-- Moore (Terence) on Moore (James "Red") -- Ruth's 714 dabbed by white-outby Terence Moore The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Friday, May 5, 2006, 08:02 PM Thanks to Barry Bonds' prolific ways as a slugger through his artificially inflated arms, legs and everything else, George Herman Ruth lives. Thus the question: Upon further review after all of these decades, should some of the Babe's legacy die? Well, yes. No question that Ruth used his Louisville Slugger to resuscitate baseball during the 1920s when it nearly expired after the Black Sox Scandal. He turned the game into our national pastime with much help from the magic in his wink and his smile. Even so, watching Bonds along his way to eclipsing “714” on the all-time home run list is worthy of a yawn, and the reasons go beyond the fact that Hank Aaron's “755” is the real number to chase. For one, when it comes to somebody reaching “715,” it's been done. For another, Ruth's “714” was a significantly flawed record from the start. Consider this: While Ruth's standing as baseball's greatest ambassador is indisputable, his designation as baseball's greatest player deserves an asterisk faster than you can say “segregation.” He only played against the best competition that wasn't darker than the ball, and for that reason alone, Bonds' ability to reach “715” means nothing. Listen to James “Red” Moore (no relation), among the gifted hundreds from the old Negro leagues who lacked the chance to reach the majors to determine whether Ruth was The Sultan of Swat among all or just some. “He sure enough wasn't playing against our boys when they were in their prime, and I really don't believe he would have hit that many home runs with them out there,” said Moore, the smooth first baseman of the Atlanta Black Crackers and other Negro league teams in a career that spanned from 1935 to 1948. He is an Atlanta native who still lives on the northwest side. He has spent six decades as a Sunday school teacher at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church , and he has become a fixture in classrooms to inspire youngsters as a walking and talking history book. At nearly 90-years-young, Moore 's mind remains as sharp as the line drives that he used to zip into the alleys. He said of those Negro league days that earned him entry this year into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, “On bus rides, we used to talk about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, all of them guys, wishing we would get a chance to compete against them [in the big leagues].” So much for dreams. Jackie Robinson didn't break the color barrier until April 1947, which was a dozen years after Ruth retired with outrageously large career numbers for RBIs, walks, extra-base hits and homers. He also was the undisputed record holder in all of those categories for a single season. Said Moore , chuckling, “No, sir, Babe Ruth wouldn't have done as well [with integration], because we had a whale of a number of great pitchers, and they went beyond just Satchel Paige. “Then I believe that if Josh Gibson would have had an opportunity to play during that time — and if he could have started out as a young boy like [Ruth] — no telling how many home runs Josh would have had. He really could pop ‘em. Oooh, I've seen him hit some tape-measure shots. If Josh Gibson was in the major leagues, he might have hit 10 hundred home runs.” The way this steroid generation was going, somebody was threatening to hit that many in a season. Mark McGwire. Sammy Sosa. Jose Canseco. Rafael Palmeiro. They are among those who kept doing the impossible through means other than eating all of their vegetables. Still, they continue to drop farther behind Bond's shadow. “I just don't see how [the public] can just pick [Bonds] out and ignore the rest,” said Moore, who confessed to not knowing enough to judge whether Bonds is guilty or innocent. This is what Moore does know: “If Barry would have come up with the rest of us, then he would have been right there with Buck Leonard, Josh and the rest. [Bonds] could do it all. We know he can hit, but he had that good throwing arm. He could run and always was in good shape.” What about Ruth when he was off the sauce compared to Bonds when he was off the juice? “Oh, I'd take Barry,” Moore said laughing, before adding, “Just observing Babe, he'd down a beer and take a shot [of booze], and that's how he trained. He'd still go up there and hit it out for you. I think that anybody who has that many home runs should get some praise.” Yeah, but how much?
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