Read Babe Ruth: Legends in Sports Online
Authors: Matt Christopher
Babe Ruth: Legends in Sports
Copyright © 2005 by Matt Christopher Royalties, Inc.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
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First eBook Edition: December 2009
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ISBN: 978-0-316-09373-6
Contents
Chapter One: 1895–1914
From the Street to St. Mary’s
Chapter Three: 1914–1918
Boston’s Babe
Chapter Four: 1919–1923
Becoming the Bambino
Chapter Five: 1923–1925
Ups and Downs
Chapter Six: 1926–1928
The Greatest
Chapter Seven: 1929–1932
The Called Shot?
Chapter Eight: 1933–1947
Heading Home
THE #1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS: MATT CHRISTOPHER
®
CHAPTER ONE1895–1914From the Street to St. Mary’s
A teammate of Babe Ruth once said, “I saw a man transformed from a human being into something pretty close to a god.” Indeed,
Babe Ruth is one of baseballs legendary figures, a player unlike anyone before or since. His booming home runs changed the
game forever. There will never, ever be another ballplayer like the Babe.
Baseball historians consider George Herman “Babe” Ruth one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, a star both
on the mound and at the plate. During his first six seasons in the major leagues, Babe Ruth was one of the most successful
pitchers in baseball, winning eighty-nine regular season games and three more for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Then he became the greatest slugger of his time, hitting home runs faster and farther than anyone
who had ever played the game. He played the bulk of his career with the New York Yankees and ended with 714 home runs, a record
that held until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974.
Yet for all his individual accomplishments, Babe Ruth was also a team player. He helped the Red Sox to three pennants and
world championships. Then, after he was purchased by the Yankees after the 1919 season, Ruth led New York to seven pennants
and four world championships, creating the Yankee dynasty that continues to this day.
But statistics and championships don’t even begin to tell his story, for in addition to his accomplishments on the field,
Ruth is unquestionably the most beloved baseball player in history. Baseball fans loved him for his talent, his generous personality,
his ready smile, and his enormous heart. Ruth never lost sight of the fact that baseball was a game meant to be
played.
He was like an oversized kid, and he played baseball with simple joy.
Even today, nearly sixty years after his death in 1948, he remains the most popular baseball player of all time. Wherever
kids gather to play baseball,
young boys and girls still step up to the plate and dream of being Babe Ruth.
Yet few people realize what a difficult life Babe Ruth had, particularly when he was young. Due to his harsh upbringing, Ruth
entered adulthood still thinking and acting like a child. He struggled most of his adult life to behave responsibly. For all
his accomplishments on the field, Ruth’s greatest victories were with himself.
Babe Ruth began life in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 6, 1895, as George Herman Ruth Jr., the firstborn child of two German
Americans, George and Kate Ruth. From the start, the young family had a tough time. George Ruth Sr. had trouble finding work
and had to leave Kate home alone with their son. But Kate was not a strong woman. Her illnesses prevented her from giving
George Ruth Jr. as much attention as he needed. And when his sister, Mary Margaret, was born, five-year-old George was left
to take care of himself as best he could.
Babe Ruth later admitted that he “was a bad kid,” who “had no sense of right or wrong.” Every morning he took to the streets
with other unfortunate
boys. Although they often played children’s games, including baseball, without adult supervision, they frequently caused trouble.
They stole food and money, committed vandalism, chewed tobacco, and fought among themselves and against children from other
neighborhoods.
Young George rarely went to school. His parents tried to force him to go, but even beatings with a leather strap couldn’t
make him obey. Every day he became more uncontrollable. When he wasn’t on the streets, he hung around the saloon his father
owned — hardly a good place for a young boy to grow up. At an age when he should have been learning to read and write, he
was drinking alcohol and stealing whiskey from customers.
One night, when George was seven years old, police were called to break up a brawl in the saloon. Afterward, a neighbor told
the authorities that she had noticed George was in the saloon when he should have been attending school. The Ruth’s were ordered
to send George to Saint Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in the city of Baltimore.
Operated by the Xaverian Brothers of the Catholic
Church, St. Mary’s was a training school for orphans, delinquents, and other poor young boys in need of help. More than eight
hundred boys, ranging from the age of seven to eighteen, lived and studied at St. Mary’s. Discipline under the brothers was
strict. The boys were told what to do and when to do it. The students, who referred to themselves as “inmates,” all slept
in dormitories and were not allowed to leave St. Mary’s without supervision.
