| If you notice this is about the most popular | | | | may have very well saved the game of baseball |
| baseball players of all time, not necessarily the | | | | from self destruction. |
| greatest. Unfortunately, sometimes being popular | | | | Certainly many of the most popular baseball |
| doesn't mean you're good. In the case of baseball | | | | players of all time played on the New York |
| players, some of the most popular are simply | | | | Yankees, a team that has won more World |
| there because of things they've done off the field | | | | Series than any other team in baseball history by |
| that haven't exactly made the game a better | | | | a wide margin. The number of famous players |
| one. | | | | from the Yankees reads like a who's who of |
| For example, one of the most popular baseball | | | | baseball, including names like Mickey Mantle, Roger |
| players today and possibly of all time if things | | | | Maris, Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter and Lou Gehrig, |
| continue the way they're going, is Barry Bonds. | | | | who gained fame not only for being a great |
| Bonds is currently on his way to passing Babe | | | | player but also for the terrible disease that ended |
| Ruth for number 2 on the all time home runs list | | | | his career and took his life in the process. This |
| and is only a season away from passing Hank | | | | disease carries his name with it and will be |
| Aaron as well. However, Bond's popularity today is | | | | associated with him for all time. |
| more because of his scandal with the steroids | | | | But who is the most popular baseball player of all |
| issue. Did he knowingly take steroids? Is he a liar? | | | | time? Who is it who has become a legend? Every |
| It's quite possible that we may never know the | | | | list that you look at will have one name up at the |
| answers to that question, but the whole ordeal | | | | top of it. Every person you ask will immediately |
| has made Barry Bonds a household name even to | | | | give the same answer. |
| those who don't follow baseball. | | | | The most popular baseball player of all time was |
| Another very popular baseball player, or we | | | | unanimously Babe Ruth. Ruth set a standard of |
| should say players, is Sammy Sosa and Mark | | | | excellence that few have achieved. Many of his |
| McGuire. Their chase for the single season home | | | | records stood for years. His single season home |
| run record of Roger Maris is probably the one | | | | run record of 60 in 1927 wasn't broken until |
| most singular act responsible for bringing back the | | | | Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. His all time homer |
| game of baseball after the strike that killed | | | | record of 714 wasn't broken until Hank Aaron of |
| baseball the season before. Sosa and McGuire | | | | the Atlanta Braves ended his career with 755. |