Babe: The Legend Comes To Life; by Robert Creamer

[sublime]

Pretty good book, I am only up the 1918 season and all this talk lately about Manny made me more observant of the Babe's antics. Again, I am up to the 1918 season, so far he has:

A) Punched an umpire in the neck
B) Crashed an automobile late at night, sending his mistress (he was married at this point) to the hospital
C) Feigned injury to avoiding pitching
D) Went AWOL from the team
E) While AWOL, signed a contract to play an exhibition game

I realized I don't dislike Ruth either. These guys are human, and make the same silly decisions the rest of us do.

I /images/graemlins/heart.gif Manny I /images/graemlins/heart.gif Babe Ruth I do not /images/graemlins/heart.gif Kenny Rogers (you have to be affable to get away with this kind of stuff /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
A) Punched an umpire in the neck
B) Crashed an automobile late at night, sending his mistress (he was married at this point) to the hospital
C) Feigned injury to avoiding pitching
D) Went AWOL from the team
E) While AWOL, signed a contract to play an exhibition game


[/ QUOTE ]

Adding to the list (i am now in the early 20's, he has not won a WS with the yankes yet)

Been suspended 6 times in one season, once for thowing dirt on an umpire.

Totaled another automobile, sending someone to the hospital again.

Ran into the stands to attack a heckler

Told a reporter he would punch him in the nose (he likes this threat)

Demanded a contract that was was the equivilent to more than 3x the next player on his team (16,000 Home Run Baker and the yankees were of course a team that spend tons of money on its players)

All in all, I suppose it shows that the superstars of yesteryear were just as bad (probably worse) when it came to being primadonnas and/or 'headcases'.

His stats compared to his generation are unreal. What a stud.

[andyfox]

Good book, I agree. You can complement it with a new book on Ty Cobb called: Peach, Ty Cobb in His Times and Ours, by Richard Bak. There's a fantastic picture in it of Babe Ruth, all smiles, surrounded by a trillion kids. Watching Phil Mickelson loving being Phil Mickelson at the PGA made me think of Babe Ruth: Nobody loved being himself more than the Babe did.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
Good book, I agree. You can complement it with a new book on Ty Cobb called: Peach, Ty Cobb in His Times and Ours, by Richard Bak. There's a fantastic picture in it of Babe Ruth, all smiles, surrounded by a trillion kids. Watching Phil Mickelson loving being Phil Mickelson at the PGA made me think of Babe Ruth: Nobody loved being himself more than the Babe did.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, the guy is just unreal. he was 100% himself, and like all humans wasn't perfect however the good far outweighed the bad.

cobb intrigues me, so i will probably read the book you recommended.

[andyfox]

There are a lot of terrific pictures in the book. The one of Ruth to which I referred is on page 120: Ruth, straw hat, bow tie, big smile, in the middle of a gigantic crowd, just thrilled to be there.

Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle have since broken his records, but at one time Ruth held the World Series records for both consecutive scoreless innings pitched (29-2/3) and most home runs hit (15). Forget Dimaggio's hitting streak, that's one accomplishment that we'll never see again.