Young George arrived at St. Mary’s on June 13, 1902. Its imposing gray stone buildings and high wooden fence made it look
like a prison. George didn’t understand what St. Mary’s was or why he was there. When his father escorted him to the school
office, said good-bye, and left, George (the foul-mouthed, tobacco-chewing street urchin) suddenly discovered he wasn’t so
tough. Alone and afraid, he began to cry.
Fortunately, the Xaverians understood young boys like George. They knew such boys weren’t bad — they just needed someone to
pay attention to them and provide them with some direction, discipline, and love. They tried to provide each boy with an
education and a skill that would eventually allow each of them to earn a living and become a good, responsible citizen.
George was kept so busy at St. Mary’s that he didn’t have time to get into trouble. All the boys awoke each morning at six,
attended church, ate breakfast, and then spent five hours in school either learning academic subjects or studying for a trade.
After a two-hour break for lunch and recess, they spent another two hours either in class or, if they were over twelve years
old, working. Before dinner the boys were encouraged to play sports. They were then allowed to read for forty-five minutes
before going to bed at 8:15. They attended school five days a week plus a half day on Saturday. After church services on Sundays
they were free to participate in school sports, play in the band, and take part in other similar activities.
At first, George hated St. Mary’s. No one had ever told him when to get up in the morning, when to eat, what to wear or do,
or when to go to bed. After all, he had always done as he pleased before, and now suddenly the brothers were telling him what
to do every minute of the day.
Each brother was assigned eight or ten boys to watch over. Brother Matthias, the head of discipline at St. Mary’s, was assigned
to look after young George Ruth. An enormous man who stood nearly six and a half feet tall and weighed nearly three hundred
pounds, Matthias looked as if he could break a person in half with his bare hands.
But Brother Matthias didn’t use force. He was firm, but gentle and patient. Although the boys called him “the boss,” they
weren’t afraid of Brother Matthias. He treated each student with respect.
Brother Matthias took a special interest in young George, who could neither read nor write and had no idea how to behave properly.
Ever so slowly, George began to respond to the attention. No adult had ever taken an interest in him. He began working hard
at school and at his trade, shirtmaking, just to make Brother Matthias happy. A word or look of praise from Brother Matthias
made George feel proud.
Brother Matthias loved baseball and was a good player himself. He wowed the students at St. Mary’s by hitting long fly balls
while holding the bat with only one hand.
George loved playing baseball, too. Nearly every afternoon, he played pickup games and practiced batting. On the weekends
he played for several teams run by St. Mary’s. These teams were made up of players of different ages from the various shop
programs and dormitories. Some of the teams represented St. Mary’s against other institutions. From Saturday afternoon through
Sunday, George often played games with five or six different teams.
Everyone soon discovered that George was one of the best hitters at the school. He was big for his age, well coordinated,
wiry, and strong. Although he played all positions, his strong arm often earned him a place behind the plate as a catcher.
A lefty, he wasn’t even bothered by the fact that he had to wear a left-handed catcher’s mitt. Instead, he perfected a method
of catching the ball, flipping it in the air, tucking the glove under his right arm, then snagging the ball with his throwing
hand. Even with the extra time it took to do this maneuver, his arm was so powerful he could still throw out runners trying
to steal.
Brother Matthias made sure that George didn’t stray, even on the baseball diamond. One day, the
pitcher for George’s team was getting hit hard and George started laughing at him and making cruel comments. Brother Matthias
listened for a while, then went up to George and said, “All right, George.
You
pitch.”
George’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know how to pitch,” he stammered.
“You must know a lot about pitching,” Brother Matthias replied, “to know that your friend isn’t any good. Go out there and
show us how it is done.”
George realized the brother was serious. He took the ball, walked to the mound, and stood there awkwardly as the other boys
laughed at him.
But they didn’t laugh for long. George may not have known a lot about pitching, but he did have a strong arm. He pitched well,
and from then on took regular turns on the mound. But he had also learned an important lesson.
Periodically, George would return to live at home with his parents and sister. But without St. Mary’s structure and discipline,
he soon fell back into bad habits and his father would send him back to St. Mary’s, where Brother Matthias always welcomed
him back.