*Babe Ruth Thread*

[julusnc]

I just thought its time for the Bambino to have his own thread.Please friends list tidbits and facts to extend the lifes history and knowledge of Babe Ruth for others to enjoy.
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------------INDEX

------PAGE----------SUBJECT

--------1-----------Biographical info
--------2-----------Career Info/Discussion
--------3-----------Articles on Ruth
--------4-----------Hitting
--------5-----------Pitching
--------6-----------Fielding
--------7-----------Pictures
--------8-----------Pictures
--------9-----------Stories/Off Field Stuff

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

------------INDEX

------PAGE----------SUBJECT

--------1-----------Biographical info
--------2-----------Career Info/Discussion
--------3-----------Articles/Literature Chapters
--------4-----------Hitting
--------5-----------Pitching
--------6-----------Fielding
--------7-----------Pictures
--------8-----------Pictures
--------9-----------Stories/Off Field Stuff

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Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

Babe's Genealogy:

Name                                     Born    Born    Died    Died

George Herman Ruth,Sr. (father) -        Jan.31  1871    1918   Aug.25
Mary Margaret (Mamie) (Ruth) Moberly -   Aug. 2  1900    1992   Jul.1 (sister)
Dorothy Helen (Ruth) Pirone(daughter) -  Feb.2   1921    1989   May.18
Julia (Hodgson)(Ruth) Stevens -          Jul.7   1916   alive  (adopted)
(Clara Merritt) Claire (Hodgson) Ruth -  Sept.11 1897    1976   Oct.25 (wife2)
Helen (Woodford) Ruth (1st wife) -       Oct.    1897    1929   Jan.11
Catherine (Katie) (Schamberger) Ruth -   Jul.    1873    1912   Aug.11(mother)

Dorothy was actualy Babe's real biological daughter. Story was in her book, My Dad, The Babe.

Babe fans: you might want to download or copy these. They are pretty hard to find. VERY hard to find, really.

Bill Burgess
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Posted by: jbmunion

Dear Bill,

I scene your line on Ruth's genealogy. I am actually blood related to Ruth. My Grandfather, John Manley Beefelt and George Herman Ruth were first cousins. In fact my grandfather spent time at St. Mary's industrial school for boys just as Ruth at the corner of Wilkens and Caton Avenue in Baltimore. The details you are sharing in regards to Ruth are slim in detail, the Babe Ruth musuem has a large list of relatives to Ruth, unfornately its so intermingled with his adopted childrens family's it tough to tell who's actually related and who isn't.
The rumor of African American blood is rumor, its fact. It has been passed down in our family for generations. One of the biggest coverups is the endless hazing Ruth endured during his playing days. Even Ruth dismisses the abuse in describing the Chicago bench leading up to the called shot. Every American relizes what Chicago meant by "Big Ape" and "Baboon". Ruth was above it all. Its one of the reasons he was so great.
Its the biggest reason for the rejection of Bonds and Aaron. Bonds is A@# and everyone knows it, Aaron is just elusive, and without personality. Americans spoiled by Ruth, thirst for a large then life, bosterous, loveable hero. In truth it has nothing to do with race, they just want their homerun champ to be alive, and human.
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The rumor of African American blood is rumor, its fact. It has been passed down in our family for generations.

Posted by: SHOELESSJOE3

That one line in bold letters is confusing, or is it just me. Are you saying it's a fact that the rumor is just a rumor.
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Thats how I read it.

Regarding the racial names, in all fairness, they do take on a different meaning if the person is in fact black. Still, it does rarely get mentioned, and doesn't get much play, probably because Babe never made a big issue out of it himself. Oh there were moments, especially where Cobb was concerned, but he dished some and took some. From what I understand about "ape," it had more to do with Tarzan of the Apes. A play on his lack of "social graces" shall we say.
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Its the biggest reason for the rejection of Bonds and Aaron. Bonds is A@# and everyone knows it, Aaron is just elusive, and without personality. Americans spoiled by Ruth, thirst for a large then life, bosterous, loveable hero. In truth it has nothing to do with race, they just want their homerun champ to be alive, and human.

Posted by: Appling

I agree -- it took a special kind of guy to be the loveable, "larger than life" hero that we know as Babe Ruth. Who else in MLB history had special skill and also had the outgoing personality to sell it? I think of just a few: Dizzy Dean? Reggie Jackson? Kirby Puckett?

Do any of today's super-stars fit that mold?
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Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

I think that the answer to 'How he did it?' could be many answers.

1. Babe swung much harder than others of his day. Joe Jackson did too, and they were the great exceptions.

2. Babe's bat was much larger/heavier than other's bats. I think I remember seeing the figure of 48 oz. Not sure, but it was compared to the tongue of a covered wagon.

3. Babe had a lot of upper body strength, so he could swing that big bat real fast through the strike zone.

4. Babe had ridiculous self-confidence. He also had the ability to concentrate, shut out everything else, and focus on that moment. He never doubted himself. Wasn't subject to the stress/doubts others were.

5. Was tested and found to have rare physical gifts. Hand/eye coordination, reflexes, vision better than 20/20. Also tall for his time.

6. Like many others, Babe honed his skills, instincts, smarts for around 10 yrs., 9-19 yrs. old, before he hit the Big Time. That's a long time to perfect the many aspects of his overall game.

I believe that the pitching of that day lacked the higher speed we see routinely today. So one with Babe's physical gifts, strength, etc. was able to tee off on 80-90 mph fastballs, and big roundhouse curves.

Babe did less well against junk, off-speed, dinky breaking balls, such as Hub Pruett's screwball.

I think it would be obvious that Babe would not be successful with the old 'big swing'. He'd have to adopt a smaller, lighter bat, a more compact swing, but I agree with Randy, that his basic hip rotation, giving him that massive torque would have still generated incredible ball/bat impact.

But I also think Ruth would have met with some success against the good high-speed pitchers today. Guys like Clemens, R. Johnson, Martinez, Maddux, N. Ryan don't always make their best pitches. They can't throw 95+ every pitch, can they? NO. They must, like all others, rest and throw their share of 85-95 mph fastballs. And the good hitters wait for THOSE pitches. Just like they waited for Walter Johnson to rest up and conserve himself.

So, for those reasons, I do think Babe could hit Clemens, Johnson, Ryan, Martinez, etc.

But he'd have to use his good sense, make the right choices, and make some efforts to keep himself in better shape.

Like Randy, I too am intrigued by how high Babe could have risen against the juiced ball, low strike zone, assisted by body armor, gloves, and all the modern advantages.
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5. Was tested and found to have rare physical gifts. Hand/eye coordination, reflexes, vision better than 20/20. Also tall for his time.

Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Article about Ruth getting tested at Columbia University

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Fullerton/

Bill, I think if he played today, he might tone down the hitch a little, he'd start out with his feet spread further apart, he'd cut down the stride, and of course use a lighter bat. Those are easy adjustments though. The main parts could remain. The thought of him being able to crowd the plate with body armor, helmet, and enjoy todays strike zone off of these inexperienced pitchers...is intriguing.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: Metal Ed

Wait, am I thinking of Julia Ruth here? Whoever was in the "All Century Team" video talking about her father, that's who I meant. I remember looking at one of his daughters and thinking how much she looked like her father, without actually being ugly. It's weird.

Here's Julia. She looks like a cross between the Babe and Drew Barrymore:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...l%3Den%26lr%3D
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Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

I hate to tell you this, at this late date, but Julia was not Babe's biological daughter. Babe married his second wife, Clair (Merritt) Hodgson, in 1929, and the next year, he adopted Clair's daughter, Julia, who had been born in 1915, to Clair and Frank Bishop Hodgson.

Babe's only biological daughter, Dorothy, was a product of a laison, between Babe and Juanita Jennings, and was born in 1921. It was thought that she was adopted by Babe/Helen, but Babe kept his love child a secret his entire life. If Clair had found out, she could have used it to blackmail Babe.

Bill Burgess
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Do you think his first wife and daughter would say that?

Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

His 1st wife, Helen Woodford? Naw, they married too young.

His first daughter, Dorothy, who was believed to be their adopted daughter, but turns out to be Babe's true biological daughter? Yeah, she would say that. She DID say that, over and over in her book, My Dad, the Babe, by Dorothy (Ruth) Pirone, 1988. He was her hero, forever & forever.

She either forgave all his human frailties or more likely never even saw them.
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

This sounds accurate. Its likely that she understood him, and that is paramount. After all, she was sharing her father with every other kid in America at the time. He turned neither her, or them away. His spontaneous nature would have made for a fun dad.

From Dorothy's book, My Dad, The Babe:

By the early 1930s my father's popularity had reached an all-time high, and the demands on his time were endless. I had to realize that, with all his commitments, I was not going to be his number one priority. We did not have the intimate relationship that many fathers and daughters shared.
Because he did not spend as much time with me as most fathers would have, the times we did share were all the more special: decorating the Christmas tree, playing cards, going on picnics on his days off, or listening to "The Lone Ranger" on the radio. He loved to come home and throw his huge raccoon coat at me to see if I could catch it - which was almost impossible, since the coat weighed more than I did. I would always end up on the floor underneath the coat, while my father laughed and laughed.
If I was lucky he would take me on road trips, usually to Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C. His teammates Ben Chapman, Lefty Gomez and Frank Crosetti did their best to entertain me on the train rides by singing songs. During these trips I was incredibly happy; my father would call me "Butch" and "Duck," but when he was angry it was always "Dorothy."
Sometimes the Yankees would send Dad five or six dozen balls at a time for him to autograph. My job was to make sure that the ink from the fountain pen did not smear. Then, when the balls dried, I would rewrap them and put them back in the box.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: El Halo

One thing I've never heard mentioned here about Ruth (possibly because it's generally a touchy subject) is his race. I have a friend who's a Red Sox historian who swears up and down that Ruth had a black grandfather, and points to at least one instance from a Boston newspaper around 1917 where Ty Cobb referred to Ruth using a racial epithet ordinarily describing blacks. He says that it was a kind of under the surface common knowledge in baseball circles at the time that Ruth was "passing" as white, and that part of Kenesaw Mountain Landis' six week suspension of Ruth in 1922 was based, in addition to Ruth's barnstorming, on Landis' discovery of Ruth's ethnic heritage, and his taking time to decide what to do about it.

It's not an idea that I've heard widely discussed elsewhere, although I know that certain African American themed stores in New York City sell posters of the famous photo of Babe sitting in the dugout with the words "HE WAS" in huge letters at the bottom of them. It would certainly be another great legacy for Babe if he were to be considered the first black baseball star, though of course he never had to deal with any of the things Jackie had to go through.

Anybody else have an opinion on this?
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Posted by: Appling

I too read that Ruth may have had some black ancestry. But can you imagine Landis in 1922 having the power to eject from organized baseball someone as popular as Ruth? He would probably disguise his real reason but eject Ruth (for LIFE?) -- taking extreme action supposedly because Babe disobeyed baseball's rule on barnstorming. (Of course Ruth wasn't the only MLB player on that barnstorming tour. That may be why Landis finally decided not to eject Ruth from baseball -- and to keep "secret" any information on Ruth's ancestry.)

Is there any chance that public opinion at the time would have allowed Landis to do something like this?
__________________
Luke
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Posted by: westsidegrounds:

There were instances of racial slurs beside's Cobb's. One time it got so bad that Ruth went into the other team's clubhouse after a game and told the other team, in reference to their repeated use of the "n" word: "Hey, you can call me anything you like, c********r or whatever, but lay off the personal stuff." Nobody replied, and Ruth left.
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Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

I have dug into Ruth's genealogy as a researcher, and have discovered nothing whatsoever to support the myth that Babe had black blood.

Both his parents were born in Baltimore, were German, and there is a famous photo of Babe around 1916, in his Dad's highly attractive Baltimore tavern, and Babe's Dad looks just like Babe, and no sign of racial mixing.

I dismiss this stuff as crap. Babe was German Catholic. And many have commented and there are photos to support it, that Babe was very city white in his body pigmentation. All this is based on his broad knose, husky, gravelly voice, simple, innocent mentality, and his wanton carnal over-indulgences. Nothing more.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

The Babe: A Personal Glimpse

As a final contribution to this tribute to the Babe, I'd like to donate this piece, where I put as many little-known facts of the Babe's life into this as I knew of. Hope it entertains.

George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born February 6, 1895, in Baltimore. His father, George Herman Ruth, Sr. was born in Baltimore also, on January 31, 1871. His mother, Catherine (Schamberger) Ruth was born in Baltimore in July, 1873. The Ruths were German Catholics. His parents were married on June 25, 1894. So apparently, Babe was conceived before the Wedding Day. Babe was born in his mother's home at 216 Emory St., now home to the Babe Ruth Museum.

Babe was baptized a month after he was born, March 1, 1895, by Father J. T. O'Brien at the Catholic Church down the street from where he was born.

Babe's sister, Mary Margaret (Mamie) (Ruth) Moberly, was born Aug. 2, 1900 and died on July 1, 1992, in Hagerstown, MD 21740 at age 91. She had married married Wilbur Moberly.

After Mary Margaret, Katie had 6 other children before she died in 1912, but they all died at birth or at an early age.

