Rubes, Babes & the Baseball Hall of Fame

Babe Herman and Babe Ruth are still often confused with one another and especially by younger fans. Especially since Babe Ruth’s name was actually George Herman Ruth, which helps to explain the confusion. On the other hand Rube Marquard and Rube Foster would never be mistaken for one another. One is white and one is a person of color and when they were alive, segregation was alive and well. Marquard would have been alive for some of the worst of Jim Crow, having been born in the 1880’s. Foster, also born in the 1880’s would have felt the brunt of the other end of American racism.

All four men were incredible ball players, all four men did things players would never be able to do nowadays and all four players had memorable names. And not only memorable names but similar names as well as all being baseball legends from about the same era. Though some might say Babe Ruth began the live ball era while Foster, Marquard and Herman were a part of the dead ball era. And Foster was only allowed to play in what was known as the Negro Leagues. Rube Foster never actually played in the MLB, even though the MLB at the turn of the century was quite different from the MLB we now know. However, he could’ve matched the skills of any white player from the same era.

These are four very interesting and different men who are forever tied together by the name of baseball. Often referred to as “the father of black baseball,” Rube Foster helped pave the way for many player of color. Including Robinson, Mays, Doby and Paige none of whom would’ve seen the big leagues without the progress made by the Negro Leagues and players like Rube Foster. Babe Ruth in his own right, paved the way for the home run hitter of modern day baseball. He was the most well known home run hitter of his day and held the record for season and career home runs for many years. Both records reported to be very important to Ruth.

Marquard and Herman had somewhat less star studded careers. Marquard is at least in the Baseball Hall of Fame, where as I’ve never quite understood why Babe Herman is not a Hall of Famer. In fact, Herman is the odd man out not when it comes to race, but when it comes to the Hall of Fame as he is the only one of the four never inducted.

“Babe Herman is often recalled for zany baserunning, fielding lapses, and off-the-field malapropisms. There are some who contend these kept him out of the Hall of Fame. They seemingly overshadow a 13-year career which produced a lifetime batting average of .324 and an impressive number of Dodger franchise season records still in effect. The reputation Herman deserves needs proper perspective.” -SABR

It would seem that Babe Herman sabotaged his own chances at making it to Cooperstown, because he was well, “a bit of a rube.” Although, the way it’s been told, Babe Ruth acted like “a big kid” for almost his entire life and definitely for his entire baseball career. All big baseball fans have heard the stories of the hotdogs between innings, the cigars, the women, the booze (sometimes also between innings) as well as Ruth’s generally childish behavior. And everyone around him seemingly enabled his behavior, possibly even his wife. As long as he kept hitting the long ball, baseball didn’t seem as concerned with Ruth’s behavior as they’ve been with other players over the years.

Rube Foster was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. And from what I can tell, he was a great businessman and a stand up guy. He could have continued making money had the MLB not poached so many players from the Negro Leagues. After Jackie Robinson premiered for the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was the beginning of the end of the Negro Leagues, which was good for young black players, but not for their owners and managers. But even then, Rube Foster is a Hall of Famer in both leagues. Babe Herman likely will never be a Hall of Famer of any kind.

Rube Marquard, also a hall of fame inductee, played earlier than his counterpart. He played in the 1910’s and 1920’s and was still voted into the Hall of Fame in 1971. And he was still alive at the time despite being born in 1886 as he lived to be 93 years old. Which turned out to be very fortunate as there are interviews to be heard out in the world with Rube Marquard. And his time in baseball was a very interesting and different time from the other three men I’ve spoken about. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants.

From 1911 to 1913, Marquard won at least 23 games each season, and helped the Giants win three consecutive National League pennants. In 1911, he led the league with 237 strikeouts. In 1912, he led the league with 26 wins. He also made baseball history by winning 19 games in a row. It’s easy to see why he is a Hall of Famer. Marquard’s career ended in 1925 with the Boston Braves with a record of 201–177, a 3.08 ERA and 1,593 strikeouts.

George Edward Waddell also known as Rube Waddell was born on October 13, 1876. He passed away on April 1, 1914 and was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National League, as well as the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and raised in Prospect, Pennsylvania, Waddell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Even though he was considered even more eccentric than George Herman. Seems odd so I figured I would mention it for more context.

It is said, that when Rube Waddell was picked up by a major league scout to attend his first major league spring training, all of his hometown’s leaders were there to give him a send off at the train station. But when the town leaders approached the scout, they thanked him for “taking Rube off our hands.” Apparently his off the field antics were a bit too much for most people, even ball players, to handle. But at the end of the day, Rube Waddell still made it to Cooperstown.

I can’t explain why these men were the way the were and I don’t know why some are born with natural talent. I can say that all of these ball players had baseball in their blood from the moment they first picked up a bat and glove. I’ll personally never understand why Babe Herman is not a Hall of Famer, but I feel that way about a number of players. Maybe someday I’ll be respected enough as a baseball writer to get a vote and therefore a say in who is and is not Hall of Fame material. Until then, I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about the older times in the game.

By Zachary Casciato 2024