Babe, Beer . . . and Ken McMullen

The monument in Yankee Stadium to Babe Ruth can be seen in the background of Ken McMullen’s 1971 card.  Behind Babe’s monument is a plaque commemorating Colonel Jacob Ruppert.  Ruppert owned the Yankees from 1915 to 1939.  He and his co-owner Colonel Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston acquired Ruth from the Red Sox and built Yankee Stadium.  Ruppert hired Miller Huggins; a piece of Huggins’ monument, to the left of Ruth’s can be seen in the card.  With these building blocks, the Yankees would dominate the game.  Ruppert’s wealth came from one of Babe’s favorite things – beer.  In the early 20^th Century, Ruppert’s beer, which included Knickerbocker lager and Rupert’s Pale Ale, was the best-selling beer in America.  Rupert Beer ended its run in 1965, the year Ken McMullen began his, posting a 4.4 WAR in his first season as a starter. 

McMullen was an excellent defensive third baseman with some pop, posting his career high in home runs with 21 in the year of this card, 1971.