Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth. The Sultan of Swat. The Bambino. The Great One. Whatever you call him, he was arguably the greatest baseball player to ever live. He hit 714 home runs, a record that stood for nearly 40 years, and he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. But was he a Jew? Well, that's why we're here, isn't it?

Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to German-American parents. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Germany, and his mother was also of German descent. There's no indication of any Jewish lineage on either side of his family tree. So, on the "O" scale, we're looking at a big, fat zero.

As for Jewish identity, Ruth was raised Catholic and remained so throughout his life. He attended St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a Catholic reform school, where he began his baseball career. There's no evidence he ever even considered converting, or had any particular affinity for Judaism. So, another zero for "I."

However, in terms of kvell-worthiness, Ruth is off the charts. He transcended the sport, becoming a national icon and a symbol of American triumph during the Roaring Twenties. His prodigious home runs and larger-than-life personality brought joy to millions, and his legacy continues to inspire awe. For that, he gets a perfect K of 5. While he may not have been a Member of the Tribe, he certainly brought a lot of nachas to the world.