As soon as he could stand, he was difficult to handle. So his Dad dropped him off at St. Mary's industrial School on June 13, 1902. He was only 7. He was raised Catholic, and the Xaverian Brothers saw to it that he went to Mass, etc. He was assigned shirt-making as his future profession. And Babe always knew a good quality shirt after that, and sewed his own collars too.

The Xaverian Brothers, hadn't known that Babe had already been baptized, and baptized him again on Aug. 7, 1906, by Father Francis. On May 9, 1907, he received the sacrament of Confirmation. He received his first Holy Communion on Aug. 15, 1906. Babe was taken in hand by Brothers Gilbert and Mathias. Brother Mathias taught Babe how to play baseball. Babe caught and pitched for the school team.

One of the reasons that Babe's Dad had put him in the school, was the fragile health of his mom. She died August 11, 1912, at the age of 38. Babe was still at the school and aged 17. 18 months later, he signed his 1st pro contract. Her death certificate states "exhaustion" as cause of death.

Lest any misunderstanding arise from what has been written here, the core essence of this man was love, not rancor. He was always seeking the love from life, that which he was denied from day one. And he was always willing to give it out, to all near him. He never held his love/goodwill/affection back from anyone. Man, child, animal.

Babe was signed by Jack Dunn, who owned the minor league team, the Baltimore Orioles, on Feb. 27, 1914, as a pitcher. Before the mid-season, Dunn would sell him to the Boston Red Sox, as a pitcher.

On July 11, 1914, Babe debuted with the Boston Red Sox. He got into 5 games, and batted 10 times, got 2 hits. He started 3 games, went 2-1, as his W-L, pitched 23 innings, gave up 21 hits, and struck out 3 batters, walked 11. Not bad for a 19 yr. old kid. He was 6'2, weighed a svelte 180 lbs.

On August 15, 1914, Dunn sent Babe to Providence, to acquire a little seasoning. Babe won 11, lost 2 while there. They won the pennant. Carl Mays had been his team mate, and both were brought back to Boston to stay.

He probably faced 1,000 batters, hit 11 of them, had 11 wild pitches. He also hit .231, with 28 hits, 1 HR, 2 doubles, 10 triples.

The next season, he became a full-time pitcher star, and from 1915-17, he was the best LH pitcher in the AL. It was also noticed that, on occasion, he hit the ball so hard and so far, that the fans got excited. The right-fielder on the team, Harry Hooper, encouraged him to convert to the OF, and play every day. Manager Ed Barrow scoffed at such a notion at first, but by 1918, had been persuaded to play Babe in the OF, between his pitching assignments. It was a decision which would alter the course of the game.

During his year in the minors, with Baltimore, Babe married Helen M. Woodford. She had been born in East Boston, MA in Oct. probably 1897. They were married on Oct. 17, 1914. They would stay married until her accidental death in a fire, on Jan. 11, 1928. But they were separated since the early 1920's.

Babe says that his Dad never visited him at the school, but Babe visited home often, but always was returned to the school soon after. During the 1915 World Series, in Oct., Babe visited his Dad's bar, and a famous photo was taken. The resemblance between father/son was striking. Babe's Dad apparently didn't care about his son in the least, and was killed outside his bar, trying to mediate a scuffle, on August 25, 1918. He was stabbed with a knife by his brother-in-law, who claimed it was self-defense, and was later determined to be an accident. Babe was 23.

Life passed quickly. Babe had made good as a pitcher, and was signed by the Boston Red Sox in July, 1914. He was good from his first day. A born ballplayer, by 1917, he had shown good promise as a hitter, and he wanted to stop pitching. As stated earlier, his manager, Ed Barrow, who had previously managed Detroit in 1903-04, wouldn't hear of it. He insisted Babe take his regular turn on the mound every 4th day, in between his OF assignments. Babe balked. Said his arm was tired. He even once ran away to Philadelphia in protest. They had to go get him and bring him home.

But he was a handful. Refused to obey any curfew, etc. By 1920, Babe had become a great HR champion and was sold to the hated rival Yankees, who converted him into a full-time OF, which he wanted. And the NY press welcomed him to NYC like a conquering hero.

After the 1920 season ended, Babe went to California to play ball in the Pacific Coast L, and had an affair with Juanita Jennings, a Latino beauty. She got pregnant. Babe told her if she ever came East, to look him up. She called him not long after, from Cal. Told him she was knocked up. Babe convinced her to come to NYC to have the baby. She trusted him and came. Babe made arrangements to have her put up in a nice apartment, and then the hospital to have the baby.

This was all hush-hush, because he was married, and having a huge sports season. A scandal might have turned his fans against him. And he couldn't afford that, since his drawing power was what gave him a lot of his value.

So the baby girl, Dorothy was born, and Babe coerced Juanita into giving up her baby, so Babe could raise her. Babe arranged for him and his wife Helen to adopt the baby legally. And everyone assumed baby Dorothy was not his biological baby, even Dorothy herself, until told the news by Juanita herself in Oct., 1980, 2 weeks before she died. This info is found in Dorothy's book, "My Dad, The Babe," by Dorothy Ruth Pirone, with Chris Martens, 1988, pp. 194.

Juanita, as a strategy to stay near to her daughter, found ways to be near her. From 1960 to 1975, Dorothy took care of her, never suspecting her to be her true, biological mother. Two weeks before she died, she revealed to a shocked Dorothy that she was, in fact, her mother, and showed her photographic proof, as evidence. It was quite a shock, but a relief also.

In 1923, Babe, estranged from wife Helen, who went back to Boston, met a young, 26 year old, attractive, Georgian woman, named Claire Hodgson, a divorcée. Babe was immediately taken by her, and they became a couple right away. But Babe couldn't afford to tell her the truth about Dorothy, since Claire could have held that info over his head, as a weapon.

When Babe met her, he was 28, but thought he was 27, due to a mixup of his birth certificate. So Claire believed him to be 27. Claire herself was 26, having been born near Athens, GA on Sept. 27, 1897. For reasons unknown, Claire always falsified her age. She introduced herself to Babe as being 23, and always told him and others that she was born Sept. 27, 1900. Georgian birth records confirm the truth. She was born Clara Merritt. http://baseball-fever.com/showpost.p...&postcount=391

[http://baseball-fever.com/showpost.p...postcount=390]

Not long after Babe married her, Claire moved her mother, her 2 brothers, & daughter, Julia, into their Riverside Dr. apartment, with Babe & his daughter, Dorothy.

They were presumably very nice people. One of the brothers, Eugene Merritt, presumably jumped to his death, in a suicide from the 15th floor, on January 12, 1936, at the young age of 45. He had been very ill from WWI, and had since been a shoe salesman (1920); clerk in Siegel Pharmacy, & conductor on Hudson Tube railroad.

