master pitching and slugging, the two most sought-after skills in the game, Babe Ruth will remain the greatest player who ever lived.

There has never been another man, because they will not let them, not because he was a much better athlete in the history of the game. Just look at Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals. Now I would never compare the accomplishments of Ruth to Ankiel, but I am sure if given a chance there are many players that can hit and pitch, but they are often want people to focus on one or the other. And even if you can hit, people want certain kind of players for specific position.

And my ultimate point is there was an explosion of 500 Home Run hitters and let the "experts" tell it, that only happen because of drugs. Not that athletes in all sports lift more weights, train at an earlier age, played organized ball at earlier age, play more games long before they get to the pros and these "experts" want you to believe he could not be surpassed. Oh, I almost forgot, Babe Ruth did not play against Blacks or Latinos either, which some historians have shown that many of those players were better than the average player of that time. And even if they were not as good, we have no way of knowing for sure what many of those players would have done before 1947.

I honestly do not know what is so special about what the "experts" have to say other than Burns or some fantasy of what used to be.

Peace