Quote:

Jim Jackson said:
But it's just that MLB was not open to every potentially great ballplayer. Even a New Yawker like you's gotta see that, Robbie.



quite true.

but thats a truth that remains in today's game, allbeit of a different variety. in your book, that should seemingly nullify any star's accomplishments.

Quote:

Rob Kamphausen said:
"why so low on the white population?"
Quote:

Jim Jackson said:
Robbie, that's a dumb remark and you know it.





i apologize for my stupidity.

but i simply don't see the strength in stressing the segregation to the degree of removing ruth's achievements.

to expand a bit further...

whose to say that in the 20s and 30s all that many blacks and latinos could have played in the majors (segregation aside, of course). even if half of the negro league players were good enough to play in the majors, how many would have been stars? super stars?

then, beyond who could have played in the majors, it should be fair to question who would. would black or latin or asian or female competitors have wanted to play in the majors back then?

for example, latin players have been accepted in the majors for decades, yet they've really only become prominent, and noticeably so, in the past 5-10 years.

the 50s, 60s, 70s, and even the 80s didn't feature that many latin stars, at all. perhaps american baseball simply wasn't a big interest for them in the 60s -- its probable that would hold true 40 years prior to that.

then, after all that, even if the number of super star minorities is astounding, ...how greatly would that diminish ruth's individual stats?

granted, its hard to argue, since the unfortunate laws and rules of the time period wont allow us to know. but, still, its odd to hold all those "ifs" and speculated calculations against a player.

as said, women and/or asian players could dominate american baseball 50 years from now, and i'd think it just as unfair to lower the status of barry bonds or sammy sosa, simply because they didn't get an opportunity to compete with the new league.

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