Incidentally, by one of the quirks of fate, Claire had known very well a 20 yr. old Ty Cobb back in her childhood in Georgia, and had flirted with him around 1907, when she was only 10. In his biography, by Al Stump, Cobb wrote, "I met a girl named Claire Hodgson, and for a while it got interesting."

When estranged wife Helen died in a fire in 1929, Babe was freed to marry Claire, which he did on April 17, 1929. She had a daughter Julia, by a previous marriage. Julia was born in 1915. Babe adopted Julia, and Claire adopted Dorothy. Babe & Claire got along reasonably well. But by 1937, he had had enough of her domineering ways, and had taken up with a tall, attractive redhead named Loretta, and lived with her for months at a time every year, in a small hamlet in NY called Greenwood Lake. He loved to fish, hunt, and enjoyed the taverns, restaurants, bars, lodges, etc.

Around 2 weeks before Babe died, 2nd wife Claire, went to his hospital room, with her lawyer in tow, and had Babe sign papers. It was a new will, which transferred his main assets, a trust fund for Dorothy, which he had since 1928, to herself, Claire, as the beneficiary. It had $400,000.

So Claire stole Dorothy's inheritance, and lived on it the rest of her life. But Loretta surprised Claire, by showing up at the hospital before Babe died. She demanded $25,000. from Babe's will, or she'd go to the NY Times with her story. She got the money.

Much of the information in this article came from the following sources, which are specialized documentation, available to the public through SABR.

My Dad, The Babe, by Dorothy Ruth Pirone, with Chris Martens, 1988

Babe Ruth: The Dark Side, by Paul F. Harris, Sr. He is a native Baltimoran, a retired attorney.

Babe Ruth and the New York City Press: 1919-1932, by Craig Lynn Irons, 1996.

The Life That Ruth Built, by Marshall Smelser, 1975. (Info on Babe's minor L. career.)

The 2nd/3rd 2 papers are available via SABR (Research Exchange, Len Levin, 282 Doyle Avenue, Providence RI 02906-3355.)
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Not long after Babe married her, Claire moved her mother, her 2 brothers, & daughter, Julia, into their Riverside Dr. apartment, with Babe & his daughter, Dorothy. They were presumably very nice people.

Thought some of my readers might be curious to learn what became of this warm, little family.

Dorothy Helen (Ruth) Pirone(daughter) was born Jun.7, 1921, in NYC, & died May 18, 1989, at the age of 68, in Durham,CT. Born St. Vincent's Hospital, 7th in Greenwich Village. Married Daniel J. Sullivan, on January 11, 1941, a Brooklyn employee of the Railway Express Co. Had daughter on Nov. 8, 1941. Had 4 other children. She married Dominick Pirone, a NY contractor, in NYC, on December 8, 1948. She was separated from him from 1965-71. Raised Arabian horses in Durham, CT.

Hubert L. Merritt (Claire's brother) was born October 8, 1894, in Georgia, and died October 14, 1948, in NYC, at the age of 51. Arrived in NYC in 1920. Worked for Harry M. Stevens Co. 1923-48, had served as a soldier, Camp Funston, Riley, Kansas.

Eugene Merritt (Claire's brother), was born July 24, 1890 in Georgia & died January 12, 1936 at the age of 45 in NYC. Was shoe salesman(1920); clerk in Siegel Pharmacy, conductor on Hudson Tube railroad. d. suicide,jump from NYC 15th, floor while he was residing with his sister, Claire, mother, Cassie Merritt, brother-in-law, Babe Ruth and Ruth's biological daughter, Dorothy and Claire's daughter, Julia.

Julia Hodgson)(Ruth) Stevens (Claire's daughter) was born July 7, 1916 in GA, & is still alive & living in Conway, NH at the age of 89.

(Clara Mae Merritt) Claire (Hodgson) Ruth ( wife 2), 5'2. Was born September 11, 1897 near Athens, GA. & died October 25, 1976, in NYC 10024, at the age of 79. Married the Babe April 17,1929. Claire always claimed 1900 as her birth year, when it was really Sept., 1897. She was flirting with Ty Cobb before he married another in August, 1908, that would have made her 10. After 1937, Babe spent long periods away from home with his girlfriend. d. cancer

Cornelia (Carrie) Lou (Rylle) Merritt (Claire's mother) was born March, 1872 in Gainesville, GA & died April 13, 1943 in NYC at the age of 71. The Merritt clan arrived in NYC, after the father died in Georgia on May 29, 1920.
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Others in the Babe story.

Frank Bishop Hodgson (Claire's 1st Husband) was born December 25, 1883 & died February 16, 1921 at the age of 37 in Fulton County, GA. Was a small hotel owner.

Juanita (Jennings) Ellias (Dorothy's mother) was born November 29, 1894 & died October, 1980, at the age of 86 in Durham, CT. Bore Babe his only biological child.

Colonel James Monroe Merritt, (Claire's father) was born March, 1862, in South Carolina, and died May 29, 1920, in Barrow County, GA. Was a lawyer, teacher.
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I'd like to continue some of Babe's story.

I'd like to pick it up in Nov., 1920. At that time, his future 2nd wife, Clara Merritt, then Claire (Merritt) Hodgson, arrived in NYC, with her 5 yr. old daughter, Julia, and her 20 yr. old black friend/maid, Marie Martin, and checked into the Waldorf.

She immediately sought work as a model, with Christie, the famous portrait artist. She posed from 9AM to sundown, and also posed for Harrison Fisher and Penrhyn, but mostly for Christie, for $10./day. She soon was able to move herself, Julia and Marie into a 4 room flat on 70th Street bet. Brdwy./Columbus.

Her father died May 29, 1920, in Georgia, and her mother then moved to NYC, to stay with her. Christie had connections, which led to Claire getting a small part in a Brdwy show, Dew Drop Inn. One day, one of the cast asked if she and another would like to go to the ballgame, and see the Yanks and Babe Ruth. It was in 1923. Dew Drop Inn was on tour in Washington. They went to Griffith Stadium. She went, met Babe, wasn't too impressed, but Babe started to call her regularly.

When Babe met her, she was tiny. 5'2, 100 lbs., 26 yrs. old, brunette, attractive. Coming from Georgia, she had an accent like Jimmy Carter. She'd have pronounced it, Jimma Cata. Talked just like Ty talked. Soft Atlantan tones.

And so began Babe's long courtship and going steady with future 2nd wife Claire. From 1923-1929, they dated as a steady couple. But on the road, Babe did what his liberty allowed him to do. Women constantly threw themselves at him. But when he was in town, NYC, he presumably behaved himself. At some point, Claire's 2 brothers re-located from Georgia to NYC, and they all lived together. Not the Babe, of course. He was still married, but separated from 1st wife Helen.

