Who do you consider the most influential person in baseball, ever.?

Question

One person only please - living or dead - who has had the greatest single impact to the game. Player, manager, owner - whoever. . . and a SHORT why.

A thumbs up to everyone who followed directions - one player only.

Even if I completely disagree with your answer -

Answer 1

You could go about this a number of ways

Babe Ruth--completely changed the game with the help of other changes (ball quality) he turned the deadball era into the lively ball era. Without this change there is a chance that baseball would not have survived the black sox scandel.

Branch Rickey/Jackie Robinson--Can't really have one without the other. Rickey made it happen but Robinson was the one that had to deal with the reprocussions and make it work. While I believe they'll be a popular choice I don't think that it was something that if they didn't do it nobody would have either. Just would have taken more time.

Marvin Miller/early FA players--This one right here changed the game into what it is today. Players should love the guy and thank him daily, but as fans he should be loathed

There were also alot of players and executives that put their stamps on the game in the early days.

Since I have to pick one its going to be Ruth. He saved the league, took baseball to new hights and even today around 80 years after his last game is still one of the most reconizeable names in the game. He even shows up in non-baseball history books.

Answer 2

I'll tack along Shawn's approach -- different categories.

Founding father -- Alexander Cartwright (sorry, it's NOT Abner Doubleday). Without him, there'd likely not be baseball.

Development as a profession -- George Wright.

Recording statistics -- Henry Chadwick.

Playing the game -- Babe Ruth (close second to Ty Cobb).

Impact beyond baseball -- Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey (the man who opened the door and the man who strode through it).

Business -- Marvin Miller.

Mining the gold -- Bill James.


Bypassing the absolute necessity of Cartwright's contribution, without which we wouldn't even be having this discussion, I'd go with Ruth having made the very biggest impact, combining a majestic personality with a game-changing playing style and high-profile visibility, very much the right man in the right place (New York City) at the right time (c'mon, other than Robinson, how many of these names did you know?). But any one of these eight has loomed huge in the full scope of the game's history.

(Without James, there probably wouldn't be so much interest in fantasy baseball, and without fantasy baseball, baseball wouldn't have had the enormous surge in popularity over the past two decades.)

Answer 3

Branch Rickey more than anyone else changed the face of baseball forever. Without Rickey stepping up to the plate in the face of massive ridicule and racism, baseball would never have seen the likes of Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, Reggie Jackson, and the list goes on.

Branch Rickey made the single most important decision in the history of baseball, bar none!

Answer 4

One guy that was very influential recently in baseball, especially where I live, was Cal Ripken. The major leagues were still trying to recover from the strike in 1994. Ripken breaking the consecutive games record brought enormous interest back to baseball. Ripken was the ideal baseball player to bring the game back. He came and played everyday without complaint, he was a great man on and off the field, and he played purely for the love of the game. I know he was big for me getting into baseball.

Answer 5

I agree with all of the previous answers, but I want to throw out a few more names. While Branch Ricky and the Babe helped shape the game, the shaping never ends.

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa - The single season HR record race of 1998 brought the fans back to baseball after fans were angry at the game for the baseball strike, myself included.

Scott Boras - Love him or hate is (as many of us do) he has shaped the modern economics of baseball.

Bud Selig - He,um...well...lets see. You know what, I can't think of a darn thing he has done for the betterment of baseball during his tenure. If you do a list of the least influntial people in baseball history send me and email and this guy is on the top of my list. Letting the All-Star game decide home field of the World Series??? Are you kidding me??

Answer 6

Kenesaw Mountain Landis the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. He worked to clean up the shady behavior that was tarnishing the reputation of players in the 1920s, and inserted his office into negotiations with players, where he deemed appropriate, to end a few of the labor practices of owners like Charles Comiskey that had contributed to the players's discontent.

Answer 7

I am not going to create haters by going with Barry Bonds, but I am going to go with Roberto Clemete. Well first he had enough heart to bring medical supplies to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua, when his plane crashed into the ocean shortly after take off. And I don't think he was a p;ayer like today, that got in trouble by either using a corked bat, or taking steriods. Any other player might not have done, what Roberto Clemete did, even if he had to die doing it. and because of his death, he was the first baseball player to have the 5 year waiting period after a player retired from the game, waved so that he could get into the hall of fame in 1973.

Answer 8

I agree with Sweeny Todd.
Not only did Rickey ensure baseball's (re)integration, he pushed expansion and teams moving to new ballparks.

And he essentially created the minor leagues as a system to funnel players to specific parents clubs. This wasn't good for independent leagues, but it was a huge impact on baseball itself.

And let us not forget that Rickey created the first spring training facility, helped push for batting helmets and pitching machines, and hired the first team statistician in baseball.

Answer 9

Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson..Ruth changed the way the game is played from a speed defensive game to an all around game by bringing POWER to the game..Jackie broke the minority barrier and went thru ALOT of stuff...im gonna give a slight edge to Ruth manely because Ruth brought fans to games and started Americans onto baseball.

Answer 10

Branch Rickey. Was responsible for or influential in:

1) the integration of baseball.
2) the creation of minor league systems
3) expansion starting in the sixties (read about the Continental league)

He's the Lincoln, Edison, and Magellan of baseball.