BRONX, Y – The name Babe Ruth has been used as a measuring stick with anything that has to do with greatness. The Babe Ruth of hockey Wayne Gretzky, the Babe Ruth of basketball, Michael Jordan, the Babe Ruth of soccer, Pele, are just some.
The “Bambino’s” name has been on neutral when it comes to being the best if you listen to today’s generation. Names like Shohei Ohtani and Barry Bonds are the first names that come to mind when they’re asked the question of who’s the greatest baseball player of all time?
In this clueless nation that we live in, the name Babe Ruth has not been passed on thru the last couple of generations. It starts with the demolition of Yankee Stadium. After the 2008 season, “The House That Ruth Built” which stood since 1923, was torn down. It was replaced by a park for the community with two baseball fields in the middle of it. The park was originally named Heritage Field and has since been renamed Elston Howard Field. The N.Y. Yankees, who have the most storied history in any of the major sports, have no statue of “the Babe” anywhere around their new stadium. Other teams glorify their greatest by way of statues. The Pittsburgh Pirates have Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell in full bronze. The Atlanta Braves paid homage to Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn and Phil Niekro, while the Cincinnati Reds practically have the whole Big Red Machine outside their stadium.
Babe Ruth is a thing of the past to the Bronx Bombers franchise as Aaron Judge is drilled into their fanbase as being their greatest slugger. The time is now to re-light the torch and pass it around to today’s weed smokers and Instagram junkies to remind them that Babe Ruth is the best.
For years his name lived on and his bat made it clear when he hit the first ever home run in the debut Yankee Stadium back in 1923. Can anyone today remember who hit the first home run in the new Yankee Stadium way back in 2009?
