Dinner with the Sultan of Swat….The Greatest Baseball Player of All Time

If I could host a dinner for anyone throughout history it would probably be Babe Ruth. Ruth by all accounts was a “life of the party” type of guy. He enjoyed having a good time and was not shy about it. Of course, he is famous for his legendary statistics as a major league baseball player, but he did not grow up with a “silver spoon” so to speak.

His family lost six children in infancy and his parents died fairly young turning him into an orphan. He grew up in the early 1900’s as The United States was growing into a global imperialist power. Radio was a relatively new invention as was the motor car. During the 1920’s when Ruth became a national icon: speakeasies, flapper girls, and jazz were to be fine in all major cities in the U.S.

Ruth came on the scene on July 11, 1914 as a two way player (both pitcher and hitter). He put together six dominant seasons for the Boston Red Sox, winning three World Series Championships in those six years. The Red Sox traded Ruth to the Yankees and became the lynchpin in many a championship season.

The remarkable thing about Ruth is that he did all of this will living a wild night life. It was said by one of his teammates that, “I don’t room with Ruth, I room with his suitcase,” indicating his proclivity for being out on the town at night. Ruth was far and away statistically, the best home run hitter of his era. Ruth ended his career with 714 home runs, which no one could even come close to during that era. When you think about the fact that he was a dominant pitcher for the first six years of his career as well, it is pretty amazing. The Babe died August 16, 1948, due in part to his partying lifestyle, but in that time captured the imagination of a nation. Hosting dinner for this baseball legend would be and absolutely incredible experience.

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The “King of Crash’s” Career Numbers

• Batting average: .342
• Hits: 2,873
• Home runs: 714
• Runs batted in (RBIs): 2,213
• Runs scored: 2,174
• On-base percentage: .474
• Slugging percentage: .690
• Stolen bases: 123
• Walks: 2,062

Babe Ruth in “Just Pals”

Top Ten Websites for Learning About the History of Baseball (Chat GPT)

• National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: The official website of the National Baseball Hall of Fame provides comprehensive information about the history of the game, including player profiles, exhibits, and historical artifacts. (https://baseballhall.org/)
• Society for American Baseball Research (SABR): SABR is an organization dedicated to researching and preserving the history of baseball. Their website offers a wealth of resources, articles, and publications covering various aspects of baseball history. (https://sabr.org/)
• Baseball-Reference.com: This website is a comprehensive statistical resource for baseball. It includes player profiles, team information, historical data, and a variety of statistical tools. (https://www.baseball-reference.com/)
• Baseball Almanac: A website that provides a vast collection of baseball history, including player biographies, team histories, records, and memorable moments in the sport’s past. (https://www.baseball-almanac.com/)
• Major League Baseball (MLB) Official Website: The official MLB website offers a section dedicated to baseball history, featuring articles, videos, and archives related to the game’s rich heritage. (https://www.mlb.com/)
• The Sporting News: A long-established sports publication with a dedicated section for baseball history. It provides articles, features, and historical coverage of the sport. (https://www.sportingnews.com/)
• ESPN’s Baseball section: ESPN’s baseball section covers the latest news and scores, but it also has a historical component with articles, features, and analysis on the game’s past. (https://www.espn.com/mlb/)
• The Baseball Archive: A comprehensive archive of baseball history, including player and team profiles, records, and a vast collection of historical data. (https://www.baseball-archive.com/)
• The Hardball Times: A website focused on in-depth baseball analysis and historical research, offering articles, essays, and features that delve into various aspects of the game’s past. (https://tht.fangraphs.com/)
• Deadball Era: A website dedicated to the early history of baseball, particularly the Deadball Era (1900-1919). It explores the game’s origins, players, teams, and historical events from that era. (http://www.deadballera.com/)