The Captain's Blog

The historical coincidences surrounding Alex Rodriguez’ 600th homerun have truly been remarkable. However, the most fitting connection to the past was not the date of the homerun, but its landing spot at the base of Babe Ruth’s memorial in Monument Park.

Long live the King. For many, Babe Ruth remains the undisputed Sultan of Swat.

Not only did Alex Rodriguez join the Babe as the only other player to reach the milestone as a Yankee, but he also surpassed him to become the youngest player to belt 600 homeruns. That’s what happens when you spend the first five years of your career as a top flight pitcher!

Although the Babe could definitely relate to the accomplishment, chances are he wouldn’t recognize all of the attention surrounding the moment. After all, when the Babe hit 600, no one else had even reached the 300 plateau. So, it’s not surprising that the moment passed with little fanfare, even during a period when just about everything Ruth did was chronicled to great fervor.

He likes to hit them, of course, as much as any ball player, and perhaps more, because homers in large quantities are the principal reasons for the Babe’s big salary checks. But for a man who holds nearly every known record for hitting homers, one four base hit is not much cause for excitement” – Hugh S. Fullerton, AP Sportswriter writing about Babe Ruth’s 600th homerun

There were headlines, for sure, but no one seemed to place too much importance on the blast, which came in St. Louis’ Sportsman’s Park against the Browns’ George Blaeholder.  In fact, more attention was paid to Ruth’s single season homerun battle with teammate Lou Gehrig (the milestone homerun was Ruth’s 35th of the season, and moments after he hit it, Gehrig followed with his 34th), as well as the six-man batting race that saw the Athletics’ Al Simmons just ahead of the Babe.

Major League Leaders, As of August 21, 1931

Source: Associated Press, August 22, 1931

Even though the public and media seemed to be preoccupied by the Babe’s other exploits, the moment was not lost on the man himself. In a rare gesture for the time, Ruth reportedly located the youngster who retrieved the ball, which was hit over the bleachers and onto Grand Boulevard, and gave him $10 along with an autographed ball in exchange for the memento. Young Tony Gallico probably never imagined how much that autographed ball would someday be worth, but the $10 (which during the Great Depression was about the average weekly salary of those lucky enough to have a job) probably sure came in handy.

In one final bow to the past, Alex Rodriguez’ 600th home run ball was retrieved by Stadium security guard Frankie Babilonia, who scooped up the trophy from underneath the netting just in front of Babe Ruth’s moment. Despite being required to turn over the souvenir, Babilonia was presented with a bat autographed by Alex Rodriguez. Apparently, the worth of a milestone has gone down. Either that or someone owes Mr. Babilonia ten dollars.

HR Leader Board After 1931 Season

Source: Baseball-reference.com

In a sport that too often communicates via clichés, Ozzie Guillen’s outspokenness can be a good thing. Unfortunately, Guillen often speaks without thinking things through. As a result, the White Sox manager has diminished his impact, leading many to tune him out altogether. That’s too bad because he often has something important to say. So, instead of simply dismissing his latest rant about the relative treatment of Latin and Asian ballplayers, let’s take a closer look at each comment (as quoted by AP or transcribed from the original audio) to see if any have merit.

I say, why do we have Japanese interpreters and we don’t have a Spanish one. I always say that. Why do they have that privilege and we don’t?“

The answer to that question should be fairly obvious. Heading into this season, approximately 200 players from Spanish speaking countries were on Opening Day rosters, compared to 14 players from Japan. When you add in coaches and front office personnel, the number of Spanish-speaking employees on most major league clubs is fairly substantial. The same is not true, however, of those who speak Korean or Japanese. It makes little sense to employ a Spanish translator when so many already exist on the team. Asian players, on the other hand, need a translator. Otherwise communication between those players and their coaches and teammates would be near impossible. So, this isn’t an issue of privilege, but of necessity. Incredibly, Guillen actually concedes the point about the relative number of players from each background (he asks why one Korean player gets special treatment when 10 Latin American players on the team do not), but fails to realize the connection.

Don’t take this wrong, but they take advantage of us. We bring a Japanese player and they are very good and they bring all these privileges to them. We bring a Dominican kid … go to the minor leagues, good luck.”

On this point, Guillen couldn’t be more wrong. The reason Asian players come to the United States with privileges is because they have already established a professional career. Most Asian players are older and accomplished because they must first fulfill certain requirements before becoming eligible to play in the major leagues. To a lesser degree, college players are also in the same boat. They come to the majors with more experience and therefore command more privileges.

Of course, there is a tradeoff. Both Asian and college players are beholden to the reserve system by either the Japanese posting system or Rule IV draft, respectively. Latin players, however, are not so restricted. They are free to sign with whichever team they choose, allowing them to attract the highest bid possible. Because there are so many Latin prospects, most can not command the privilege of an Aroldis Chapman, for example, but all technically have the freedom to try.

When you draft an American kid, he is 22-23 years old. If you aren’t 16 in Latin America, they don’t sign you. Why do we sign 24 year olds here, but 18-years old in Latin America are too old. That’s the wrong way to do it.”

Again, Guillen completely misses the distinction. The reason major league teams sign older American players is because their is value attributed to the 3-4 years of development at most college programs. An older kid from Latin America, however, has not had that advantage, meaning the major league team will be responsible for providing the necessary education. Meanwhile, most major league clubs sponsor youth academies throughout Latin American, providing underprivileged youths with talent an opportunity to make the big leagues. Ironically, many African American players have argued that these academies represent an unfair advantage for Latino players that is denied to inner city youth.

Finally, there is no evidence to support Guillen’s claim that teams refuse to sign Latin players above the age of 16. Every season, scores of international free agents between the ages of 17-20 are signed to major league contracts.

I’m the only one to teach the Latinos about not to use. I’m the only one and Major League Baseball doesn’t [care]. All they care about…how many times I argue with the umpires, what I say to the media. But I’m the only one in baseball to come up to the Latino kids and say not to use this and I don’t get any credit for that.”

This is Guillen’s most absurd comment because it is demonstrably untrue. Not only does baseball currently test for performance enhancing drugs in the minors, but all organizations conduct related training. Furthermore, it’s incredibly arrogant of Guillen to suggest that he is the only one who seeks to educate Latin players on the topic. How could he possibly know if that is true? Besides, exactly how much time in his busy day does he devote to this calling?