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To: Vigilanteman
"Polo Grounds"

A writer named Bill Jenkinson calculated that Babe Ruth would have hit over 100 homeruns in 1921 had he played in modern-dimensioned ballparks. Pitchers would throw balls outside the strike zone, and Ruth would swing at them. Because frequently those were the only balls he could reach. Many pitchers refused to throw him a hittable ball in the strike zone. He still clocked a number of them hitting quite a few over 450 to left-center and centerfield at the old Grounds. Most were just easy fly balls as the centerfield fence was 490 ft away.

71 posted on 06/21/2012 6:26:03 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: driftless2
Nobody bettered the Babe. Nobody.

Anytime these modern people start prattling about the greatness of Aaron or Bonds or whomever might have exceed his record, they not only forget about the years he played in the Polo Grounds with that astronomically deep center field, they also forget that he played the first quarter of his career as a pitcher and a damn fine one at that.

I tell the prattlers to multiply every career offensive statistic by at least 1.25 and name me any other position player who would have made the Hall of Fame as a pitcher.

73 posted on 06/21/2012 6:40:56 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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