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Babe Ruth

American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons Website

Approval Rate: 84%

84%Approval ratio

Reviews 49

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  • by

    astromike

    Mon Mar 23 2009

    He drank and partied off the field, but was all business on the field, and did alot for children. So many records were shattered during his time.

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    jixxxter

    Sun Mar 01 2009

    A womanizing fat prick with mafia ties who nearly ate and drank himself to death. NY media helped his lore tremendously. If he had played in Cleveland or St. Louis he'd have the popularity of Rafael Palmeiro. Legend has it that he indulged in an early version of performance enhancing substances. Loved by many, which makes it very hard to call him an asshole.

  • by

    joe4422

    Sat Sep 20 2008

    Better Than Bonds

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    doctor_of_madness

    Fri Aug 29 2008

    Everything I have ever heard about him indicates that he was nice to kids who loved baseball. He was bigger than life and he overindulged, but that's o.k. In the big picture, he was  just what the game needed at that point in time.

  • by

    kristianyouc_ops

    Thu Aug 28 2008

    homerun king

  • by

    nicholas_loves_his_life

    Thu Jun 26 2008

    the babe

  • by

    fb1064118008

    Fri May 23 2008

    He's a Yankee, and there should be rotting in hell.

  • by

    realthing

    Mon Apr 28 2008

    any clowns that give ruth less then a five should be eliminated from any internet ratings systems, what idiots....ruth was a god...no one in any sport comes close to his athletisism, no one can hit and pitch like that period, the others are mere players compared to ruth, with the possible exception of sandy koufax but he only pitched...

  • by

    sperryc

    Fri Apr 04 2008

    the whole cleanup guy - slash - pitcher thing just blows my mind. Brings me back to little league.

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    trebon1038

    Mon Mar 31 2008

    For what he brought to the sport he was great...even if someone else did have to run his bases later on.

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    irishgit

    Wed Aug 29 2007

    It astonishes me that any real fan could rate this guy less than four stars. This leads me to conclude there are a fair number of boneheads rating ball players. Not only is he arguably the best hitter in the history of the game (his only real competition is Williams, who is so close its hard to put either of them in first) but he was one of the best pitchers in the game for several years before converting to the outfield. Contrary to some opinions he was a solid defensive right fielder, at least until he got old, with decent range and an excellent arm. He was also, for many years, an aggressive and reasonably good baserunner. Add to that the great brawling, don't give a damn persona and showmanship, and you have the greatest player in the games history. And arguably, the greatest figure in American sporting history.

  • by

    canadasucks

    Sat Jul 07 2007

    There is a small but noticeable contingent of certain baseball fans who make the claim that the portly Ruth wouldn't be a good baseball player during other times in history. . .that doesn't hold water for me because people often forget that Ruth was almost as good as a pitcher as he was as a hitter. . .he held a record for scoreless World Series innings for several years. . .perhaps he isn't much compared to today's athletes when it comes to conditioning- but Ruth dominated the arts of hitting and pitching and must be considered a giant of the game. . .

  • by

    chrisrianna

    Sat Jul 07 2007

    Without a doubt the greatest baseball player of all-time. This guy for the first six years of his career was a pitcher who only hit when he pitched(most of the time) and still hit 49 homeruns over that six year span, can you see any other pitcher doing that, in any era. He won 20 games or more twice and 18 another season and set a World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings, I do not think any other player in the history of the game can say that. It took Hank Aaron 3,500 more at bats to break Ruth's 714 homeruns, thats like six full seasons. Ruth also finished with a career batting average of .342, which is incredible for such a great power hitter. The Babe might not be the all-time leader in homeruns but he is by far the most prolific homerun hitter of all-time and no one even comes close. He did this in the "deadball" era and the ballparks back then were a lot bigger than they are now, because everybody wants to see the longball today. He also did all of this with a bat tha... Read more