Babe became a regular staple at the Merritts' home. This went on for 7 years, until one day, word came that Babe's wife, Helen had died in a Boston fire. Babe was frantic to get his daughter, Dorothy, with him. He knew she was his biologically, but no one else did, beside Juanita Jennings, who at that time was not in the picture.

Babe married Claire on April 17, 1929, and on Jan. 14, 1930, he formally adopted Claire's daughter Julia, and she formally adopted Babe's daughter Dorothy. Only thing was, Claire never knew Dorothy was Babe's actual biological daughter. She always introduced Dorothy as "our adopted daughter, Dorothy"! Tacky as hell. Dorothy always hated that, but Claire intended for all to "know" that Dorothy wasn't the "real thing".

Another interesting arrangement was that Claire suggested to the Yankees' that she be allowed to go on the road with the team. The Yanks took her up on her offer. It worked to their mutual advantage.

So from 1929-34, whenever the Yanks left town, Claire went along, and the Yanks' paid for a separate room for Babe/Claire. This kept Babe out of mischief. Prior to this, he'd always sleep with a woman, come in to the team hotel around 5-6AM. Now, he'd have his wife to ride herd over his amorous dalliances. She got to run clearance between Babe & his female groupies, and the Yanks no longer needed to watch his curfew.

Another little tidbit, is the rift/feud between the Babe and Lou Gehrig.
Sometime in 1933, 14 yr. old Dorothy was visiting the Gehrig's home in New Rochelle, NY. Lou's Mom Gehrig, commented on how she usually looked like a ragamuffin, compared to how sharply-nattily Claire's daughter, Julia usually looked. Well, another Yankee wife over-hears the remark, and mentions it to another Yankee wife, and ka-boom. Word filters back to Claire, who feels shamed and PISSED. Next day, Babe brings up the remark to Lou.

Now Lou is passive and easy-going. There could be a long list of things he can roll with. Telling his mother to mind her own damn business is not on the list. Lou was a Mama's boy all his life. By choice. Now, let me be clear here. No one can ever be criticized for defending one's mother. God forbid. And there is a list a cosmic mile long, of things which are worse than being a Mama's boy.

But this is what caused the feud. Babe told Lou to never talk to him again, off the field. But Babe was Babe. Later, he tried to approach Lou and make up, but Lou brushed him off. Babe had been something of an idol/hero to Lou, and a good pal besides. So when Babe turned on him, it had hurt him deep.

This silly situation remained until July 4, 1939, on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium. When Lou uttered his famous heart-felt words, "Today, I feel like the luckiest man on the face of the Earth", Babe walked over and hugged him. Lou didn't shrug him off. So the rift ended that day. And Babe visited him after that too.

Another tidbit is the interplay between Babe and Leo Durocher. Leo was all glove, no bat. At the end of the 1926, '27 seasons, the Yanks brought Leo up to warm the bench at the close of each season. He got into no games, however, which is why it doesn't appear in the record books that he was on those teams.

Babe liked to kid the guys and when Leo came up, Babe dubbed him "The All-American Out". Man did that burn Leo's butt?! But since it came from Babe, what could he do but grin and bear it?

One day, a players very expensive wrist watch disappears from the Yankee clubhouse, and Babe accuses Leo of light-fingering it. Leo is furious & humiliated, but again, what can he do? Babe is Babe, and he's the "All-American Out." So, he denies it vehemently, but . . . what can he do?

Leo plays a slick glove for the Yanks at SS/2B, for '28-29, is released to the Reds, drifts to the Cards, and ends up in Brooklyn for 1938. Comes June 17, 1938, Babe is hired on by Larry MacPhail, Brooklyn GM, as a 3rd base coach. Babe was hired to appear in all exhibition games, and give a 10 minute hitting exhibition before each regular and exhibition game. Pay? $15,000./per season.

Babe mistakenly assumed he'd be made manager the next season. Came a moment during the season, Babe was thought to have missed a signal, which cost the Dodgers the game. Babe mistakenly assumed that Durocher had told reporters about it. Ruth next day, stormed into the clubhouse and told Durocher, that "whatever happened in the clubhouse, stayed in the clubhouse", and that feeding a missed signal to the press was dirty pool. Leo charged Babe, and bulled him into the lockers behind him. Other players, of course, came between them and intervened.

But next season, when manager Burleigh Grimes was let go, for finished 7th, Babe read that the new manager would be - Leo Durocher! After reading it in the morning editions, Babe sat in his kitchen and wept. He never called MacPhail, and MacPhail never called him. He was out of Baseball once again.

No contract arrived in the mail, and Babe assumed Durocher didn't want him. Durocher confirms that he didn't want him or need him. Durocher further claims that he never told the press about the missed sign, and also that he never told MacPhail to not rehire Babe. Durocher claims that the press just assumed a missed sign, but he never confirmed it to them.

All he wanted to do was be a part of the game he adored. In some way a part of the ML scene. That he was never given another opportunity saddens me deeply. He and Ty. Ty and he. Both WERE baseball, and had the smarts and desire to contribute. Such waste. Baseball has made such errors of judgment in its past. I've forgiven it, but still feel sad that those who loved it so profoundly were brushed off so shabbily.

Hope someone is reading this. I'm enjoying the retelling of it. Is anyone out there enjoying this? Let me know.

Most of this material came from the following:

The Babe and I, by Mrs. Babe Ruth, with Bill Slocum, 1959, Prentice-Hall, Inc.

My Luke and I, by Eleanor Gehrig and Joseph Durso, 1976

My Dad, The Babe, by Dorothy Ruth Pirone, with Chris Martens, 1988

Nice Guys Finish Last, by Leo Durocher, 1975
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Excerpts from Claire's book:

Babe's 2nd wife, Claire had some choice words for Ed Barrow in her 1959 autobiography, The Babe and I. Here are a few of her choice morsels.

"Barrow, as Babe's manager in Boston, and later as general manager of the Yankees, was his particular bete noir. Here was enmity from the start, with no quarter on either side over a quarter century. Huggins had to handle Babe at Babe's most riotous. Hug never succeeded. Ruppert was a constant foe at contract time and always backed Huggins, despite Houston's espousal of the Babe's rather weak case. Landis, as Commissioner of Baseball, was a cruel and ruthless judge. McCarthy exerted no discipline, just implacable loathing which was reciprocated.

