1919 Ruth vs 2021 Ohtani

thatkidfromjerrymaguire · #1 08-05-2021, 04:09 PM

The one constant amongst fans of all sports will be the endless arguments and comparisons between players of different eras. They are fascinating as well as impossible to resolve (until someone invents a time machine).

As far as my take, the Babe will never be surpassed as the best ever not only because of his performance against his peers but also his unprecedented celebrity at the time. Truly one of a kind.

That being said, if I had to wager my house on which player would fare better in a matchup against a modern day pitcher (let's say, DeGrom) and I could pick from Babe Ruth in his prime and Ohtani this year, I would take Ohtani. Not because Ohtani will ever become the legend that Ruth did, but because I think it's basically a fact that for various reasons today's athletes are superior to athletes of 100 years ago. There's a reason that world records get set almost every year in track and field.

As for the eye test, unfortunately, we aren't able to watch Ruth play in person. But I decided to take my daughters over to the Home Run Derby earlier this month (I live in Kansas City so it's only about 10 hours-ish). We were there mostly to watch Salvador Perez, but as a bonus I got to see Ohtani. He was CLEARLY the biggest draw there. Yes, hometown favorite Trevor Story got a lot of cheers, but EVERYBODY was watching Ohtani's every move...in interviews, batting practice, etc. There was even a contingent of Japanese fans that sort of just migrated around the stands during warmups trying to stay as close to him as possible.

And while his actual performance in the derby was pretty strong, his most impressive hit of the night was his final at bat in batting practice. It was "only" measured around 505 feet, but it bounced off the facing of the FOURTH deck at Coors field. If that fourth deck wasn't in the way, who knows where that ball would have landed. The entire place was buzzing...after a batting practice ball!

All this to say is that Ohtani is definitely something special right now. No, not Babe Ruth, but if you're not watching him, you are missing out.

A couple pics I took that day:

Stood behind the dugout during warmups and got a pic of Ohtani with his interpreter being interviewed by Harold Reynolds:

o1.jpg

Here's a wide shot of Coors field during warm ups and the very tip of the red arrow is where Ohtani hit that batting practice ball:

o2.jpg

Shoeless Moe · #2 08-05-2021, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatkidfromjerrymaguire

Coors field

I could hit a home run with a whiffle bat at Coors Field

toledo_mudhen · #3 08-07-2021, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

I could hit a home run with a Whiffle bat at Coors Field

Now I would really pay some serious cash to watch that - There would be threads for years to come on Net54 regarding the "Guy that hit a home Run in Coors field with a Whiffle Ball bat"

Anyway - Ive read all 4 pages of this thread hoping to see any opinions on "What is this guy's Best RC". There appear to be only a few thousand different options available out there.

So not to hijack the lively discussion on Ruth vs Ohtani but does anyone have any opinions on that?

If you were going to pick up a couple of Ohtani RCs - What would they be?

Peter_Spaeth · #4 08-07-2021, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toledo_mudhen

Now I would really pay some serious cash to watch that - There would be threads for years to come on Net54 regarding the "Guy that hit a home Run in Coors field with a Whiffle Ball bat"

Anyway - Ive read all 4 pages of this thread hoping to see any opinions on "What is this guy's Best RC". There appear to be only a few thousand different options available out there.

So not to hijack the lively discussion on Ruth vs Ohtani but does anyone have any opinions on that?

If you were going to pick up a couple of Ohtani RCs - What would they be?

For modern cards I would buy, depending on which you like best, the base of the first Topps or Topps Chrome card, or the base Heritage card. I avoid all the other million issues.

frankbmd · #5 08-07-2021, 10:28 AM

The Allied forces secret weapon leading to victory at The Battle of the Bulge was none other than Babe Ruth.

Now you know the rest of the story.

frankbmd · #6 08-07-2021, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

The Allied forces secret weapon leading to victory at The Battle of the Bulge was none other than Babe Ruth.

Now you know the rest of the story.

And after that Babe Ruth walked on water from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima.

todeen · #7 08-07-2021, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

The Allied forces secret weapon leading to victory at The Battle of the Bulge was none other than Babe Ruth.

Now you know the rest of the story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

And after that Babe Ruth walked on water from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima.

Thanks Paul Harvey. Thumbs up emoji.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

todeen · #8 08-07-2021, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

For modern cards I would buy, depending on which you like best, the base of the first Topps or Topps Chrome card, or the base Heritage card. I avoid all the other million issues.

I agree, I stick with Topps and Topps Chrome. Some Heritage. I will buy other Topps products for autographs, though. I really like the Clearly Authentic stuff this year.

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