Felber: The Babe, the Exposure, and the Judge
From SABR member Bill Felber at The National Pastime Museum on February 23, 2016:
In January of 1920, Babe Ruth arrived both physically in New York and stylistically as a home-run threat. His achievements that season transformed the way baseball was played while invigorating public interest to levels never previously imagined, much less approached.
In September of that same season, revelations presented to a Chicago grand jury exposed the extent to which gambling, including the fixing of the previous year’s World Series, had become epidemic. Beyond directly influencing the outcome of the 1920 pennant race, these exposures led to the collapse of the ruling National Commission and its replacement by a commissioner endowed with unilateral power.
Either of these developments alone would make the 1920 season a profound one. Occurring in tandem, they fundamentally reshaped the game on and off the field.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/1920-babe-exposure-and-judge
Originally published: February 23, 2016. Last Updated: February 23, 2016.