The man with the idea, Stanley Klos was quoted as saying, "One of the biggest attractions in Baltimore is Babe Ruth's home. Experts in the field believe [Wagner] was a much better player than Babe Ruth."
The anecdotal evidence suggests that Wagner wasn't just a five-point player, he was the best player in the league in every point: batting for average, power, running, fielding and throwing. He was also a great guy to have in the clubhouse. Wagner is my personal favorite old-time great because he was everything I wasn't. I looked like a pretty good athlete while Wagner was barrel-chested, bowel-legged and a had a huge schnozz. In a pick-up basketball game, I'd probably get chosen before Wagner, even though Wagner was ten-times the athlete.
I think Ruth was the greater offensive force and a better pitcher by far. I think if one of these guys is worth a million dollars, the other guy is worth 990,000. FWIW and IMHO, Ruth was the million dollar player.
I think Ruth's teammates liked him. Mainly because they liked winning lots of games and getting to the World Series. And the Bambino was not exactly Barry Bonds like in attitude.
Something interesting coming out of Ruth's baseball reference page: His performance in the 1922 World Series. I wonder if today's media would've given him the A-Rod treatment for that.
I think Ruth was the greater offensive force and a better pitcher by far. I think if one of these guys is worth a million dollars, the other guy is worth 990,000. FWIW and IMHO, Ruth was the million dollar player.
He was injured in the 1921 Series and his whole 1922 season was a mess.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.