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The House That Ruth Built?
September 17, 2008
With the end coming to the NY Stadium and all of it's history, good and bad, is it really 'The House that Ruth Built'? I'm not here to question how great of a player Babe Ruth was/is or try to debunk any 'Curses'. But the fact that he is solely responsible for the beginning of their championship run is just not true.
Prior to 1923, when NY won their first WS, the Sox had been the team to beat winning five Championships. As we know, the owner, Harry Frazee, wanted to finance plays, or as the stories go. After the 1919 eason, with Ruth asking for a raise, he was sold.
But the selling did not stop there. Frazee was in finacial trouble and began to sell off pieces of the Sox and most of the 1918 team. Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones, Carl Mays, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Joe Dugan, Wally Schang, Everett Scott, Mike McNally, Elmer Smith & Harvey Hendrick.
Twelve players in total who had played for the Sox were now contributing for NY in their first Championship. With the exception of 7.1 innings, former Sox pitched them to victory in 1923.
So when they are tearing it down in the days, weeks and months ahead...and they speak of 'The House That Ruth Built'. Yes, he was a great player, helped bring the game to a new level, but they should really say 'THE HOUSE THAT FRAZEE BUILT'.
-ruff13
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