I do not see them all as blackly as they appeared to Babe. I think both Huggins and Ruppert tried very hard to understand their lucrative problem child. (pp. 61)

"But Barrow did one thing for Babe Ruth. Barrow took Babe, who might well have become the greatest pitcher of all time, and made of him the greatest hitter of all time. And that took one thing Barrow had in abundance, courage. Taking Babe from the mound is not the obvious move it seems. It was obvious he was a remarkable hitter and even before Barrow came on the scene Carrigan and Barry occasionally took advantage of an opportunity to use Babe's bat more than once very four days by giving him an occasional job at first base or in the outfield. But neither man ever dared think of Babe as anything but a pitcher. Taking Babe off the mound was like telling Paderewski (Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski) that he should try the violin. (pp. 62-63)

If for nothing else, the Babe and his friends can always be grateful to Barrow for having the courage of his convictions. And, frankly, I can think of nothing else to be grateful to Ed for. (pp. 64)

But the Babe always felt that the basic problem he faced in dealing with Ruppert was Ed Barrow.

Ed, tough as a hickory nut, wise in the knowledge that baseball law made Ruth helpless in all salary fights, was always set against big salaries for Babe. Ed's friends said Barrow was without rancor in the matter. He was merely doing his job, which was to run the Yankees as economically as possible.

Babe felt Barrow's attitude was personal. They had fought in Boston and again in New York. They were bitter fights and the men hated each other. (pp. 142)


Bill Burgess

[Sultan_1895-1948]

How about some recomendations for the best Ruth biography... I've never read one.

Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Babe by Robert Creamer <---- must read
Babe Ruth by Tom Meany
Babe Ruth as I Knew Him by Waite Hoyt
Babe Ruth Story (autobiography) original copyright 1948
Launching the Legend by Jim Reisler
Young Babe Ruth - Brother Gilbert
(recommended by SHOELESSJOE3) - The Babe in Red Stockings
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Hal Wagenheim also wrote a good biography on Ruth. Not sure of the exact title since I loaned it to my brother, but I think its called Babe Ruth "His life and Legend" or something like that. Its ranks right behind Creamers for me. Meany's is the worst out of the bunch imo. I tend to like the ones that tell stories straight up, holding nothing back and not being hesitant to debunk certain myths. Meany's is clearly biased.
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Posted by: SHOELESSJOE3

Surprised that this book on Ruth is seldom mentioned. I agree that those mentioned are worthy, I have them all but don't leave this one out. One of my favorites on Ruth, lots of info and many, many comments by other players regarding Ruth. I think it's one of the best.

"The Life That Ruth Built", by Marshall Smelser. Any Ruth fan, even if not a fan of his, if you love the game, you have to have this one.
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BTW, just picked up a book at the public library. "Fouled Away The Baseball Tragedy of Hack Wilson." Never took much interest in Hack but I have to admit on reading this book, an interesting charactar on and off the field.

Posted by: blackout805

Plus it mentions an exhibition game where Hack played against Ruth
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Any idea on what they did after the game? Probably attended church and drank kool-aid together
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Posted by: -Kyle-

Sultan, what is your opinion on the The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth Leigh Montville , by factwise and readablewise?
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Its alright. Nothing extraordinary. If you haven't read a Ruth bio, you certainly should NOT choose that one to start with. It basically re-hashes old work done by Creamer, Smelser, and Wagenheim. A few new tid-bits in there though. Worth buying and reading as an addition to an already established collection. It'll be hard for anybody to write a new bio on him that covers anything new. Some books branch off and go with "specialized" writing, either talking about just his pitching years (Babe in Red Stocking) just his 60 homer season (Babe Chases 60), just him and the '18 Red Sox (Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox), just dealing with him and the media (Launching the Legend), him and his records (Babe Ruth's Incredible Records and The 44 Players Who Broke Them), his early years (Young Babe Ruth - Brother Gilbert), and the new one coming out about all his "would be" dingers that weren't dingers because of fence distances (Bill Jenkinson's). So many directions to go with him, all of them intriguing. Personally, I'm still waiting for an accurate made-for-TV mini Series that covers everything. That'd be one extensive project for sure.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: bkmckenna

Was Ruth's parents ever interviewed about his childhood?
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Not that I'm aware of. However, there are some quotes from his sister Mamie I believe. Pretty much what we already know though. The skipping school, the hectic workload his parents took on, etc.

What specifically are you interested in?
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Posted by: bkmckenna

I was just reading the beginning of Big Bam and the author was saying that not much is really known about the young Ruth besides tidbits that Ruth said through the years which may or may not actually hold a great deal of truth. The author says that Ruth's sister actually spoke more intelligently (that is having facts add up) about Babe's youth and family events.

For example:
Babe own autobiographies spend little time on his youth.
Babe often had pat, rehearsed answers to questions about why he went to St. Mary's.
Babe claimed to have an older brother that died but Mamie discredits this. In fact, Babe's parents were only married 7 months before he was born.

Basically, I have never really felt that Ruth was too forward about why he went to St. Mary's and perhaps Ruth never really understood the family situation as maybe an adult looking in would. He was very young and his answers always came around to him being a bad boy when in all reality the failing was his parent's.

Ruth went to St. Mary's on a couple occassions. Seems to me if the problem was his incorrigibility it would have been corrected (since he was so young, 6 or 7) unless he had some sever mental failing which I don't believe he did. This leads me to believe the problem really rested with an unstable home, specifically, some sort of problem with the mother which can only be guessed at today.

If I had to surmise I'd say that both parents were alcoholics and the mother may have had some mental problems as well.
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

They had seven kids after Babe and only one survived infancy (Mamie). He was sent to St. Mary's on a Friday the 13th in 1902. I think it had everything to do with the environment and his lack of guidance. He apparently just wouldn't go to school. But there is a story that one day there was a brawl in the saloon and a gunshot was fired. A neighbor got in touch with city authorities and the place was deemed unfit to raise a kid. Either way, he ended up there and only stayed in for about a month the first time. Went back in for a short time, and then stayed home until Christmas of 1904. When he went back after that, he stayed in for four years. Came out in 1908 and shortly after his mom died in 1910 he went back in again.

I'm with you on his mother. I think she did have mental problems. Losing 6 children couldn't have helped, and when Babe came back home he still misbehaved.
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Posted by: bkmckenna

Thanks for the info - I have little doubt that the atmosphere bred Ruth's rebelliousness.
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Posted by: william_burgess@usa.net

Who Was Babe Ruth's Childhood Idol?

(The Heroes' Heroes, The Literary Digest, January 2, 1932)

Well, then, who was Babe Ruth's hero?

"Christy!" boomed the Babe. "Sure, Christy Mathewson."

As we read on, we find the Home-Run King paying this tribute:

"Maybe there was a greater pitcher than Matty, but I doubt it.

"And if anybody had suggested it to me when I was a kid in Baltimore and he was pinning the boys' ears back in the National League, I probably would have taken a sock at him, because I was a rough kid in those days. Maybe I didn't always know my lessons, but I always knew how many games Matty had won and lost. I read everything about him that I could get my hands on.

