Greatest moment in boxing history

[billeau2]

Ah yes! The Americam 'super stars' of the 1920s.

Baseball --> Babe Ruth
Boxing --> Jack Dempsey
Football --> Red Grange
Golf --> Bobby Jones
Tennis --> Bill Tilden
Swimming --> Johnny Weissmuller
Horse Racing --> Man 'O War
Wrestling --> Ed 'Strangler' Lewis
Auto Racing --> Jimmy Murphy
Women's Swimming --> Gertrude Ederle
Women's Tennis --> Hellen Wills

I would say Babe Ruth was the first super star, but Dempsey didn't need his coat tails.

Side note: Babe Ruth picked-up the nickname "The Bambino" from the newly arrived Italian-Americans, who sought to 'americanize themselves' by embracing baseball with a passion. Everyday the Italians, who couldn't read the English newspapers would ask, "Did the bambino hit one today."

This passion is why, in the 1930s, the DiMaggio brothers (Vince, Dom, and the middle brother whose name escapes me right now. I think he might have played for the Yankees.) became such popular icons; baseball made the Italians felt like they were in the American fold.

Yes! People seldom think how baseball became such a sport for the ethnic groups. It was the babe lol. Even the whole sandlot system for the game which to this day is maintained in cities everywhere was in some ways related to the babe.

I can't verify it but I would certainly agree Dempsey did not need those coattails.

[The D3vil]

[Willie Pep 229]

Yes! People seldom think how baseball became such a sport for the ethnic groups. It was the babe lol. Even the whole sandlot system for the game which to this day is maintained in cities everywhere was in some ways related to the babe.

I can't verify it but I would certainly agree Dempsey did not need those coattails.

So much so, in my hometown little league baseball was separated into three divisions named: Minors (7-9), Majors (10-11), and Babe Ruth (12-13). The guys who made it to the Babe Ruth division strutted.

[max baer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWeHNhS-VXk mine was douglas i was 14 at the time. i had the recording video and all my mates were taking turns to borrow it. we couldn't believe he had lost we simply couldn't believe it.
this is him talking about it. one thing i learnt was that mike could take a punch as he was pounded on so much. he one tough guy.

[Biledriver]

So many huge moments, how do you choose? Not that I think it IS the biggest moment, but I figure I'd throw it in the mix for consideration: How about a 45-1 underdog winning the Heavyweight Championship with a dominant performance finished off with a brutal KO?

[QueensburyRules]

Yes! People seldom think how baseball became such a sport for the ethnic groups. It was the babe lol. Even the whole sandlot system for the game which to this day is maintained in cities everywhere was in some ways related to the babe.

I can't verify it but I would certainly agree Dempsey did not need those coattails.

- - Sandlot baseball ain't the same as organized baseball. I played both but enjoyed sandlot baseball better.

[billeau2]

So much so, in my hometown little league baseball was separated into three divisions named: Minors (7-9), Majors (10-11), and Babe Ruth (12-13). The guys who made it to the Babe Ruth division strutted.

Yeah you see it in cities. I have my own theories but there was a real advantage to growing up in California because of the weather, kids could play all year. hence, high school was often a real scouting opportunity. In the East, High school baseball was Meh... But you had divisions of teams for high school aged kids, teams that even travelled. I was actually on one in the Gil Hodges league in Brooklyn. But Ruth popularized the sport! He is a reason for this development, and it was needed in the East... Just look throughout the 50's to the 80's... California had a lot of players in the major leagues, compared to most other states. even beyond the population per capita, as a factor...

[billeau2]

- - Sandlot baseball ain't the same as organized baseball. I played both but enjoyed sandlot baseball better.

Sandlot was instrumental in creating a farm system... It is not always obvious but you actually have leagues that are called "sand lot" that follow the A, AA, AAA designation of the real farm system. In NYC you had Spanish teams, they were called "sandlot" because while they were not "officially" farm system, they were using a similar designation and the scouts new it. Rod Carew came out of one of these systems in my old hood!

But sand lot teams were a brainstorm when the farm system for baseball was created... Unlike Football which is a glorified slave market, and asks a kid to sacrifice their college education, baseball relies heavily on the farm system, which I think is more fair, all things considered. I mean... if my kid wanted to play ball at that level, I would not want his college years to be devoted to the sport exclusively.

[QueensburyRules]

Sandlot was instrumental in creating a farm system... It is not always obvious but you actually have leagues that are called "sand lot" that follow the A, AA, AAA designation of the real farm system. In NYC you had Spanish teams, they were called "sandlot" because while they were not "officially" farm system, they were using a similar designation and the scouts new it. Rod Carew came out of one of these systems in my old hood!

But sand lot teams were a brainstorm when the farm system for baseball was created... Unlike Football which is a glorified slave market, and asks a kid to sacrifice their college education, baseball relies heavily on the farm system, which I think is more fair, all things considered. I mean... if my kid wanted to play ball at that level, I would not want his college years to be devoted to the sport exclusively.

- - Sandlot baseball was local amas wanting to play baseball against each other and neighboring teams. The good ones barnstormed for $$$ which is where Latinos/Blacks/Whites mixed it up for fans.

MLB just took the Barnstorming concept further to finance well paying Minor Leagues, well paying meaning MLB to the lions' share.

[billeau2]

- - Sandlot baseball was local amas wanting to play baseball against each other and neighboring teams. The good ones barnstormed for $$$ which is where Latinos/Blacks/Whites mixed it up for fans.

MLB just took the Barnstorming concept further to finance well paying Minor Leagues, well paying meaning MLB to the lions' share.

Agreed. The farm system took its Cue from the Sandlot informal system. To this day in Central Park the Spanish leagues are a hybrid of sorts: They are Sandlot because they have a local rivalry... By Borough, like the Bronx versus Manhattan, and even international with Puerto Rican teams versus New York, etc. Yet these teams are like double AA, at least they were back when... It has been years so it could have changed.

Meanwhile in Brooklyn the teams are more strong coming up from around 13 to 16 years old and considered "Sandlot." Everything is local... Brooklyn. If you see the intro to "welcome back Kotter" a kid is wearing a "Ty Cobb" jacket, which is part of one league, they would play and the winner would face off against the Gil Hodges travelling team for bragging rights! I played in both leagues as a kid, for the Cadets (we played against the Ty Cobbs, etc) and eventually for the Gil Hodges Travelling team, then down to the Gil Hodges local team lol.

I think, and I could be wrong here, this strong local system developed because the farm system traditionally has teams in upstate New York, like Oneonta, syracuse, Rome, etc. it is a natural feed off. Many players came through the Brooklyn league, like Joe Torres, Willie Randolph, etc, etc.