Sen. Lowell P. Weicker wants Hall of Famer Babe Ruth to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, nearly 40 years after the baseball slugger's death. Ruth was a ``true American hero'' who ``epitomized the very best of our national pastime,'' Weicker, R-Conn., said Thursday. The medal, the nation's highest civilian award, is given by the president for contributions to national security, world peace or ``significant private or public endeavors.'' Seventy-one Medals of Freedom have been awarded by President Reagan. Weicker, in a letter to Reagan nominating Ruth for the award, noted the athlete's off-the-field contributions. ``He had great compassion for the sick and dying,'' the senator said. ``Against the advice of many, Babe Ruth visited those afflicted with Hansen's Disease in Kalappapa, Hawaii, and offered those condemned to the `leper' colony his love and kindness.'' Well known for his visits to sick children, Ruth also established the Babe Ruth Foundation for underprivileged children shortly before his death and left it a large part of his estate. Born in 1895 in Baltimore, George Herman Ruth hit 714 home runs in 22 major league seasons with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Boston Braves. A star pitcher early in his career, Ruth's career home run total stood as the major league record until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. Ruth died Aug. 16, 1948, at the age of 53. Other baseball players who have received the award include former Yankee great Joe DiMaggio and the late Jackie Robinson, who became the first black in the major leagues in the modern era when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
