Ruth finally being awarded Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON — There are some things about Babe Ruth, beyond his mammoth home runs and World Series titles, that cannot be measured - among them his frequent trips to orphanages and hospitals, and his willingness to play alongside black ballplayers.

“He carried this country on his back during the Great Depression,” said Jane Leavy, author of the Ruth biography, “The Big Fella.”

“He became the brand of America,” said Michael Gibbons, director emeritus and historian at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore.

On Friday, President Donald Trump posthumously honored baseball’s onetime home run king with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in a White House ceremony. Other 2018 recipients included the late singer Elvis Presley; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach; Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; former NFL great and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page; and conservative political donor Miriam Adelson.

For Ruth’s family and a legion of historical admirers, their reaction is the same: It’s about time.

“It’s wonderful that he’s finally been recognized, but what the heck took so long?” asked Tom Stevens, Ruth’s grandson.

The president agreed. “He raised money and raised hell,” Trump said Friday in his opening remarks. “Maybe that’s why it’s taken him a long time to get this award. He should have gotten it a long time ago. I said, ‘Babe Ruth hasn’t gotten it?’ We took care of that real fast.”

Ruth is the 14th baseball personality honored with the medal. Moe Berg was the first, recognized by President Harry Truman for his “exceptionally meritorious service” as a spy in Europe during World War II. Berg declined the award, but his family accepted it posthumously.

Gerald Ford awarded the medal to baseball’s Joe DiMaggio in 1977 and Ronald Reagan awarded Jackie Robinson in 1984. Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully was the most recent baseball recipient, with Barack Obama honoring him in 2016.

All the while, George Herman Ruth Jr., and his immense legacy sat waiting.