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Babe Ruth's contribution to American history
Babe Ruth's contribution to American history
Changes in baseball over the years
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“If it wasn’t for baseball, I’d be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.” (Pettinger,Tejavan) This quote from George Herman Ruth Jr. explains how the sports baseball changed his life. Throughout Ruth’s childhood he faced a tremendous amount of tragedies. Ruth had a troublesome childhood he came from a family of German American immigrants. He had to over came the deaths of six siblings and being sent to a catholic orphanage. Although Ruth had to over come a troublesome child hood he is one of the most influential athletes in American history because of his dedication to the sport baseball. (Biography Online) George Herman Ruth Jr. was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth was raised in a poor water front neighborhood in …show more content…
He was one of the star players on the Boston Red Socks line up. December 1919 he was sold to the New York Yankees for $100,000 (Wood,Allan). Ruth’s talent had began to shine he became the best hitter and pitcher anyone’s ever seen. He had beat a record of fifty-four home runs and by 1921 he had a batting record of .846 his success had made an impact on peoples opinion about the game baseball. Ruth had accomplished so much he had transformed the New York Yankees into a very successful base ball team. In 1923 the team had moved stadiums and it became known to be the house that Babe Ruth Built. The Yankees had won seven pennants and four world series titles they became know as the best baseball team with Ruth in the lead for sixty home runs (Rosenberg,Jennifer). Outside of baseball Ruth had been known for his extravagant life style , he had been a very heavy drinker which would soon take a great impact on his health. As well as living a promiscuous life Ruth would spend his time giving back. Ruth made time to visits local hospitals and charities; he would provide advice and encouragement to young fans. He had also given money to Brother Mathias in return for being a father figure and introducing him into the game. By the 1920’s Ruth had been very successful he had risen from poverty and changed peoples perceptions on the sport baseball. Ruth’s success had impacted peoples life he had become a very inspiring role
Babe Ruth is still a very well-known person in history today, even almost one-hundred years later. He did not only change the way people viewed negro baseball leagues, but he also gained a large reputation for his ability to play baseball, obviously due to his amazing abilities. Ruth’s ability to play was almost impossibly good, in fact, he was even titled “athlete of the century” for his ability. With that ability and power that he had once he won, he would become a
But a sports writer named Tris Speaker thought that maybe he should have stayed as a pitcher when he joined the Yankees when he said this, “Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week, he might have lasted a long time and become a great star. After Babe’s first year with the Yankees, he already looked like he was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime talent. He brought so much power to the plate and so much excitement to the game, it was unreal. In his first year with the Yankees, he had a .376 batting average with a insane 54 homeruns, the most ever in a season by a player. That wasn’t the only year he set the homerun record. The next year he hit 59 homeruns, and then he hit 60 homeruns in 1927. In Nine years with the Yankees so far, Ruth as a .355 batting average and an enormous amount of homeruns with 467. Teammates have loved playing with Ruth, including one teammate Lefty Gomez, as he said this, ”No one hit homeruns the way Babe did. They were something special. They were like homing pigeons. The ball would leave the bat, pause briefly, suddenly gain its bearings then take off for the
For many years now, my biggest influencer has been Roberto Clemente, who played Major League Baseball in the 60’s and 70’s. Roberto Walker Clemente was born the youngest of seven children to Melchor and Luisa Clemente in Puerto Rico on August 18, 1934. Although growing up poor in Barrio San Anton in Carolina, he was happy and remained very close to his family and to his country and its inhabitants throughout his entire life. Roberto was an industrious young man and worked various odd jobs including milk delivery. He began playing baseball with his brothers and friends and was eventually signed for forty dollars a month by a professional hardball team in the Puerto Rican town of Santurce. His natural ability got him recognized by a Dodger scout and he was signed in 1954 to a minor league team in Montreal. His
Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie (McGriff) and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew (nicknamed "Mack"), and Willa Mae.[8][9][10] His middle name was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt, who died 25 days before Robinson was born.[11][12] After Robinson's father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California.[13][14][15]
Albert Pujols said, “Baseball was an outlet for him to be able to do that, and he had some special talent to go through what he did and still set an example for others. You cannot replace it.”
