I’m thrilled to have this guest post from Jonathan Weeks, author of a new collection of stories about legendary baseball player Babe Ruth. Thanks so much, Jonathan, for making time for this blog.
There is a wealth of material available about the life and times of Babe Ruth. He generated more literature than just about any player in baseball history. But it wasn’t always easy for me to get my hands on it. Since Ruth played in the early part of the twentieth century, some of the best books written about him are out of print now. I had to purchase some of those books as collectibles on eBay. I live in Malone, New York—a secluded North Country town—and our library here is pretty small. I was constantly putting in requests for books from other libraries within the North Country network (which includes scenic Adirondack towns such as Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, and Lake Placid).
Since the most popular Babe Ruth stories have been retold many times over the years, they are subject to distortion and exaggeration. Ruth, himself, was somewhat of a braggart who liked to lay it on thick when talking about incidents on and off the ballfield. Many of the best Ruth tales have passed into the realm of myth and it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Speaking of facts: Anyone who has compiled a lengthy work of non-fiction knows that it’s a tedious process. A typical biography contains tens of thousands of facts. It’s tough getting everything right. That means you have to check your facts before, during, and after the writing process. Online sources don’t always match-up with the materials in books. Whenever I encountered a multitude of conflicting sources on a particular topic, I took care to point out which details were not universally agreed upon.
Another problem with chronicling the career of Babe Ruth is the scarcity of game accounts and archival film footage. Live-action videos of Ruth are limited and generally appear in brief, choppy clips. The film speed is off in many of these clips, making Ruth look like a Keystone Cop as he rounds the bases. Boxscores are available for nearly every game played during the twentieth century, but play-by-play records are not always included. To find out the specific details of what happened in some of the early games, I had to consult old newspaper accounts or radio broadcasts.
Sportswriters of Ruth’s era used a lot of colorful slang and, like Ruth himself, were prone to exaggeration. Baseball (especially early baseball) has its own language and there is a learning curve for beginners. It can be difficult to understand what happened on the field if you don’t know the language. For instance, a “dinger” is a home run and a “frame” is an inning. A “can of corn” is a routine fly ball and a “meatball” is an easy pitch to hit. There are hundreds of other slang terms. Ruth received dozens of nicknames over the years. Some of the most colorful are: “The Behemoth of Bust,” “The Bazoo of Bang,” The Colossus of Crash,” “The Caliph of Clout,” “The Wizard of Whack,” and “The Mauling Mastodon.” (Man, I love this stuff!!!)
More than seventy years after his death, Babe Ruth continues to fascinate generations of fans. His exciting adventures on and off the field have become essential reading for students of baseball and pop culture. While most Ruth biographies are filled with mundane facts, Lore of the Bambino is the equivalent of a greatest hits compilation. Ruth’s extraordinary (and at times incredulous) tales carry readers on an enthralling journey through the life of the most celebrated sports figure of the twentieth century. All of the most popular anecdotes (such as the Babe’s alleged “called shot” in the 1932 World Series) are thoroughly covered along with many lesser known narratives.
Excerpt:
In the annals of baseball history, there has never been anyone quite like Babe Ruth. He transformed the game from a slow-moving battle of wits to an explosive exhibition of raw power. He could alter the final score with a single swing. When he retired in 1935, he owned dozens of statistical records. And his 714 homers were more than double the output of the next closest competitor.
Beyond the ballfield, Ruth was approachable, engaging, and jovial. He mingled with fans, autographed a myriad of baseballs, and befriended sportswriters. In an era when heroes were desperately needed, he fit the bill. He understood what he meant to people (especially children) and went out of his way to bring them joy.
As a role model, he was imperfect. He broke rules, got suspended, and struck out more than any other player of the era. But when the game was on the line, he almost always rose to the occasion, doing it in dramatic fashion. Over time, he became part god and part mortal—a mythical man-child who called his own shots and propelled baseballs farther than any player before or after him. He got more attention than U.S. Presidents and was just as newsworthy as a world war or economic depression. Everyone wanted a small piece of him. And everyone who met him had an interesting story to tell.
a Rafflecopter giveawayAbout the Author
A lifelong sports fan, Weeks has published several non-fiction books on the topic of baseball. Additionally, he has two novels to his credit-one of them a posthumous collaboration with his father. His latest project: Best of the Bruins: Boston’s All Time Great Players and Coaches, is due out in 2021.
