did babe ruth barnstorm your town?

[Captain Cold Nose]

Yeah most of them are riverboat casinos and the ones on land has to be new or exceptions. I believe Indiana has a law or something regarding to casinos on land. There's not much excitement in Indiana is what I meant by "not being
able to do anything." At least to me anyway... it probably has to do with me being from a very small town in Indiana (Earl Park- maybe 300 people on a good day) and cornfield for miles. Although Indianapolis are starting to get things where people are visiting to and we're building the world largest wind farm in my county, which is pretty cool to see when you're driving through. We're supposed to get like 1,100 windmills there. We're just big on college sports, drinking, and possum hunting.

I figured Babe might've been to Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Gary for his barnstorming tours. I'll have to check out the newspaper for when he was here.

Hey, Caesar's in New Albany is fun. I don't know if it actually moves or not.

I've driven from Lafayette to Vincennes, straight down. And separately spent a bit of time in Terre Haute and Corydon. I hear you.

Evansville is another town I wouldn't be surprised he'd visit. And, being the culture vulture he was, I'm sure Ruth couldn't resist the labyrinth in New Harmony.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

The Bam played a great number of exhibition games in my town Buffalo NY. Within driving distance of Cleveland 200 miles, Detroit 250.

It ws right here on Broadway Street that in a phone conversation with Judge Landis in 1921 that he told Landis to shove it, he was going to barnstorm, a conversation he would later regret, suspended for part of the 1922 season.

The park that he hit a home run over the scoreboard Offerman Stadium was 400 feet and 40+ feet high. One other time he hit two over the scoreboard. To my knowledge the only other to hit one there was Luke Easter who did it at least one time and maybe twice.

I'm looking at that admission, 50 cents for woman and children, so even higher for men. That was not only good money in 1930 but.............the Great Depression was taking place on top of that.

[Williamsburg2599]

I know he had a farm in Sudbury, MA, but did he ever barnstorm around there?

[elmer]

Sudbury

I know he had a farm in Sudbury, MA, but did he ever barnstorm around there?

not in Sudbury but
Boston, Haverhill, Springfield and hit a huge homer in Everett Aug 9, 1928
a solid 500 footer possibly as much as 520 feet.

It was 495' to the house it landed upon.

http://extras.denverpost.com/books/chtip0311.htm

Sixty years later, Tip O'Neill could still name many of the players from the North Cambridge baseball team, which played on Sundays before thousands of fans because the big leagues were, by law, forced to honor the Sabbath. There was Gaspipe Sullivan, Doc Gautreau, Sonny Foley, Tubber Cronin, Cheese McCrehan and Chippie Gaw. Since the K of C team couldn't lawfully sell tickets for Sunday baseball, the sponsors would charge admission for a pregame band concert or sell ice cream at inflated prices. As a boy Tom hawked popcorn in the Russell Field stands on weekends and weekday evenings, where he saw the Red Sox, Boston Braves and Negro League teams, with stars like Josh Gibson, play exhibition games. The Roaring Twenties, the years of O'Neill's boyhood, were a golden age for American sports, the era of Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and Red Grange. The most memorable exhibition young Tom witnessed took place in 1927, at Glendale Park in Everett, as a benefit for the victims of a huge oil tank explosion. The Red Sox played a local team, the Roche Club, that had enhanced the gate by getting New York Yankee teammates Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to play on its side. Ruth popped up in his first time at bat, and the Red Sox manager told his pitcher to groove one down the middle so the fans could see "the Sultan" swat. "Ruth drove the ball over the fence, over the clubhouse, over some tennis courts and across the street onto the roof of some three-deckers. That ended the game— in pandemonium," O'Neill later recalled.

[steveironcity]

I dont know if he ever barnstormed here, but he played games of the 1927 World series, and hit HRS 713 and 714 here.

[Williamsburg2599]

not in Sudbury but
Boston, Haverhill, Springfield and hit a huge homer in Everett Aug 9, 1928
a solid 500 footer possibly as much as 520 feet

Interesting, thanks. Anything else in MA or other parts of New England?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

I dont know if he ever barnstormed here, but he played games of the 1927 World series, and hit HRS 713 and 714 here.

