[Bernard]

An amazing thread. I remember arguments like this many years ago with my friends about who was the best baseball player; what would have happened if black players could play in the majors; what about Latin Americans; what if Japan had taken up baseball in the 1930's instead of imperialism...

One thing for sure; only one pitcher can pitch at a time, and only one batter can bat at the same time.

Comparing one era in a sport to another is good fun, but the real measure of a player's greatness is who remembers him after the game changes and the current heroes change.

How many kids today can identify which sport George Mikan played, let alone which team he played for?

How about Sam Huff? (I would have said Ray Nitzche, but I can't spell his name.)

Babe Ruth will be a legend for a long time, and has been a legend for a long time already. And that's because he was the dominant player of his time. There is no house that Jordan built. Comparing a mortal like Barry Bonds to Babe Ruth might keep people busy for a while, but it's not fair to Barry Bonds.

[PerConPat]

Babe Ruth will be a legend for a long time, and has been a legend for a long time already. And that's because he was the dominant player of his time.

Thanks for the thoughtful post. In my book, Babe will always be the dominant player, but that doesn't take anything away from the rest of the greats. Bonds' standing is in serious jeopardy not just for his involvement with mystery creams etc., but for a personality that denies him "guy" status in a sport dominated by "guys." Let's face it the Babe was tops in that department as well as in lots of the stats.