Gambo & Babe Ruth

[DougWyatt]

Hey guys, I'm using gambos DB, and I was just offered a young pitcher named Babe Ruth. (Very surprised, as I didn't even see him come through the draft). Anyway, I'm just wondering, is this "The Babe", and he'll turn on the bat in a few years, or in a couple years is there gonna be a young OF named George Ruth come through the draft.

[swampdragon]

It's him. I suggest you accept.

[DougWyatt]

Originally Posted by swampdragon

It's him. I suggest you accept.

Thank you, O' wise dragon of the swampland ! I will do just that .


And oh, how the hellack did I double post that 10 minutes apart .. weird.

[Comedian2004]

That Babe will never amount to anything. Drop him.

Here is an interesting article from The Sporting News, August 18th, 1918 about Mr. Ruth.


"Tell us", the interviewer inquired as he craned his neck to get a line vision on "Babe" Ruth's face, "What's the secret of your ability to hit?" The big; Boston slugger and pitcher (a rare combination; that) bent over that he might be within speaking distance and answered:

"There isn't no secret, Bud. I just live to hit."

"There's no reason I know of," he continued, "why a pitcher shouldn't hit if he wants to. I don't say he should be a slugger, but any man can hit, if he wants to take the time and trouble necessary to learn."

"I always considered three things necessary to good batting. They are a keen eye, a quick brain and ability to guess what's coming from the pitcher when you have to swing and meet it. The first two named are absolutely essential if a man is to become an 'extra base' hitter, as the saying goes."

"I have known fellows to bat .300 or better during a season, which looks mighty good on paper, but a lot of the hits they made were either singles or slow taps to the infield, on which they beat the throws to first base. I have tried to specialize on long hitting because I am not fast and then, too, if a fellow gets out and pitches he hasn't much in reserve to beat out bunts and such."

"I think good hitters are developed, but, I have always contented that a really great batter was born that way. In my case, so far as I can remember, I could always hit. In school, in the minor leagues and in the majors, the thing just came natural to me. Of course, I've practiced long and hard, and always with a view of getting better than a single."

"I would rather make one home run than six singles, because I think it's a circus to watch the other fellows chasing the ball around the park. I guess it's just a care of the old saying that 'what a mean likes do to, he does best'.

"While I've done it this season, I don't think a pitcher can show to best advantage if he plays regularly, Pitching will effect one's batting, there's no double about it. While it may not look like it's work, pitching is tiresome business and when a fellow's been through nine innings of it, he doesn't feel much like getting out the next day and handling low throws at first or chasing flies in the outfield.

"The hardest man in the American League for me to hit is Reb Russel of the White Sox. I don't know why, but he gets away with a lot of stuff on me. I've tried to figure out what he's going to throw, but Reb's my idea of a smart pitcher. Otherwise, I don't have much trouble. I'd like to tell you what sort of a ball I'm weak against, but I don't know myself. I've tried to find out so I could practice hitting that kind."

Some fellows don't like to bat against fast ball pitching. Personally, I prefer to. Fast balls break quicker than the other kind and you don't have to swing nearly so hard to get distance in your drive. The two longest hits I ever remember of making were against fast balls. One was in St. Louis. It cleared the right field bleachers and landed on Grand Avenue. The other was over the right field fence in Boston. Both of those drives were over 400 feet, but I can't tell you how high they were."

Physically, George Ruth is a perfect specimen of an athlete. He stands 6 feet, two inches with his shoes off and weighs 195 pounds. He drinks little, seldom smokes and takes perfect car of himself. He was asked whether his physique had something to do with the power he gets in his drives. For answer, he cocked his arm and besought us to "feel".

There will never be a steel shortage in this country with "Babe" around.

Yet, Ruth is mild mannered as a midget. His demeanor off the field is best explained by the nickname he bears, "The Babe".

Asked who nicknamed him "Babe", he replied:

"I don't know. The first day I joined Boston, I heard someone yell "Hello Babe". It stuck to me every since.

He said he has not yet decided what he will do when the season terminates. He has had many offers from ship yards and steel leagues, but has not definitely accepted any of them. But he wants to get somewhere where he can hit.

[Comedian2004]

Other things I found around this time:

Want Ads in the SN for POSTITIONS WANTED:

PITCHERS: free agent, right handed, major and minor experience, will consider offers. Phil Williams
(A BF search for Phil shows he never got the call)

A spot check of the others found no players of record according to BF.

1920, there was an issue where the Babe was going to play.