The Babe loved life, but he loved baseball more than anything.
"And baseball took of him all he could give and returned an absolute minimum."
(referring to the fact the Yankees never offered him a coaching job after his retirement.)
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I know, but presumably I was attractive."
"I must have been since I had no other talent than good looks to support myself my child and a maid for three long years. My career was that of a professional model and a 3 or 4 line actress."
At the age of 14, Claire, skipped school to marry a wealthy 33 year-old widower. A daughter was born and the marriage struggled and she moved to New York.
She met the married Babe Ruth at a ballgame.
He had a "growly" voice and the "flowing penmanship of a girl." He sent her a note asking her to dinner.......
......."And The Babe and I fell in love."
"Second wives writing about first wives are always tedious, and I don't see how I could be anything different..."
"I was not breaking up a home. It was broken........."
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
"The Babe was married and his religion forbade divorce."
Jan. 11, 1929, the first Mrs. Ruth died in an fire.
April 17, 1929 Babe and Caroline were married. Dorothy, Babe's adopted daughter came to live with them.
BABE HISTORY: The Babe was born Feb. 6, 1895 in Baltimore, New York.
For nearly 40 years, he mistakenly thought he was born Feb. 7, 1894.
Babe spoke virtually no English as a child.
German was his normal tongue.
He was the oldest of eight.
His father ran a bar.
By the age of five, Babe was a regular at his father's bar.
By seven, he was chewing tobacco.
By nine, he was drinking whiskey.
He was admitted to St. Mary's home for boys at the age of 7.
Poverty and a lack of discipline were the catalysts for his admission.
It was here he learned baseball from his beloved mentor 6'6" Brother Matthias.
He was, at first, a left-handed catcher, and then a pitcher.
The Babe's baseball reputation leaked beyond the walls of St. Marys. He left a week after turning 19 with a $600 contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
Within a month, it was doubled to $1,800.
He was bought by the Boston Red Sox within 3 months and played for Providence.
His first year as a pitcher, he won 22 games and lost 9.
He became an instant baseball idol.
In his first season with the Red Sox, he won 18 games.
His second and third, he won 23.
In an inter-squad game, he hit a ball further than one had ever been hit in the park.
Ed Barrow, Sox manager, decided to use the Babe's hitting skill every game.
Instead of just his pitching, every fourth or fifth game, Barrow wanted to use Ruth's hitting every game.
In 1919, the Babe homered 29 times, then the all-time record.
From 1920 until 1933, he only pitched in five games. He won them all.
Jan. 3, 1920, the New York Yankees bought Babe Ruth for $100,000.
"It was a marriage that proved fruitful beyond the wildest dreams of either party. If it was doomed to dwindle into cold divorce in less than 15 years, it nevertheless had its moments of rich fulfillment for all concerned."
That year he tied his record in July and by season's end had 54 homers and .376 batting average.
The Babe, Home Run King, Sultan of Swat, Bam, Bambino, The House that Ruth Built.
In 1927, the Babe hit 60 homeruns in 151 games while batting .356.
Lou Gehrig was hitting right behind him.
Mrs. Ruth was allowed to travel with the team, with the manager's blessing.
"Now that I was Mrs. Ruth, I felt Mrs. Ruth had a job to do...I had a few reforms to institute."
Ruth was a man of gargantuan appetites.
She became responsible for his diet, curfews, phone calls and roll of friends. She ran a tight ship.
She did not allow him to "raise a window, use a can opener, shave himself or lift anything heavier than a highball." And he never did again, even after his playing days were over.
The Babe retired in 1934, still cranking out hits, but "not covering a dime" in the outfield.
His health, legs and knees were a wreck.
His dream of getting an offer to manage the Yankees never came.
"From the end of the 1934 season until the day he died, Babe Ruth, figuratively, sat by the telephone waiting for a call everybody but he knew could never come..."
Aug. 17, 1948 Babe Ruth died of cancer.
Mrs. Ruth had insisted no one tell him about his affliction.
She suspected he knew.
"A nation loved him."
"Not just because he hit 714 home runs, and did all sorts of wonderful thing on a baseball field. But because the people sensed he was one of them. The had their faith and their weaknesses. They loved him because he was, above all else, a great human being."
Babe Ruth and Murderers Row - Ken Burns
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