New Homerun King? Josh Gibbons - Hidden Hero Discovered

He is about to break Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball home run record, but many people are skeptical about his accomplishments. In fact, they are cautious about calling him the future Home Run King, because in this era of steroids he is the poster-boy for accusations.

With respect for Bonds, Joe Buck, a FOX Television Network baseball analyst, admits, "There's obviously a big cloud of suspicion around Barry Bonds. There always will be."

But why? Bonds is not even close to breaking baseball's universal home run record. Hank Aaron does not own it; Josh Gibson does. He simply hit more homeruns.

Ray Doswell, deputy director and curator of the Negro League Baseball Museum, respects Aaron's record, but he says, "It's Major League Baseball's record, and there's no sense in arguing about it, but that doesn't mean it's baseball's record.

While Major League Baseball receives all of the popularity, its significance does not out-weigh the game itself. Baseball is a game that is shared worldwide from the sandlot to the stadium. Major and Negro League baseball are both parts of a whole. They are important because of the game, not the league.

Gibson played in the Negro Leagues, and lived up to his nickname, the "Black Babe Ruth," by captivating fans. Ironically, he actually out-performed Ruth - and Aaron - in many ways.

Gibson "hit almost 800 home runs," according to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Others claim he hit up to 962 home runs. The later number would make him baseball's universal homerun leader, surpassing Japanese leader, Sadaharu Oh, by nearly one-hundred homeruns.

Larry Schwartz, an ESPN writer, notes, "In various publications, [Josh Gibson] has been credited with as many as 84 homers in one season...It was reported that he won nine home-run titles."

"Belting home runs of more than 500 feet was not unusual for Gibson. One homer in Monessen, Pa., reportedly was measured at 575 feet." Moreover, "Chicago American Giants infielder Jack Marshall said Gibson slugged one over the third deck next to the left field bullpen in 1934 for the only fair ball hit out of the House That Ruth Built."

The great legend Babe Ruth never even did that.

Doswell asks, "Was Josh Gibson the Black Babe Ruth, or was Ruth the White Josh Gibson?"

No one is denouncing either Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth's accomplishments; the fact is simply that Josh Gibson also deserves recognition for his accomplishments.

Unfortunately, his legacy has been concealed from many baseball fans because he was not allowed to play Major League Baseball, which draws most of the historical attention.

Doswell questions if the height of his popularity was stunted by segregation. "We don't know if he lived up to his [full] potential because of segregation...The country missed a lot because of it [segregation]."

Due to this segregation, Gibson was forced to find other competition. In doing so he played against many different teams with various skill levels. Therefore, experts hold contrasting opinions concerning his official statistics.

Doswell states, "Different historians are focusing on a different set of games and information."

Regardless of varying opinions, his accomplishments were too amazing for anyone to deny his greatness. Doswell says, "It's a shame that he doesn't get a chance to be in the [Home Run King] talk."

He goes on to express, however, that there are more important things than statistics, such as Gibson's legacy, and what he did for the game.

Despite his accomplishments being disputed, people must remember that Gibson was the victim, not the suspect. He cannot be blamed for playing in the Negro Leagues. In fact, he should be commended for playing despite discrimination.

In a video podcast conducted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Sean Gibson says, "The things that we teach the kids about Josh is that he overcame certain situations because of the color of [his] skin, to be very successful."

The legend speaks for itself: Gibson's greatness is unmatched.