04 Dec 06
Originally posted by badmoonI don't think that Babe Ruth was the most dominant player of any sport - look up the batting record in Cricket of Don Bradman. - Now HE dominated the sport of Cricket with batting records - puts Babe Ruth, who was good, in the shade !!!
Come on, Babe Ruth. Most dominant player of any professional sport.
Teddie Ballgame and any others mentioned here were great, but none dominated like the Babe. Not EVEN close.
05 Dec 06
4 edits
Originally posted by dpgilesGotta give Bradman his due:
I don't think that Babe Ruth was the most dominant player of any sport - look up the batting record in Cricket of Don Bradman. - Now HE dominated the sport of Cricket with batting records - puts Babe Ruth, who was good, in the shade !!!
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bradman
"Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (August 27, 1908 — February 25, 2001), often called The Don, was an Australian cricketer who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and is one of Australia's most popular sporting heroes. His Test batting average of 99.94 is by some measures the greatest statistical performance of all time in any major sport. By way of comparison, the second, third and fourth best Test averages are 76.56, 60.97 and 60.83. This disparity between the best and the second best exceeds that in (sic) other sports, and suggests that Bradman may be considered the greatest athlete of all time... "
Of course, I had to look up what was meant by "Test Averages", and found this article on "Test Cricket" :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_cricket
I had to laugh though, when I got to this part of the article:
"Test cricket is played between two teams over five days, with three two-hour sessions per day. (Sessions are usually interspersed with a 40-minute break for lunch and 20-minute break for afternoon tea.) "
Break for Lunch?? Afternoon TEA??
Also from the Bradman article:
" ... In 2000, Bradman was selected by a distinguished panel of experts as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. Each member of the panel selected five cricketers, and Bradman was the only player to be named by all 100 correspondents. The other four cricketers selected for the honour were Sir Garfield Sobers (90 votes), Sir Jack Hobbs (30 votes), Shane Warne (27 votes) and Sir Vivian Richards (25 votes). Some members of the panel commented that two of the five votes cast would be effectively wasted, as they had to be cast for Bradman and Sobers... "
06 Dec 06
Originally posted by TheBloopBradman may have been a decent croquet player, but when it came to baseball he was just another fan; happy enough to dress up in a "real" baseball uniform but when he was given the chance to bat he "begged" to be excused.
Gotta give Bradman his due:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bradman
[b]"Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (August 27, 1908 — February 25, 2001), often called The Don, was an Australian cricketer who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and is one of Australia's most popular sporting heroes. His Test batting average of 99. ...[text shortened]... would be effectively wasted, as they had to be cast for Bradman and Sobers... "[/b]
06 Dec 06
1 edit
Originally posted by TheBloopCheck out this picture of him trying to shake Babe Ruth's hand.
Gotta give Bradman his due:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bradman
[b]"Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (August 27, 1908 — February 25, 2001), often called The Don, was an Australian cricketer who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and is one of Australia's most popular sporting heroes. His Test batting average of 99. would be effectively wasted, as they had to be cast for Bradman and Sobers... "[/b]
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/bradman/scrapbooks/14/bsb14295.htm
His tiny little hand looks effeminate next to the Babe's
06 Dec 06
Originally posted by dpgilesOutside of your beknighted island, nobody's ever heard of this "Bradman" fellow. I'm sure he thrilled the locals with his prowess at such a provincial sport, but I'm afraid he's just not in the same league as the mighty Babe Ruth.
I don't think that Babe Ruth was the most dominant player of any sport - look up the batting record in Cricket of Don Bradman. - Now HE dominated the sport of Cricket with batting records - puts Babe Ruth, who was good, in the shade !!!
06 Dec 06
Originally posted by rwingettHow do you figure cricket to be provincial and baseball not?
Outside of your beknighted island, nobody's ever heard of this "Bradman" fellow. I'm sure he thrilled the locals with his prowess at such a provincial sport, but I'm afraid he's just not in the same league as the mighty Babe Ruth.
Cricket is played largely in Commonwealth countries that's true, but this includes a pretty significant portion of the world's population - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, the islands of the Carribean (which we call collectively the West Indies), Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent some other European, African and American nations.
I'm not sure I'd call that provincial.
Amongst that (rather large) collection of nations, Bradman is well recognised.
As I've said before why try to compare what is essentially incomparable. Babe Ruth excelled at Baseball. Don Bradman excelled at Cricket.
What's the problem?
07 Dec 06
Originally posted by Red NightLOL you're right...
Check out this picture of him trying to shake Babe Ruth's hand.
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/bradman/scrapbooks/14/bsb14295.htm
His tiny little hand looks effeminate next to the Babe's
That is a remarkable picture... players who were the best in their sports didn't meet very often in those days, espeically when the sports were played on two different continents...
You gotta figure that neither one of them really, really knew about the exploits of the other... I would guess that Bradman knew more about Ruth than vice versa.... that picture was from 1932, while Ruth was still an active player ... The Babe would make his final World Series appearance that year, against the Cubs.. if it was taken in New York, perhaps Ruth was attending a Dodger or Giant game...
That was the year of the 'called shot'... and in the called shot game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, what's less well know is the fact that Ruth actually hit two home runs in that game, and so did Lou Gehrig.
07 Dec 06
Originally posted by TheBloopYou're right that is the year of the "called shot."
LOL you're right...
That is a remarkable picture... players who were the best in their sports didn't meet very often in those days, espeically when the sports were played on two different continents...
You gotta figure that neither one of them really, really knew about the exploits of the other... I would guess that Bradman knew more about Ruth than v ...[text shortened]... know is the fact that Ruth actually hit two home runs in that game, and so did Lou Gehrig.
I'm also intrigued as to why Ruth was in street clothes.
Ruth appeared in 133 games in 1932, so maybe he was hurt?
Still strange that he wouldn't have been in the dug out.
Maybe it was a staged picture after or before the game?
07 Dec 06
Originally posted by Red NightYeah, that was my other thought, is that maybe Ruth was hurt and not in the Yankee dugout (if this was taken at a Yankee game)... or, Ruth could have been attending a Giants game, or a Dodgers game, as both of those teams were playing in New York at that time.
You're right that is the year of the "called shot."
I'm also intrigued as to why Ruth was in street clothes.
Ruth appeared in 133 games in 1932, so maybe he was hurt?
Still strange that he wouldn't have been in the dug out.
Maybe it was a staged picture after or before the game?
07 Dec 06
3 edits
Originally posted by TheBloopYou got me thinking and I went looking for more info. According to a book about the tour, When Bradman Came to Canada, the meeting took place at Yankee Stadium. And again, it is supposed to have occurred in "Babe Ruth's Private Box."
Yeah, that was my other thought, is that maybe Ruth was hurt and not in the Yankee dugout (if this was taken at a Yankee game)... or, Ruth could have been attending a Giants game, or a Dodgers game, as both of those teams were playing in New York at that time.
Also according to that book, Bradman said the following: "cricket could learn a lot from baseball. There is more snap and dash to baseball"
Well spoken, Mr. Bradman.
07 Dec 06
1 edit
More: Bradman was married in April of that year. He arrived in Vancouver on June 16th and toured for 75 days. He arrived home in Sydney on Sept 23rd.
The game he saw with Ruth was between the White Sox and the Yankees.
This is according to the South Australia State Library Archives.
Here is a link to an Australian Newspaper article that includes a picture of Bradman in a "real" baseball uniform:
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/bradman/scrapbooks/15/bsb15217.htm