George Herman Ruth came along at just the right time to save MLB from the "Black Sox Scandal" of 1919 as well as the gambling scandal of 1926 which triggered a congressional inquiry.

Because of Babe Ruth the distasteful and unsavory residue of gambling never fully impacted baseball. Babe's home runs not only revolutionized the way the game was played but they also drew attention away from a devastating grand jury inquiry and trial into the fixing of the 1919 World Series, the attempt to fix the 1921 season by a New York Giant's pitcher and the shameful resignations of Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb following the 1926 baseball season.

Babe Ruth put people in ballparks all over the country. He traveled all over America carrying the game he loved to every whistle stop. He visited hundreds of orphanages and hospitals where he shared his incredible smile and friendship with unfortunate and critically ill children.

Babe readily barnstormed with the Negro Leagues when most players were reluctant to step on the same ballfield. Babe made lifelong friends and enduring good will with Americans of every race, color and creed. Babe toured the Orient and was seen by millions of fans in Japan and the near east. Because of Babe Ruth baseball began to thrive in Japan. He is still revered in Japan though he visited that nation only once.

When stricken with a genetic cancer, Babe Ruth was also a courageous recipient of the first chemotherapy treatment. Though he was told that it might kill him, he expressed a desire to help others regardless of the outcome. To put it simply, Babe Ruth was a great American. He lived his life as freely as anyone and pushed the limits of his talent beyond anything seen in baseball before or since. Sixty years after his death, his name, his face and his legend are known all over the world.

It's time for MLB to acknowledge and to permanently honor his memory by retiring his famous number 3.