I WAS THERE!
On May 25th, 1935, Babe Ruth hit home run #714 off Pittsburgh’s Guy Bush.
On May 28th, 2006, I WAS THERE! And Barry Bonds hit home run #715!!!!!!!!!!
It Couldn’t Be Done
By Edgar Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be the one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “couldn’t be done,” and you’ll do it.
from Collected Verse of Edgar Guest
NY:Buccaneer Books, 1976, pg. 285
Barry Bonds Bonds vs. Babe Ruth? continued…
Here are a few comments from Network newsletter readers regarding last issue you’ll recall I ran a “Letter to the Editor” which read…
Bonds vs. Ruth? No Comparison
What an outrage it is to compare Barry Bonds’ batting statistics to those of Babe Ruth. All of Bonds’ hitting achievements have been accomplished against the best competition available during the time he has played. Ruth routinely did not compete against the best players of his era because of the color line. How many of Ruth’s 714 home runs would have been lost if he regularly faced a Satchel Paige in his prime or some other talented Negro League pitchers? Sadly we will never know.
In reply, I received a few interesting responses including J. Stacks from of all places Canada who wrote in to say…
“Ruth never faced any foreign players. Today 40% of the players are from other countries.”
However, Dan O’Neill of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH wrote:
There’s no comparison. When Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs it was more than every other team in the American League… The Bambino loved attention, thrived on his celebrity, swung as hard off the field as he did on. He was a superstar when that meant something, before television started concocting superstars. If anything, Ruth had too much fun being a baseball player. When a reporter once informed him he was making more than President Calvin Coolidge, Ruth commented, “Well, I had a better year than he did!” He (Bonds) will pass Ruth, maybe Aaron. But he doesn’t measure up to either one.”
Fred A. of Albany, California wrote…
“You might also note that Babe Ruth never hit any home runs under the lights. They only played day games back then. Also Ruth didn’t have coast-to-coast travel. St. Louis was the southernmost team and the westernmost team.”
Bill Straw from New Jersey wrote:
“Babe Ruth drank a lot of booze, Barry did steroids… Think of what the Bambino could have done with a clear head or how Barry would have done as a normal player. It’s not about race, it’s about God-given talent…”
JL wrote:
Gentlemen,
“Ruth vs. Bonds” makes sense only if you could show that black pitchers have a substantially better ERA over white pitchers. Otherwise your heart is leading your analysis or you are “smoking something” from an analytical point of view. When we come to a conclusion there has to be intellectual integrity and we cannot cherry pick the facts to serve our end feelings. Respectfully, JL
Jill Miller from Mississippi wrote:
How many of Bonds’ home runs would have been accomplished if he hadn’t taken drugs!! You are correct; it’s an outrage to compare Bonds to Ruth because Ruth accomplished what he did without cheating.
The Babe was a one of a kind and the player everyone loves, including me. But, I wonder if they all loved him way back when or does history soften opinion of legends. If you are old enough to remember email me and let me know.
I’m proud of our local legend, Barry Bonds, the player many seem to love to hate. I read where the 19-year-old boy who caught #714 said, “I really don’t care for the guy.” Now, this ball will pay for the young man’s college education. But, he really doesn’t care for the guy. My guess is he never met him. He also never met my Mom who said, “If you don’t have something nice to say – don’t say anything at all.” I have never met Barry Bonds either but a good book I read recently said to defend the absent and I don’t think he reads my newsletter, although he might now. In our great country he’s innocent until proven guilty and he’s never admitted using steroids. Remember that Psychologists say we have a healthy personality to the degree to which we look for the good in other people. As for me, as I said, I’m proud of our local legend, our San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds.
Back to regular business next issue…
Warm Regards,
Joe Pelayo
Joe Pelayo, C.P.C.
Joseph Michaels International
Global Recruiting Solutions
800-786-1099
Email: jpelayo@josephmichaels.com
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