Counterfactual history, part 1 ... Babe Ruth.

Who knew that Babe Ruth's daughter was alive? That's a story in itself.

Home, at the Other House That Ruth Built, by Peter Karasotis (New York Times)

Julia Ruth Stevens, 97, the daughter of Babe Ruth, joined the Yankees in St. Petersburg to celebrate the city’s 100-year anniversary as the birthplace of spring training in Florida.

Baseball fans know that Babe Ruth yearned to be a manager, but never was tapped for the job. His daughter offers a fascinating theory for why the Bambino was excluded from the managerial ranks.

Stevens said that what truly prevented Ruth from a shot at managing was the fear that he would have brought in black players, years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

“Daddy would have had blacks on his team, definitely,” Stevens said.

Might the legendary slugger have single-handedly shattered the color line during the late 1930s? It seems unlikely, and yet Ruth was an iconic figure beloved by all. Interesting, indeed.