  • by

    edt4226d

    Tue Feb 13 2007

    I'm not, and never have been, a sports fan. And yet, in addition to John Dillinger and Iggy Pop, Babe Ruth was a hero of my childhood, even if my reverence for him was based solely on the pervasive mythology surrounding him (he loved kids, he was without pretensions, he played great baseball even after drinking enormous quantities of booze and eating hot dogs to the point of physical illness, the magnificent and emotional farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, etc.). Last time I was in Baltimore, his birthplace had been made into a museum (I wish they would do the same thing with Billie Holiday's house). I spent a large portion of my childhood in Wayne, NJ, and there used to be a restaurant in the area called Donohue's that Babe supposedly frequented because the owner always insured his privacy and protected him from intrusive fans. The place has been torn down for decades, and it had closed down long before I was born, but the abandoned building stood in the weeds alongside Rt. 23 for yea... Read more

  • by

    ben999

    Tue Feb 13 2007

    At one point in his career he was the most dominant hitter AND pitcher in the league. No other player you can even come close to saying that for. Hit 715 home runs on beer and hot dogs. The most celebrated athlete of all-time and rightfully so.

  • by

    oscargamblesfr_o

    Tue Feb 13 2007

    People like Willie Mays had more natural talent, and some of his records have been eclipsed. He played in a segregated league that wasn't as competitive as today. But no one in any league was ever as far ahead of the next guy than Ruth, who was first one of the best pitchers in the league and then proceeded to be far and away the best player in baseball for the 20's and into the 30's, successfully holding off legends like Cobb, Sisler, Hornsby, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, etc...And deep down, every straight guy in this country wishes he could go play baseball, and then drink about 65 beers, eat like 53 cheeseburgers, and then get laid night after night...In all seriousness, the most dominant player ever.

  • by

    lightfinger200_0

    Wed Dec 27 2006

    Some say Cobb was better but if you ask me,I would rather have a guy who could jog around 4 bases not steal 3 in hopes of scoring.Cobb may have a .360 lifetime avg.Ruth hit around .340,in reality there is not much difference between numbers once a player hits above .320.Ruth hitting over 700 home runs while hitting with such accuracy is much more impressive.Add in the fact he was a capable runner(even Cobb remarked how well "the big man" could run)and his pitching prowess, there are few players that even remotely can be named in the same sentence as Ruth as being the all time best.

  • by

    boonta23

    Sat Nov 11 2006

    He is underrated as a pitcher in his early days with the Boston Red Sox, but obviously took the game by storm in pinstripes with the Yankees. Not only could he hit home runs better than anyone in his day, he was a great contact hitter as well. When comparisons are made between historic and modern sluggers, you cannot debate without naming Babe Ruth.

  • by

    lillouie

    Sat Sep 30 2006

    who else could have led the world in homers or be one of the best pitchers of his time

  • by

    hgsfhgsf

    Sun Sep 17 2006

    He was TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!If Iwas his coach I would bench him!!!!

  • by

    andrewt

    Sat Jul 01 2006

    How can anyone not give the Babe 5 stars? Even if you don't know the game, look at those numbers. There was only a handful of teams and only the best players made the bigs, but Ruth towered over them all. For many, he is baseball.

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    brianmyers

    Sat May 20 2006

    Babe was a much better FIELDER than Ted Williams who's fielding skills were hidden by putting him against the Green Monster in Boston. That what puts him into first place.

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    ruthfan

    Mon May 15 2006

    Add tightly(!) wound balls, keep them pearly white instead of dingey, tobacco covered and soft as a sponge, greatly decrease the size of every ballpark in the league, lighten the weight of bats by 10-15 ounces thereby increasing bat-speed and vastly improving power, double the amount of teams in the league and add about 200 less-than-quality pitchers into the mix, toss in a strict exercise and weight training regimen possibly accompanied by some world-class steroids and amphetamines, and finally, add in 8 more games a year. Now. . . Throw in African American players (about 16% of MLB players today), as well as Latino and Asian players, toss in night games and heavier travel schedules, account for better fielding resulting from much better tended fields and superior equipment. Then. . . Consider that, for the first half of the century, every man and boy in the US was playing the game of baseball. This helped to contribute to an enormous domestic talent pool from which to dra... Read more

  • by

    techuop

    Mon Mar 27 2006

    Watching the Sandlot made me wish I was born 100 years ago, just so I could see the Babe play during his prime. I wish I was at the game where legend has it that he called his own shot. You dont see Barry Bonds pulling this off.

