Baseball purists already know who should (and will) be featured as today's player. That's not my dilemna. No, the decision becomes which of the other EIGHT Hall of Famers and/or few other modern day players (of whom I have their baseball cards....) are named honorable mention. I believe today's post will be the blog equivalent of "function over form." Sure I would love to be able to post a photo of one of my cards, but for the second day in a row, I shall forego my own vanity and focus on the true stars of the past.
"Who is this Baby Ruth, and what does she do?" - George Bernard Shaw
George Herman Ruth wore number 3 for the New York Yankees. (Note to Red Sox fans, I would love to give him credit for wearing number 3 for Boston, but alas, in his final season in Beantown (1919) the Red Sox, as most teams, were not displaying numbers on jerseys.) This hot dog eating, cigar smoking, reform school graduate, son of a Baltimore bartender, who never grew up and suffered from "The Bellyache Heard 'Round The World" became the most feared hitter ever in major league baseball. For the novices who read my blog, Babe was also a VERY accomplished pitcher before playing full time in the outfield. 
Ruth's legacy has lasted longer than probably any other athlete who has played the game. He retired in 1935, died in 1948, and as late as 1999 Ruth received such accolades as being ranked number one on The Sporting News Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, and being named to MLB's All Century Team.His statistics are easily found on the web, so I won't bore you with listing all of his records and accomplishments here. So what DID Baby Ruth do? No, he did NOT have a candy bar named after him. Rather, he single handidly saved baseball in a Paul Bunyan-esque way after MLB had reached a low point with the Black Sox scandal in 1919. He was innocent (well, at least he started that way), marketable, and Ruth was what the public wanted in the 20s - he ate too much, he played too much, and he hit too much! Whatever he did, it worked - to this day he is still recognized as (arguably) the greatest player who played the game. THAT'S what Baby Ruth did!
Oh, and he also built a House.....
Runner up has to be Jimmie Foxx, and not just to appease my Red Sox fans. Foxx played for
four teams from 1925-45, primarily the Philadelphia A's and the Red Sox. The three time AL MVP was the youngest (at the time, passed by A-Rod) to reach the 500 HR plateau. He was a 9 time All Star, but keep in the first All Star game (in which he played) didn't exist until 1933. He finished his career with a .325 average, 534 home runs, and 1,922 RBI. His 175 RBI in 1938 still ranks as fourth best ever in history (behind Hack Wilson, Lou Gehrig, and Hank Greenberg). Foxx was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.
four teams from 1925-45, primarily the Philadelphia A's and the Red Sox. The three time AL MVP was the youngest (at the time, passed by A-Rod) to reach the 500 HR plateau. He was a 9 time All Star, but keep in the first All Star game (in which he played) didn't exist until 1933. He finished his career with a .325 average, 534 home runs, and 1,922 RBI. His 175 RBI in 1938 still ranks as fourth best ever in history (behind Hack Wilson, Lou Gehrig, and Hank Greenberg). Foxx was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.Honorable mention has to go to Harmon Killebrew and Heinie Manush, who, while is a member of the Hall of Fame, has to get the nod for honorable mention based soley on his name.
I'm appeased.
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