This sure resonates as an indictment of that phony story about Ruth pointing before homering off Charlie Root in the 1932 World Series:
Quote:
There was one more very good reason, Arnold [Root's daughter] said, why even a slugger as accomplished as Ruth would not have dared do something so bold as pointing to the center field bleachers. Like many pitchers of his day, Root had no problem throwing inside to move a batter off the plate. And if he hit him in the process, so be it.
So there was a reason why Charlie Root's nickname was "Chinski" and why Casey Stengel once said that Root "could take the buttons off my shirt" with a pitch.
"Dad would have nailed the big galoot,'' Arnold said. "Babe would have been on his backside."
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These days, sure, I can see it happening (or at least somebody being dumb enough to try it). Not back then, for the reason stated above.
Edit: LOL! If you follow the photos link off that article and go to the last picture of seven, you see this one, captioned "This license plate has adorned Root family vehicles for more than two decades, showing what the family thinks of Babe Ruth's 'called shot' off Charley Root in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series."