  • by

    gacuster

    Sun Dec 11 2005

    There is no question that Ruth is the best ever. As a pitcher, he won 94 games with a 2.28 ERA, and was 3-0 as a World Series pitcher for the Redsox. He also had back-to-back 20 game winning seasons. Who can hold a candle to Ruth as a slugger (.690 Slugging Average, nearly 60 points ahead of No 2 Williams). With a lifetime batting average of .342, 714 home runs, 2213 RBI's, and a 8.50 home run percentage, this man was unbelievable!

  • by

    robbo59

    Sun Nov 13 2005

    Without doubt the greatest baseball player who ever lived and is also without peer throughout the annals of sport. The most dominate player of his era and, had he continued to pitch, would almost certainly have made the Hall-of-Fame on the strength of his left arm. Swatting tape measure homeruns (a term invented early in his career to describe his mighty clouts) with a bat that could hardly be lifetd by mere mortals, The Babe put baseball on the map to stay. How much would a player of his impact be worth today? With his talent and marketability, he could possibly have become the first billionaire athlete. His staggering exploits are far too numerous to detail. The "Sultan of Swat" stands so high above the heads of his fellow baseball brethren that any list open to discussion of the game's greatest players can only realistically begin at number two. One of the quotes mentioned in Ken Burns' 10 part documentary on the history of baseball said that Babe Ruth stood above baseball like "an ... Read more

  • by

    numbah16tdhaha

    Mon Oct 17 2005

    He did all those thing on a beer and braut diet, too.

  • by

    pastorich

    Mon Oct 17 2005

    Ruth had a home run record that lasted 34 years. (60 in a season) Ruth had another home run record that lasted 39 years. (714 in a career) RUTH ALSO HAD A PITCHING RECORD THAT LASTED 43 YEARS. (33 consecutive scoreless World Series innings) What was Cobb's ERA? Hmmmmmm How many did Koufax hit out? Hmmmmmmm. How many batters did Bonds fan? Hmmmmmm! No Doubt About It! The Babe's # 1!

  • by

    john_candy

    Mon Sep 26 2005

    So good they named a candy bar after him. It's a pretty good chunk a chocolate too. A+ in my book.

  • by

    sabasimba

    Sat Jul 02 2005

    If he'd played anywhere other than NYC, he would have been considered just another very good player. Legend is larger than the man...

  • by

    gb4life

    Mon May 09 2005

    great player but a drunk

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    john4283

    Mon Mar 07 2005

    The original slugging superstar, Ruth bashed 714 long balls, the second most in MLB history. The 1923 American League MVP (players couldn't receive honors until 1930), Babe led the league at least 10 times in home runs, runs, walks, and on-base and slugging percentage. He had a .342 career batting average and hit .326 in 10 World Series.

  • by

    james76255

    Sun Jan 23 2005

    It makes me laugh when I hear people say things like All he did was hit homeruns. No, all people talk about is Ruth hutting homeruns and all the highlights you ever see is Ruth hitting homeruns, but he did much more than that. A younger Ruth led the league in triples once or twice (going from memory on that, could be wrong) and was a decent fielder. People also seem to forget that Ruth started out as a pitcher and was a pretty darm good one. Yes, he ate to much, he drank to much, and he partied to much, but the fact that he could do all those things and still dominate the sport says just how good he was. As far as homeruns, even if that was all there was to the man, he was hitting 50 and 60 when 10 or 15 was considered a lot.

  • by

    proballer22

    Fri Dec 31 2004

    this guy is better than everyone else without all the crap they have now adays. By far the best ever.

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    tallncuteguy

    Fri Dec 17 2004

    A MONSTER!! Clearly the best of all time. Bonds is second with an asterick because of the steriods. If Ruth, Aaron, Mays had steriods fuggetaboutit!!