In 1920 the Yanks played an exhibition game on their last western swing of the season. It was on September 8th. Sellout crowd of 25,000 saw Ruth hit the longest (to that point) homer ever in Pittsburgh, well over the right field wall....grandstand in right hadn't been built yet. The reaction from the Pittsburgh fans was so great, that the Yanks scheduled at least one game there, every other year or so. The Yanks first time to Cincinnati was on July 25, 1921.

Interesting, thanks. Anything else in MA or other parts of New England?

During the 1927 season, on June 24th, the Yanks had a night game scheduled in Lynn, MA but it was rained out. So Ruth had to wait until 1931 to play under artificial lighting. He hit a long homer his first time under lights, and also homered in his second time under lights.


----------------------------------------
Non-MLB cities.....Incomplete list....feel free to add.

Anaheim, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco, CA
Oakland, CA
Fresno, CA
Dunsmuir, CA
Ventura, CA
Sacramento, CA
Long Beach, CA
Marysville, CA
Stockton, CA
San Diego, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Barbara, CA

Albany, New York
Binghamton, New York
Buffalo, New York
Oneonta, New York
Rochester, New York

Jersey City, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey

New Haven, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Portland, Oregon

Seattle, Washington
Spokane, Washington

Akron, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Lima, Ohio

Providence, Rhode Island

Evanston, Illinois

South Bend, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana

San Antonio, Texas
Galveston, Texas

Knoxville, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee

Norfolk, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia

Havana Cuba
Santiago Cuba

Perry, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa

Lincoln, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Charlotte, North Carolina
Ashville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Kansas City, Missouri

Pratt, Kansas

Denver, Colorado

New Orleans, Louisiana

Haverhill, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Harrisburg, PA
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Larkesville, PA
Johnstown, PA
Scranton, PA
Warren, PA

Louisville, Kentucky

Cumberland, Maryland

Sleepy Eye, Minnesota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota

Montreal
Toronto
Honolulu
Japan
Tokyo
Manila

[SHOELESSJOE3]

In 1920 the Yanks played an exhibition game on their last western swing of the season. It was on September 8th. Sellout crowd of 25,000 saw Ruth hit the longest (to that point) homer ever in Pittsburgh, well over the right field wall....grandstand in right hadn't been built yet. The reaction from the Pittsburgh fans was so great, that the Yanks scheduled at least one game there, every other year or so. The Yanks first time to Cincinnati was on July 25, 1921.

Lots of publicity leading up to that game at Redland Park in Cincinnati. A difficult park to hit one out of, one of the reasons for the Yanks to play there, could Babe it one out. Here is the game write up, NY Times July 26,1921.

[Love The Game]

Babe Ruth hit the longest homerun of his career....and maybe in history a few miles from my front door in Wilkes-Barre, PA at Artillery Park. I am proud to say that I have hit a homer at the same place the Babe did. Although mine was around 380-390 ft. not 650!!

http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/1636.asp

[EXCELSIOR]

Lots of publicity leading up to that game at Redland Park in Cincinnati. A difficult park to hit one out of, one of the reasons for the Yanks to play there, could Babe it one out. Here is the game write up, NY Times July 26,1921.

Approximately how far were those fences and bleachers, SHOELESSJOE3?

[EXCELSIOR]

Babe Ruth hit the longest homerun of his career....and maybe in history a few miles from my front door in Wilkes-Barre, PA at Artillery Park.

He hit a similarly huge one during spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida, LTG - recently verified by an official state-certified survey.

The man was truly incredible: Hercules in Pinstripes.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Approximately how far were those fences and bleachers, SHOELESSJOE3?

I believe center was 420. Not sure how tall the wall was. Right was 384 with a 7.5 foot fence.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I believe center was 420. Not sure how tall the wall was. Right was 384 with a 7.5 foot fence.

Differing numbers on the wall in CF, one 37 feet and another 23 feet.

[elmer]

Ruth's last HR

On March 31, 1924 Babe "hit a home run at the Mobile (Ala.) park which cleared the center field fence 480 feet distant."

[ACrank]

He did play in Erie, Pa.