"By the time I got up to the big leagues Matty was just about getting through as a pitcher, but I got to know him when he was managing the Reds, and saw quite a little of him after that, when he was coaching for the Giants and later, when he was president of the Braves. A great pitcher--and a great fellow who made an impression on baseball that won't wear off as long as the game lasts." (The Heroes' Heroes, The Literary Digest, January 2, 1932)

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Here is a roster of all those Fever members who've expressed the opinion that The Babe was the greatest player ever.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruth - 97

ElHalo--------TC2, WM,RH,LG,HW6
four tool player--TC2
Sultan, 1895-1948-TC2,WM3,HW4
SABR Matt-TC2,BB,TW,WM,HW6
Double X - WM2, TC, TW, HW5
RuthMayBond-TC2,WM4,HW6
Jalbright-TC,HW4,WM6
Captain Cold Nose-TC,WM,HW
Julusnc--TC-2,HW,WM
Edgartohof--TC2,WM3,HW5
dgarza-TC2,Gibson, WM10
blackout805-TC2,HW7,WM9
ShoelessJoe3
Sirmudgeon,TC,WM3,HW6
Flash143817--TC2,TW3,WM4,HW5
CyNOtSoYoung-TC2,WM3,HW5
pacewon-TC2,WM3,HW7
rockin500-TC,WM,HW
uthminsta-TC2
BoofBonser26-TC2,WM4,HW6
NeverJustAGame-TC2,HW,WM,TS,BB
coasttocoast-TC2,WM,HW,OC
dudeman-TC2,HW,WM
TheOnlyRyan -TC-2
Catfish--TC-2
Wee Willie-TC2,WM3,HW5
baseball bum-TC2,WM,HW
runningshoes53--TC2
Myankee4life, TC2,WM3,HW8
Chisox73-TC,WM,HW4
give it a ride-TC2,WM,HW
baseball Pap-TC,HW3,WM7
StLCards2,TC2,WM3,HW5
Yankee Legend-TC,WM,TW,BB,HW13
Cyclone792-TC,HW,TW,BB,WM
torez77-TC,HW4,WM5
Pghfan987-TC2, WM3,HW4
Murderer's Row-TC,TW,HW,WM9
Kyle-TC, HW,WM,BB,OC7
abacab---WM2,TC3,HW4
darkplague17-BB,TC3,HW9
Plask Stirlac-TW,TC3,HW10
Pretorius -WM,TC3,BB,HW5
pjf-LG,TC3,WM
Baseball Guru-WM,TC3,HW7
catcher24--WM, TC3
Luke Appling-HW2,TC-3,WM7
The Amazing Met-WM2,TC3,HW4
Dodger-WM,TC3,HW5
moviegeekjan-WM,TC3,HW
Honus Wagner Rules-HW,WM,TC4
Don’tworry-WM3,TC4,HW5
ChiSox-BB,WM,TC4,HW7
sschirmer-WM,HA,TC4,HW6
Mac195---WM,TW,TC4,HW5
CharlesBlalack,TW,HW,TC4,WM6
wrgptfan------Ruth, TW,BB,LG,TC5,HW8
BillyF29-MM,TW,WM,TC5,HW7
BoSox Rules-BB,WM,TC5,HW6
Naliamegod-HW,WM,TW,TC5
Babe Is The Best-TC5
Metsfan11--TC-6
west coast orange and black
Jackie42
NeverJustAFan
whatswailing
BABBMALLEY29
bluezebra
Santotohof
WLH99raiders--
depstein
basebll79
nationalpastime1980
MikeCameron
westsidegrounds
Dayton Dog
froshman2002
doublepar
Halos
nascaran5
714 on beer and dogs
Exposfan556
Bluesteve32
Brooklyn
barzilla
Schlabotnik
Astro
Hoffy
tonjes
ballparks
carnivore
piwvolk
Mordeci
RedSoxVT92
64 Cards
Knick9
Tony Starks

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

From: My Dad, The Babe

Babe was a good father, given the circumstances. He never deliberately neglected me, and I know he loved me. He was just uncomfortable showing it, for fear of repercussions from Claire. So not only was I deprived of many of the tangible objects that were normal, expected parts of most little girls' lives - nice new clothes, a bicycle - but I also received little of the love and affection that any child needs while growing up. I know it may sound hard to believe, because it took me a long time to figure it out myself, but Claire had a hold on my father that would never be broken.

I found out later that, before Babe and Claire were married, they had lived together for seven years - while he was still married to Helen. It was reported in the press that Dad and Claire were close friends, but no one knew exactly how close the relationship went. Then it was morally inexcusable for a man and a woman to live together without being married, so any rumors of their intimate relationship were quickly squelched by my father.

Claire grew tired of the mistress role after a while and threatened to expose the sordid details of their lengthy affair to the newspapers if my father did not marry her. Babe, fearful of a besmirched reputation, allowed himself to be blackmailed in this fashion.

Claire realized early on that her trump card was my father's perception of himself, and the fact that he truly believed that the evidence against him which Claire had accumulated over the years would be damaging to his career and reputation. Many of you reading this might think, "Why would an athlete as celebrated as Babe Ruth be so worried about Claire's threats?" To answer this question, I must explain how my father viewed himself and what he had to lose.

Dad did not see himself as an extraordinary person. Going to the ballpark was a job, much the same as everyone else's. He felt he was just an ordinary person trying to earn a living.

His good friends weren't the affluent and influential: they were cabdrivers, paperbodys, doormen and small businessmen. Before every game he would stop at a corner fruit market on 168th and Lexington Avenue and buy a head of cabbage. He kept it on the bench in a bucket of ice and each inning wore a fresh leaf under his cap to keep cool.

Babe would not have enjoyed being chauffeured around in a stretch limousine with tinted windows, had they existed at the time; instead, he loved to drive down Broadway in a convertible, waving to the people. One of his favorite stops was at Seventh Avenue and 123rd Street in Harlem. There, a scoreboard in the window of a store gave updated out-of-town scores. Huge crowds would gather while he double-parked and waited for the scores.

The difference between my father and most celebrities was that Babe was approachable. That's one of the reasons he became the hero of the common man - he had time for everyone. But Claire wanted nothing to do with that aspect of his life. She resented his rubbing elbows with the working person, feeling that she and Babe were above everyone else. But my father never felt that way. The only time I ever remembering him shunning autograph seekers was at Lou Gehrig's wake.

