Babe Ruth
Birth name: George Herman Ruth
Born: February 6, 1895 Baltimore, Maryland
Died August 16, 1948 New York, New York
The greatest sports legend in the history of baseball and an enduring American icon, George Herman "babe" Ruth holds such a vast catalog of all-time baseball records, his legacy in the game will live on forever. Consider some of these historic statistics: -714 career home runs (2nd all time) -60 home runs in the 1927 season (2nd all-time) -Led the American League in home runs 12 times -8 time American League runs leader -6 time American League RBI leader -Led the American League in slugging home runs a whopping 13 times -Member of the original 5 inductees if the Hall of Fame class of 1936
"...and no player has held onto the nation's affection longer. George Herman 'Babe' Ruth - who mixed a batsman's steely gaze and a happy-go-lucky lifestyle - tops a USA TODAY reader's poll as the greatest sports star of all time." ...Mel Antonen
"... I've seen them; kids, men, women, worshippers all, hoping to get his name on a torn, dirty piece of paper, or hoping for a grunt of recognition when they said, 'Hi-ya, Babe.' He never let them down; not once. He was the greatest crowd pleasure of them all." ...Waite Hoyt, teammate
Growing up in Baltimore, trouble-maker Babe gave little indication that he was headed for immortality. Twenty seasons later, "Sultan of Swat" was arguably more recognizable and certainly better paid than the presidents who served during his career. The "Bambinos" death did little to temper the affection and Admiration three generations of baseball fans feel for him. As the Yankee Stadium monument so aptly describes him: Babe Ruth "A Great Ball Player. A Great Man. A Great American."