Ronald Reagan played pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander; he also played President for eight years.
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Sometimes I wish I could have been alive in the days when the Babe played ball. Seems like a better time, in some respects.
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Ruth had it right. The republicans brought this country to its knees in 1929 and the Great Depression ensued. FDR and the SEC stopped the Wall St. criminals and there was a near fifty year run of prosperity until the Reagan years when the regulations were ignored. Followed by the laissez-faire approach to Wall St. of the W. Bush years that brought the country to its knees once again and encouraged the Wall St. thieves, the real-estate thieves , and the ultimate thief, Bernard Madoff , to steal 40% of the world's wealth.
There's no question that the Babe had a better year than Hoover in 1929, but the truth is that Eddie Gaedel had a better year in one game than the GOP has had in the past 150 years.
There's no question that the Babe had a better year than Hoover in 1929, but the truth is that Eddie Gaedel had a better year in one game than the GOP has had in the past 150 years.
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“No poor boy can go any too high in this world to suit me.”
I suppose the Babe realized at the end that no matter how high that poor boy went, it would always be a game of Chutes and Ladders, with an invisible class system loading the dice.
I suppose the Babe realized at the end that no matter how high that poor boy went, it would always be a game of Chutes and Ladders, with an invisible class system loading the dice.
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Wow. Always? No poor boy can make good? Thats a little harsh.
And I'm not sure how invisible the class system is.
And I'm not sure how invisible the class system is.
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Very cool article. The photo with the man who became "41" is especially interesting. It really is remarkable how often famous people tend to find one another in history, even if the younger of the two won't become so well known for another 20-30 years.
For someone who did all of what he did (at least the parts we know about; Ruth was well-protected by a mostly adoring press in those days), it remains astounding to see how productive he was at the plate at the age of 37. Some of his decline was concealed by a very favorable hitting environment, but the Babe still finished second and third in OPS+ in '32 and '33 respectively. Maybe most remarkable of all, at the age of 39, his 5.1 WAR was eighth best among position players, in his last season in New York.
For someone who did all of what he did (at least the parts we know about; Ruth was well-protected by a mostly adoring press in those days), it remains astounding to see how productive he was at the plate at the age of 37. Some of his decline was concealed by a very favorable hitting environment, but the Babe still finished second and third in OPS+ in '32 and '33 respectively. Maybe most remarkable of all, at the age of 39, his 5.1 WAR was eighth best among position players, in his last season in New York.
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