Babe was not impressed by foreign dignitaries or presidents and treated them as if they were also on his level. When he met Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, he tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Hi ya, Queenie." He was not being disrespectful, only friendly. Another time he asked President Calvin Coolidge, "Hot as hell, ain't it, Prez?" And when he visited King George V of England, his friends and the king's staff tried to make him wear a morning suit, according to protocol. He said, "No thank you. I'll wear my blue suit and white silk shirt with the collar open. What's good enough for my president is good enough for your king."

Through it all, my father's greatest concer was the "little kids with the dirty faces," a reference to the less fortunate children who idolized him. As a youth Babe was no different, and he believed that his success gave every one of these kids hope for the future.

Even though Dad was thought of as god-like, he was really very down to earth. I guess he best represented Everyman; so in his mind, he did feel like he had a lot to lose should Claire ever follow through with her idle threats.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Posted by: hellborn

I have to admit that I am guilty of not having read a full biography of the Babe...I have an excellent picture book that summarizes his career and life, but it is not really a biography. Interesting that I have read biographies of Hornsby, Cobb, Wagner, Moe Berg, and even Eddie Waitkus, but not Ruth. Anyway, I just picked up a cheap copy of "The Year the Red Sox Won The World Series" (referring to 1918), which is a collection of newspaper clippings, and was stunned to read this.

Father of Babe Ruth Is Killed

Baltimore, Aug. 25 - George H. Ruth, 45 years old, father of Babe Ruth, pitcher for the Red Sxos, died at the University Hospital early today as the result of a fractured skull, which he received in a fight with his wife's brother, Benjamin H. Sipes.
Sipes was arrested later and is being held pending the action of the coroner.
According to the police, Sipes called at the home of Ruth, shortly before midnight Saturday and told the latter that he was not treating his sister right. Words soon followed and Sipes left the home.
Sipes went over and stood in front of Ruth's cafe'. Ruth came out and swing his fist, catching Sipes in the face. The blow staggered the man for a moment and as he recovered he was hit a second time by Ruth.
Then, according to witnesses, Sipes struck his assailant in the face. Ruth collapsed and fell to the sidewalk, his head striking the curbing. He was carried into his house and first aid treatment was administered. When he didn't respond he was rushed to the hospital, where he died. (Boston Post)
.........
I was stunned...Ruth missed a few days, but returned to play OF and hit a 2 run 2B on the 31st and then clinched the pennant with a win on the 1st. Why is Hornsby's mother dying before the '26 Series so well known, but not this? Or, am I just ignorant? Well, I know the answer to that...

Other interesting things...Cobb was not expecting to return to baseball after the Army, more or less announced his retirement...there is a reference to the Yankee "Murderer's Row", with Home Run Baker, Del Pratt, and Gilhooley (didn't he whack Nancy Kerrigan?) mentioned in particular. Guess that term wasn't invented in '27!
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Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

It is well known brotha.

Shame on your for not having read a full Ruth biography. And when you choose to read something, you read that? Pick up Creamer and Smelser immediately

Here's what went down according to Creamer:

The team had Sunday off, and Babe and Helen planned to go out to the beach. But word came Sunday morning that Babe's father was dead. On Saturday night in Baltimore a family quarrel had ruptured into tragedy. Babe's father and his second wife had taken her sister in to live with them. The sister's husband had been arrested a few weeks earlier on charges of statutory rape with a sixteen-year-old girl. He was now out on bail and, as a matter of fact, was downstairs in the bar that evening. A brother of the two women, a Baltimore fireman, stopped by Saturday night to see if the sister needed any money and became angry when she told him of the ways her husband had mistreated here. The fireman went downstairs to the bar, accosted his brother-in-law and began a harangue about his various inadequacies. An argument followed and Ruth, senior, angry at all the noise in his tavern, came over to stop the dispute. He and the fireman had a few sharp words, and when the man left, Ruth followed him outside. They got into a fight, in the course of which Ruth fell and hit the back of his head. He was carried into the bar and then was taken to University Hospital, where he died.

Babe and Helen took a train to Baltimore for the wake and the funeral and did not return to Boston until late in the week. He missed three games, the first time since his illness in May that he had gone more than one day without playing. It was his last extended visit to Baltimore, which he never again thought of as home. His father and mother were dead, his only sister was eighteen, a grown woman, and his stepmother had the bar. He was Babe Ruth of Boston now.

Yeah, Murderer's Row was coined for the '19 team by a cartoonist.
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Posted by: hellborn

Thanks for enlightening me, bro. But, you can't harangue for my choice of book when I live in Bosox Nation...and, it was really cheap at Building 19!

I am also very fascinated by any primary source history book.
I do dearly love "The Babe; A Life in Pictures", but it just doesn't go into great detail. The last baseball book I read was "The Catcher Was A Spy", and I'll probably read the TW autobio when I get back to a baseball book. Trouble is, I have about 20 general history books piled up...the one I'm finishing now is called "The Formation of Hell", and, no, it's not about rooting for the Bosox between 1918 and 2004.
I will get to Ruth at some point...I do love the guy.
On the last point, did you mean the '18 team? The clipping I referred to was from that year...
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I do dearly love "The Babe; A Life in Pictures", but it just doesn't go into great detail

Posted by: SHOELESSJOE3

This is one of the best as far as pictures of the Babe are concerned, I agree it's short on info, pics it is near the top.

The two books mentioned by SULTAN, "Babe The Legend Comes To Life" by Bob Creamer and " The Life That Ruth Built" by Marshall Smelser are the tops if your looking for details, info.

I pick up any book, news archive, old magazine or scrap of information, any source that I could find on the Babe, a life long study for me.

Nobody like him, simple yet complex man in some ways. Every time I think I've read all that could possibly be writtten about him something new comes out. It's like he never went away.
What all around talent, hard to believe one man could pitch and hit like him.
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On the last point, did you mean the '18 team? The clipping I referred to was from that year...

Posted by: Sultan_1895-1948

Nah, I meant '19. Duffy Lewis didn't come til '19 and join Peckinpaugh, Pipp, Baker, Bodie, and Pratt. The '18 team hit only 20 dongs. The '19 team hit 45.
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Posted by: hellborn
Well, the term must at least go back to '18, because the clip in my book is from then.
Maybe it was a general term for a batting lineup and came to apply only to the monster Yanks lineups over time?
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Posted by: FatAngel
The term `Murderer´s Row` was in use since at least the 1860´s for a lineup of strong hitters.
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Posted by: SHOELESSJOE3

The earliest mention, use of the term " Murderers Row" was in a N.Y.Times article July 5, 1918. It was in reference to the N.Y.Yankees a line up that had Roger Peckinpaugh, Ping Bodie, Wally Pipp and Frank "Home Run" Baker." I can't say thats ther earliest reference but it's the earliest I could find.

Also came across a name that was used a few times in some articles in 1918 in reference to Babe Ruth, "The Boston terror."

[Sultan_1895-1948]

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