Babe: The Legend Comes to life

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Back in June I was in a really cool Portland (Oregon) bookstore where I bought a copy of Robert Creamer's Babe: The Legend Comes to Life for $5.95. I finally have some to time to read it. I've read the first 100 pages the past two days. The book is fascinating read. I have learned quite a bit of trivia facts about the Babe. I didn't know he spoke German or that there was (is?) some controversy over his actual date of birth. I've always wondered why his parents sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys? Creamer didn't try to speculate. He did have some quotes from Ruth's sister about how Ruth wouldn't go to school as a reason for sending Ruth to St. Mary's. I thought it was impressive that Ruth went from playing baseball at St. Mary's to playing for the Baltimore Orioles to the Red Sox in a matter of about four months in 1914. It seems like Ruth was disappointed that he was sent back down to Providence of the International League after his time with the Red Sox. It was odd that Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan didn't play Ruth for an entire month. I'll post more as a I read more...

[Captain Cold Nose]

Back in June I was in a really cool Portland (Oregon) bookstore where I bought a copy of Robert Creamer's Babe: The Legend Comes to Life for $5.95. I finally have some to time to read it. I've read the first 100 pages the past two days. The book is fascinating read. I have learned quite a bit of trivia facts about the Babe. I didn't know he spoke German or that there was (is?) some controversy over his actual date of birth. I've always wondered why his parents sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Creamer didn't try to speculate. He did have some quotes from Ruth's sister about how Ruth wouldn't go to school as a reason for sending Ruth to St. Mary's. I thought it was impressive that Ruth went from playing baseball at St. Mary's to playing for the Baltimore Orioles to the Red Sox in a matter of about four months in 1914. It seems like Ruth was disappointed that he was sent back down to Providence of the International League after his time with the Red Sox. It was odd that Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan didn't play Ruth for an entire month. I'll post more as a I read more...

Devote your entire life and every fiber of your being to that research, HWR.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Devote your entire life and every fiber of your being to that research, HWR.

How much of my life do I have to devote before I can be declared a Babe Ruth "expert"?

[Dude Paskert]

How much of my life to I have to devote before I can be declared a Babe Ruth "expert"?

When you know how many hot dogs Babe was supposed to eat for the sick kid in the classic SCTV sketch, you will have arrived, grasshopper.

[Captain Cold Nose]

How much of my life to I have to devote before I can be declared a Babe Ruth "expert"?

I think you're smart enough to fake it a bit. Just get really angry anytime any other player is mentioned as being good or better.

You may have to change your name, though. And Dude Paskert's suggestion is a good one, for everyone.

[Dude Paskert]

I think you're smart enough to fake it a bit. Just get really angry anytime any other player is mentioned as being good or better.

You may have to change your name, though. And Dude Paskert's suggestion is a good one, for everyone.

"DiMaggio's On The Wharf" is another must see from SCTV for Yanks historians.
"Put him in the crab cooler, see if he likes that!"

[Captain Cold Nose]

"DiMaggio's On The Wharf" is another must see from SCTV for Yanks historians.
"Put him in the crab cooler, see if he likes that!"

Ah, yes. Special guest star Bill Murray as Joe. I can't remember who played Vince and Dom.

"Ruth" would also appear again on the show to Ed Grimley as a hallucination.

I have the Creamer book but have not read it yet. Are those appearances mentioned in it?

[BSmile]

Here it is: SCTV- DiMaggio's On The Wharf (YouTube)

[Dude Paskert]

Ah, yes. Special guest star Bill Murray as Joe. I can't remember who played Vince and Dom.
"Ruth" would also appear again on the show to Ed Grimley as a hallucination.
I have the Creamer book but have not read it yet. Are those appearances mentioned in it?

I'm pretty sure Eugene Levy was supposed to be Dom and Martin Short was supposed to be Vinnie, but I'm not 100% sure. Short's pratfall upon being struck by one of Joe's drives is a truly brilliant moment of physical comedy to my mind.
I have a vague memory of Babe/John Candy appearing to Toulouse-Lautrec while he's in a delirious condition in that interminable sketch.

[Captain Cold Nose]

I'm pretty sure Eugene Levy was supposed to be Dom and Martin Short was supposed to be Vinnie, but I'm not 100% sure. Short's pratfall upon being struck by one of Joe's drives is a truly brilliant moment of physical comedy to my mind.
I have a vague memory of Babe/John Candy appearing to Toulouse-Lautrec while he's in a delirious condition in that interminable sketch.

Was it Toulouse-Lautrec? And why do I think aliens were somehow involved? Or was that another skit altogether?

Have you read Creamer's Stengel book, HWR? Or for anyone who has read both, how do they compare?

[PVNICK]

Was it Toulouse-Lautrec? And why do I think aliens were somehow involved? Or was that another skit altogether?

Have you read Creamer's Stengel book, HWR? Or for anyone who has read both, how do they compare?

It was years ago but they were both very good, both in terms of readability/flow and providing more than skeletal cookie cutter information.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I think you're smart enough to fake it a bit. Just get really angry anytime any other player is mentioned as being good or better.

Ty Cobb?! Willie Mays?!! Barry Bonds?! Honus Wagner?!! Ba!!!

You may have to change your name, though. And Dude Paskert's suggestion is a good one, for everyone.

Ruth has sooo many nicknames. I'm not sure which one to use.

[Dude Paskert]

(wrong thread!)

[Captain Cold Nose]

Ty Cobb?! Willie Mays?!! Barry Bonds?! Honus Wagner?!! Ba!!!


Ruth has sooo many nicknames. I'm not sure which one to use.

The Babe Ruth birthplace museum in Baltimore has a couple walls filled with nothing but his nicknames.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

So I finished the book two days ago. I was surprised who much I already knew about Ruth that was covered in the book. But I never have read a Ruth biography before. What I found interesting was some of the things that were not in the book or were covered lightly. For example, Ruth's feud with Lou Gehrig. Creamer covered it in less than a page. In fact Gehrig was hardly mentioned at all it seemed, mostly in terms of Gehrig's failing to match Ruth's HR totals until late in the Babe's career. Ruth was a sad sorry excuse for a husband but I already knew that, just not the extent of it. Apparently, he had little impulse control. And when the topic of divorcing Helen was broached, Ruth responds with "I can't get divorced! I'm Catholic!". I thought Ruth got hosed by Boston Braves owner Emil Fuchs. It seemed there was a giant disconnect between what Fuchs expected and what Ruth expected. I didn't know that both the Tigers and the A's were seriously interested in the Babe becoming manager. I'm amazed Ruth went on vacation to Hawaii instead of speaking to Frank Navin about the Tigers' manager's job. Even Ed Barrow told it was a mistake to delay talking to Navin. I wonder if Ruth wasn't so obstinate about being the Yankees' manager if he could have managed somewhere else? We'll never know for sure.

I enjoyed the book. but the book's ending was strange. It ended so abruptly with Ruth's death without going into detail as to how baseball and the nation reacted to Ruth's death. I thought that would have been a more eloquent closure. I'm thinking of reading other Ruth biographies. Which ones are good?