Perhaps it’s fitting that I re-watched The Sandlot for the first time in about twenty years last night. One of the great lines in the movie (and there are many) sees Benny explain the legacy of Babe Ruth to Smalls. “Smalls, Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player that ever lived. People say he was less than a god but more than a man.”
It’s iconic, it speaks to the way ballplayers are larger than life, and the line resonated for me tonight watching an otherwise so-so game, because Miguel Cabrera, who had been hitless for something like 27 consecutive at-bats, not only broke that streak, but he tied with Babe Ruth for the all-time hits record with 2873 hits.