The debate rises up from the history books. The question is one of honor. And the woman at the center of it all swears she'll never stop swinging for the fences. Just like her grandfather.
"I'm not going away," she says. "If they think this girl is gonna go anywhere and shut up, they're dead wrong."
Linda Ruth Tosetti wants Major League Baseball to retire the number worn by her grandfather - Babe Ruth. If Tosetti gets her way, No. 3 would never be worn by another major leaguer again, similar to how baseball retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42 in 1997.
And herein lies the debate. Would celebrating Ruth detract from Robinson's honor? Does it open the floodgates for family members of other Hall of Famers to start petitioning? And is Ruth as worthy as Robinson? Is anyone, for that matter, as worthy?
And hasn't the Babe already been honored plenty?
"My grandfather is remembered, but I don't think he's honored," says Tosetti, one of the Babe's six grandchildren.
Tosetti began making her push to retire No. 3 more than a year ago. In fact, she wrote to baseball commissioner Bud Selig last summer. He responded graciously and explained, "We retired Jackie Robinson's number for myriad ... reasons, but the sociological importance is obviously very critical to us." He told Tosetti that he would share her request with his colleagues.
But that didn't satisfy her. Tosetti is running a grass-roots campaign, and her Web site - retirebabesnumber.com - has helped to collect more than 6,000 petition signatures in just a few months. It's only the start, she says. She wants to overwhelm MLB with support for her cause, especially this year - the 60th anniversary of Ruth's death and the final year of Yankee Stadium, the house he's credited with building.
Suffice it to say, MLB probably didn't realize the can of worms it was opening by honoring Robinson in such a dignified and deserved way. But Tosetti has her points.
When we spoke recently, I played devil's advocate with Tosetti because, frankly, the issue is far from cut and dried. To her credit, she had a response for every concern.
Robinson wasn't honored because of his achievements on the field. His contribution to the game was so much bigger, I told her.
