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How Earle Combs Became Wealthy After Baseball, And Why He Thought Babe Ruth Was An Idiot
The Hall-of-Fame outfielder didn’t et as much recognition as he deserved when he played, but went on to have even more success outside of sports
If it’s possible to be underrated as a baseball Hall-of-Famer, that might be claimed by former outfielder Earle Combs. Known as The Kentucky Colonel, he starred for years with the powerhouse New York Yankees, but was greatly overshadowed by teammates like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth; the latter he later described as “dumb as an ox.”
A center fielder, Combs spent his entire 12-year big-league career (1924–1935) with the Yankees. Batting from the left side and throwing from the right, he could really hit and he could really run. In 1,455 career games, he batted a combined .325 with 1,866 hits, 1,186 runs scored, 154 triples, 58 home runs, 633 RBIs and 98 stolen bases. He led the league in hits once and in triples three times. In four World Series, he batted .350, helping his team win three championships. After failing to be voted into the Hall of Fame during the 15 times he was on the ballot, he finally gained admission by way of the Veterans Committee in 1970.
