| Babe Ruth: 'Nice going kid,' said Jack Dunn, owner-manager of the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. 'Keep pitching like that and no one can stop you from getting into the big leagues.' Dunn was addressing a tall, dark-haired, 19-year old lefthander who had just shut out Buffalo 6-0 in his first professional game.
His name was George Herman Ruth. the veterans had been riding him until one of them said, 'Better be careful. he's one of Jack Dunn's babes.' From then on, the rookie was called Babe Ruth.
No other athletic would equal the Babe's domination of the sports world. His raw power and freestyle living habits made him the idol of millions all over the world. He was the son of a saloon keeper, a product of a Baltimore orphanage, a star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox before he became the New York Yankees right fielder and a principal in the golden era of sports in the 1920's.
His broad shoulders and barrel chest were supported by comparatively slender legs and he swung his huge bat so gracefully that, even when he missed, the sight was a joy to behold.
In 22 years in the majors the Sultan of Swat, the Bambino batted .342, topping .370 six times and reaching .393 in 1923, his fourth year as a Yankee, and he hit his magic 60 home runs in 1927. He led the Yankees to their first seven pennants and he left an enduring name and an awesome list of records, capped by his staggering 714 home runs (surpassed after 39 years by Hank Aaron in 1974).
Fittingly, he was in the first set of occupants in the Hall of Fame. |