  • by

    emerger

    Thu Oct 07 2004

    If more people knew about the pitching talent of Ruth, he would easily be #1 on this board.

  • by

    lgherig

    Sun Sep 26 2004

    Best all around hitter of all time, and could have been one of the best pitchers of all time. We'll never see another playr like him.

  • by

    sarissia

    Wed Sep 15 2004

    Babe Ruth was a fat man with little girl legs

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    onehungrymonst_er

    Tue Aug 24 2004

    THE BEST of all time.

  • by

    cindyo

    Fri Aug 13 2004

    Babe Ruth was one of only two people to hit three home runs in a World Series game. He played 163 games as a pitcher with a wining percentage of 67%, which makes him one of the best left-handed pitches the game has ever known. He was also the outstanding outfielder of his time and one of the best in baseball history. But even with those things, he was more known as a home-run hitter because in 1927 he set a record for hitting more than 60 homeruns in 154 games! In his lifetime he had 714 home runs in regular-season play. He is one of the greatest players of all time.

  • by

    stangg

    Wed Aug 11 2004

    GREATEST ATHELETE EVER. This isn't even arguable ONE SINGLE BIT. This guy would of been in the Hall of Fame alone just for his pitching ALONE. He played in the Dead Ball Era and probbobly would have a lot more Homeruns then Hank Aaron all time had if Babe Ruth had not of been a pitcher through a chunk of his career. He single handedly set the foundation of what is known as the greatest (yet most hated) dynasty in the MLB, the YANKEES. Babe Ruth is a LEGEND

  • by

    rich_davis

    Tue Aug 10 2004

    Let there be no doubt who the greatest is. Hail to the Bambino!

  • by

    beatlesfanstev_eo

    Mon Aug 09 2004

    Yea I have to admit he is one of the greatest players of all time. He ruled the game at his time he was home run king up until henry Aaron broke his record. Although I believe Teddy Ballgame would have been better if he didnt serve his time in our armed forces.

  • by

    stevepi

    Sun Aug 08 2004

    In 1919, the last year of the dead ball era the Boston Red Sox as a team hit 33 home runs. Babe Ruth hit 29 of them. Now I'm supposed to be impressed with these modern day sluggers all bulked on on anabolic steroids and who knows what else. The Babe was one of a kind in the annals of American sport. There will never be another one like him. He could have made it to the Hall of Fame either as a pitcher or a position player. Just more evidence of his one of a kind greatness.

  • by

    jglscd35

    Mon Jul 26 2004

    great hitter, great pitcher. i would take a star away because of the curse of the bambino, but he's babe ruth.

  • by

    rosco8484

    Sun Jul 25 2004

    George Herman Babe Ruth was an American original, Babeball first great slugger and the most celebrated athlete of his time. The southpaw hurler debuted with the Red Sox, winning 89 games in six years while setting the World Series record for consecutive scorless innings. The Sultan of Swat converted to the outfield fulltime after his contract was sold to the Yankees in 1920 and led New York to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He finished with 714 home runs, leading the league 12 times, including a remarkable 60 round trippers in 1927. Babe Ruth was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

  • by

    eschewobfuscat_ion

    Fri Jul 23 2004

    All the records will fall someday, one to this insignificant guy, that to another. But nobody stirred the drink like the Babe. The Babe should be off this list, above it. Then you can start naming the best like Williams, Cobb, DiMaggio, Mantle, Bonds, Rose, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Yaz, Aaron, Clemente, etc. After Ruth, it's pretty much up for grabs. Babe Ruth IS baseball. (Side note: After hearing Gehrig's comments on Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium, the day Lou was retiring, Ruth said later, I always thought I was the luckiest fella that ever slud safe into the 20th Century. )

  • by

    swangmaster8

    Tue Jul 06 2004

    one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He did it all, pitching, fielding, he did it all and he was good at it.

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    rollinglover

    Sat Jun 26 2004

    the best baseball player ever!