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Originally Posted by KurtBevacqua
Congrats. I read the ABJ when I was a kid. I even used to have some semi-regular correspondance with Terry Pluto who I see is now working for the Plain Dealer.
Rob Neyer did a good piece on the called shot in his last book and it's not quite true that Gabby Hartnett didn't see anything. Hartnett's story is almost exactly the same as Crosetti's as cited in the article. Neyer took accounts from everyone he could find who was there and most of them said Ruth was pointing a finger in the air and saying either, "Just one strike," or "It just takes one pitch."
The legendary self-promoter that Ruth was played coy with the truth. He never denied calling the shot, but he also never claimed it. He more or less went along with it. I believe he even once confided to some teammates that he didn't call it, but if some reporters wanted to write it that way we was more than happy to oblige them. Had he really called it, I doubt he would have been so coy. In fact he probably would have been insufferable about it.
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I was at the ABJ when Terry Pluto was there. He did two great baseball books during the time about the Indians and about Rocky Colavito.
Della's quote about Gabby not seeing anything is exactly as you noted. "It only takes one to hit it," is what Gabby said Ruth said.
I cover the details in the appendix because I wanted to dwell on the 1929 season in particular because of a major, never-reported detail when Root thought his career was over.
I read everything I could find of those in the press box on the day of the "called shot" and also tracked down the descendant who has the home film of the entire at bat, watching it in his living room. My details are in the appendix, and your recollections are quite close to the real thing.
My own personal Moonlight Graham lived five doors from my childhood home and that's how this story started 31 years ago. Berly "Trader" Horne only made the majors one year, only won one game, but it was on the pitching staff of this incredible 1929 team anchored by Root.
All those details are woven in a way that I hope is a baseball love story. I truly believe the hero of this Root biography is Charlie's wife, Dorothy. Daughter Della, now 90, was my greatest discovery and a huge treasure for life off the field and behind the scenes.
I hope others enjoy the story as much as I did chasing it. I hope my love of the game and the heart of soul of what Charlie was really like will come through.
I'm glad to have this off-topic forum to talk with you all about this. Incidentally, I just won the 1936 World Series in my OOTP league that I "commish" with Charlie Root.