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Babe Ruth on hitting

TheOldMole Apr 09 2015 11:43 AM

http://ourgame.mlblogs.com/2015/04/09/b ... ection-iv/

Zvon Apr 09 2015 02:54 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

This is a great read. I love the Babes antiquated lingo. A left-handed batter is "port-sided". A ball field is "the lot". Some of it I don't even understand. Re pitchers: They put all they’ve got on the ball and I’ve had to beat them with the lamps. Does that pertain to batting under lights? This was written around 1920. Not sure what he means by "lamps".

dinosaur jesus Apr 09 2015 03:06 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

Sounds like about 90% ghostwriter, 10% Babe. It's funny how the sportswriters in those days didn't really try to capture how baseball players really talked. With some exceptions, I guess, like Ring Lardner. "Lamps" could mean his eyes, though that doesn't really make sense here. Maybe it's a scanning error.

Zvon Apr 09 2015 03:18 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

dinosaur jesus wrote: Sounds like about 90% ghostwriter, 10% Babe. It's funny how the sportswriters in those days didn't really try to capture how baseball players really talked. With some exceptions, I guess, like Ring Lardner. "Lamps" could mean his eyes, though that doesn't really make sense here. Maybe it's a scanning error. Oh. I think you're right. There were quite a few typos in that but I do think you're right. It makes sense in context and he's always going on about his batters eye. Man, watching Ruth play in those days must have been a treat.

cooby Apr 09 2015 04:54 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

Agree. We have seen a lot of greats in our day but Babe Ruth must have been a real marvel.

Zvon Apr 09 2015 06:35 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

You see the films but that doesn't do him justice. I wanna see the ball burst off his bat, hear the crack of the bat. Fire up the DeLorean!

themetfairy Apr 09 2015 07:56 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

And by the time games were filmed regularly he was beyond his prime. I would have loved to have watched him pitch.

Edgy MD Apr 09 2015 08:07 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

The footage here shows him warming up and bringing it from about 2 o'clock. But about a minute in, it shows some game action and he's totally sidearming it. [youtube:d2jxnavs]JqjlSDME7B4[/youtube:d2jxnavs]

d'Kong76 Apr 09 2015 08:09 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

Hard to think he wrote all that, based on other stuff that's been, ahem, said about him... but cool read. The only footage I really have in my mind of Ruth is from the Burns series.

themetfairy Apr 09 2015 08:18 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

Edgy MD wrote: The footage here shows him warming up and bringing it from about 2 o'clock. But about a minute in, it shows some game action and he's totally sidearming it. [youtube]JqjlSDME7B4[/youtube] Was he pitching or just warming up there?

Edgy MD Apr 09 2015 08:44 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

He's on the mound, but apparently just taking his warmups. They later show Walter Johnson, bringing it from the right side eight o'clock to eight-thirty and he looks scary.

Zvon Apr 09 2015 08:50 PM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

That might be Stengel-Huggins Field (Butterball-Clendenon Field) in the opening shot.

TheOldMole Apr 10 2015 05:07 AM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

Has to be eyes. The pitcher puts everything he's got on the ball, and my only defense against what he's got is my batting eye - being able to see the ball clearly enough to hit it.

TheOldMole Apr 10 2015 08:50 AM Re: Babe Ruth on hitting

John Thorn has a piece from Westbrook Pegler on ghosting the Babe.