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PhillieFever · 09-24-2011, 08:21 PM

Tuesday July 22nd, 1969

Ruth And DiMaggio "Greatest"

Washington, D.C.- Baseball paused here Monday night on the eve of it's 40th All-Star game and announced that the greatest player in it's first 100 years was Babe Ruth.
Joe DiMaggio, like Ruth a former slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees, was named the greatest living player.
The selections, made by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, were announced at a dinner commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball and held in conjunction with the All-Star game to be played here Tuesday night. Ruth's widow accepted the handsome trophy from Col. Frank Borman, commander of the first Apollo flight around the moon. She said: "Thank you, The Babe would have loved this." Joe DiMaggio, now a coach with the Oakland Athletics, said in his acceptance speech: "To play this wonderful game that I enjoyed so much would have been enough. I never thought I'd be honored this way for playing it. I was sitting back, relaxed, thinking naturally that it would be one of the old timers. I never dreamed it would be me."
DiMaggio was one of three living players named to the all-time All-Star team. The others, pitcher Lefty Grove, and third baseman Pie Traynor were also on hand.
Those honored were:
Left Handed Pitcher: Living: Lefty Grove, All-Time: Grove
Right Handed Pitcher: Living: Bob Feller, All-Time: Walter Johnson
Catcher: Living: Bill Dickey All-Time: Mickey Cochrane
First Baseman: Living: Stan Musial, All-Time Lou Gehrig
Second Baseman: Living: Charlie Gehringer, All-Time: Rogers Hornsby
Third Baseman: Living: Pie Traynor, All-Time: Traynor
Shortstop: Living: Joe Cronin, All-Time: Honus Wagner
Left Field: Living: Ted Williams, All-Time: Ty Cobb
Center Field: Living: Joe DiMaggio, All-Time: DiMaggio
Right Field: Living: Willie Mays All-Time Babe Ruth

Casey Stengel was honored as the greatest living Manager and John McGraw as the greatest Manager of all-time. Stengel acknowledged his selection by saying: "I want to thank you for being what I was, and all the ballplayers who helped me. They're the ones who did the job."
Willie Mays, in acknowledging his selection, admitted that he had played right field "two or three times." He ordinarily is employed in center. Among a list of speakers which included baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, comedian Alan King, and assorted mayors and congressmen, there was little doubt who stole the show from the lectern. That was Col. Borman who commented on a recent visit to Russia. "The Mayor of Moscow told me his soccer team was doing badly but that he was going to build a domed stadium so they could get more practice," Borman said. "I told him it hand't quite worked out that way in Houston."
"That brought all kinds of replies, including that they had put a monkey in space to do the job I had done. The only thing I could think of to say was that I had lasted five days longer than the damned monkey."
Baseball's centennial celebration was perhaps the most auspicious occasion in the history of the sport, with practically everybody who had ever done anything or been anything in the game represented. The affair lasted the better part of five hours.

09-24-2011, 08:21 PM	#60
PhillieFever Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Elk Twp. NJ Posts: 6,763	Tuesday July 22nd, 1969 Ruth And DiMaggio "Greatest" Washington, D.C.- Baseball paused here Monday night on the eve of it's 40th All-Star game and announced that the greatest player in it's first 100 years was Babe Ruth. Joe DiMaggio, like Ruth a former slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees, was named the greatest living player. The selections, made by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, were announced at a dinner commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball and held in conjunction with the All-Star game to be played here Tuesday night. Ruth's widow accepted the handsome trophy from Col. Frank Borman, commander of the first Apollo flight around the moon. She said: "Thank you, The Babe would have loved this." Joe DiMaggio, now a coach with the Oakland Athletics, said in his acceptance speech: "To play this wonderful game that I enjoyed so much would have been enough. I never thought I'd be honored this way for playing it. I was sitting back, relaxed, thinking naturally that it would be one of the old timers. I never dreamed it would be me." DiMaggio was one of three living players named to the all-time All-Star team. The others, pitcher Lefty Grove, and third baseman Pie Traynor were also on hand. Those honored were: Left Handed Pitcher: Living: Lefty Grove, All-Time: Grove Right Handed Pitcher: Living: Bob Feller, All-Time: Walter Johnson Catcher: Living: Bill Dickey All-Time: Mickey Cochrane First Baseman: Living: Stan Musial, All-Time Lou Gehrig Second Baseman: Living: Charlie Gehringer, All-Time: Rogers Hornsby Third Baseman: Living: Pie Traynor, All-Time: Traynor Shortstop: Living: Joe Cronin, All-Time: Honus Wagner Left Field: Living: Ted Williams, All-Time: Ty Cobb Center Field: Living: Joe DiMaggio, All-Time: DiMaggio Right Field: Living: Willie Mays All-Time Babe Ruth Casey Stengel was honored as the greatest living Manager and John McGraw as the greatest Manager of all-time. Stengel acknowledged his selection by saying: "I want to thank you for being what I was, and all the ballplayers who helped me. They're the ones who did the job." Willie Mays, in acknowledging his selection, admitted that he had played right field "two or three times." He ordinarily is employed in center. Among a list of speakers which included baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, comedian Alan King, and assorted mayors and congressmen, there was little doubt who stole the show from the lectern. That was Col. Borman who commented on a recent visit to Russia. "The Mayor of Moscow told me his soccer team was doing badly but that he was going to build a domed stadium so they could get more practice," Borman said. "I told him it hand't quite worked out that way in Houston." "That brought all kinds of replies, including that they had put a monkey in space to do the job I had done. The only thing I could think of to say was that I had lasted five days longer than the damned monkey." Baseball's centennial celebration was perhaps the most auspicious occasion in the history of the sport, with practically everybody who had ever done anything or been anything in the game represented. The affair lasted the better part of five hours.