Ruth hit 714 home runs all together (“Babe Ruth's Effect on American Culture”). Some of his greatest accomplishments are: he was a 7-time World Series champion, member of Major League Baseball’s All Century Team, voted Athlete of the Century by the Associated Press, ESPN Sports Century - #2 Athlete of the 20th Century, named the Greatest baseball player of all time by The Sporting News, and named the Greatest baseball player of the 20th Century by Sports
Throughout the course of American history, there have been copious amounts of famous speeches, spoken by many different people. From political figures to sports players; these people have provided deep thoughts and great insights about who they are and the world we live in today. Being a sports enthusiast, a memorable speech comes to my mind. Lou Gehrig’s “farewell speech”, given on July 4th, 1939, to more than 62,000 fans at New York City’s Yankee Stadium, has become a cornerstone in the history of baseball in America. Lou Gehrig is considered one of the most under-rated sports players of all time. Gehrig played in the same era with greats like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. In Fact, Gehrig played on the same team and actually batted behind Ruth and DiMaggio. Gehrig’s nickname is the “Iron Horse,” which came about with Gehrig’s amazing consecutive games played streak. Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive games, which stood as the consecutive games record until just recently broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. Gehrig died in 1941, at the age of 37. Though many famous speeches have been spoken throughout time, Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech has remained one of the most memorable speeches of all time, due to the way he captivated his fans with the use of rhetoric.
Jackie Robinson’s ability to successfully integrate his sport set the stage for many others to advocate for an end to segregation in their respective environments. His period of trials and triumphs were significant to changing American perception of the Civil Rights revolution. By becoming the first African-American baseball player to play in the major leagues, he brought down an old misconception that black athletes were inferior to white athletes. Successively, his example would inspire those advocating for their civil rights, he lived out a message of nonviolence similar to the one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived out. Despite the constant prejudice he faced in his sport, he was able to keep himself composed and never retaliate.
While many questions in baseball can be argued over and over without result, the question of who is the greatest Yankee is a simple one. Babe Ruth is undeniably the greatest Yankee of all time. Beyond simple being a great Yankee Rader refers to Ruth as being a “pivotal figure in establishing the greatest dynasty in baseball history, that of the New York Yankees”. Babe Ruth forever changed the game; his hitting ability inspired not just baseball players but also the nation. Beyond the numbers, we can gauge Ruth’s greatness through looking at the longevity of his fame. Even today Babe Ruth is a household name and more recognizable then any other historic baseball player. As Ruth acquired his slugging average of .847, he was able to personify the American dream.
son of George Herman Ruth, Sr. and Kate Ruth. George took the name of Herman at
Babe Ruth was a reckless, abandoned child who became America's biggest hero. Babe Ruth's parents did not have the time to take care of him, but little did George Ruth Sr. know that when he was shipping his son off to boarding school, he was pushing one of America's greatest idols out of his life (http://www.baberuth.com). Ruth never received strict parenting until he attended St. Mary's where he began to straighten out. After he became a main stream ball player he began to attract the attention of many fans with the frequency of his homeruns. Ruth hit his prime just after a time of crisis for professional baseball (http://www.baberuth.com). Now Babe is still praised for his accomplishments and for his contribution to the game of baseball and life of Americans. Ruth became America's greatest hero because he gave Americans hope in times of scandal and hardship, he reignited excitement in baseball, and he embodied the American Dream, where anyone can work his way from humble beginnings to great success.
A radio crackles in a 1947 living room on game day and the whole room groans. The room is worried they are going to miss something important. Baseball was the all American game. Kids played baseball outdoors until their parents had to drag them home to go to bed. Baseball was part of the community, whether you were black or white. Jackie Robinson was the first player to break that wall of baseball segregation. Dodger’s 1947 player number 42 Jackie Robinson was an American icon. He was someone that kids could look up to, not just because the color of his skin but that he was a great ball player.
The New York Yankees of 1927 were a high-powered machine lead by some of the greats of all time in baseball. This baseball team was composed of seven Hall of Famers, six players including: Earle Combs, George Herman (Babe Ruth), Lou Gehrig, Herb Pennock, Tony, Lazzeri, and Waite Hoyt, and their Manager, Miller Higgins. (New York Yankees Hall of Fame Register, 70) The team had a no-mercy philosophy and had a sense of confidence exceptionally high noted by Babe Ruth: "It was murder, we never even worried five or six runs behind. Wham! Wham! Wham! And wham! No matter who was pitching." The 1920's were an "economic boom for Americans. Now people had more time on their hands with the inventions such as the car and other household products. Those who chose not to be swept up in the Jazz revolution chose to lose themselves in sporting events during the '20s. (Marshall, 1) The newfound confidence propelled the 1927 Yankees to embody the spirit of the 1920's.
Jackie (Robinson), we’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owners, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans will be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I’m doing this because you are a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman. (Quoted in Giants of Baseball, Gutman, Rickey)
Hank Aaron was a famous baseball player who was respectful to his teammates and his fans. His nickname was “Hammerin’ Hank”. At one time he led the league in the most home runs. He was born in a poor family and then grew up to be a great professional baseball player. He became one of the most admired baseball players in Major League history.