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History's Greatest Replies (R)

 Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

In the 1920s, George Herman "Babe" Ruth was not only the greatest home run hitter the game had ever seen, he was also—by a large margin—the highest paid. In 1927, he made a staggering $70,000 (teammate Lou Gehrig made $8,000 that year). Ruth's highest annual salary was $80,000, which he made in 1930 and 1931, at a time when the country was slipping deeper and deeper into The Great Depression. Despite a monster year in 1931 (.373 batting average, 46 home runs, 163 RBIs), Yankee officials cited economic hard times when they asked Ruth to reduce his salary to $75,000 for the 1932 season. Ruth made headlines when he held out. At a press conference, a reporter pointed out that $80,000 was $5,000 more than President Hoover's salary. Ruth considered the question and said:

"Maybe so, but I had a better year than he did."

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