Robert 3-23-11
5-Burzinski Language Arts
Babe Ruth Century Project
Who was the “Great Bambino”, “Dunn’s Babe”, “Jidge”, “The Slugger” and “The Sultan of Swat,” the greatest player of the sport baseball? You’ll all find out soon enough. George was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland at the waterfront. George went to school at St. Mary’s, the reform school for boys only. When he grew up, he got married to Helen Woodford, but unexpectedly she died in an uncalled house fire. A few months after that incident, he married Claire Hodgson. During these two marriages, he had two kids named Dorothy and Julia. The great “Babe” Ruth must have had an excellent life with his two wives and his two daughters.
In “Babe’s” career, he had many career milestones that helped him or made him worse in his career. My person, George Herman Ruth was an athlete. “Babe” wasn’t just an ordinary athlete; he was someone who inspired many kids and adults, at any age. He was one of the greatest athletes ever to set foot onto the big baseball diamond. He hit seven hundred fourteen home runs, a three hundred forty-two lifetime batting average, and a six hundred seventy-one winning percentage while he pitched. While on the Yankees, “Babe” hit his five hundredth home run of his career. When Babe was signed to the Yankees, he and the Yankees finished in a close third place behind the White Sox and the Indians. His biggest accomplishment was when he entered the nineteen-twenty season with the New York Yankees and their “Murderers Row,” which means their outstanding batting lineup. He had an unsettled youth, and any remarkable pitching exploit. He was a revolutionary home run slugger. With him slugging home runs on and off, he then got his nickname “The Slugger.” Another milestone he had was his affection for children. He had affection for children because he was inspiring children to play baseball all around the world and he also visited children that were hospitalized or orphans so they have plenty of people to keep them company. The “Called Shot” was a painting by Douglas Crockwell, showing “Babe” Ruth pointing his finger or bat over to the home run boundary to show that he was calling for a home run. He never, ever let his fans down or let his career milestones put his career down for good.
“Babe,” Ruth had many obstacles in his career. His childhood was full of crime and punishment. He never was a good kid when he lived in Baltimore with his parents. He had a little posse with him who hung out. That group was the crime time of the town. This means that he was the main boy that was in trouble in Baltimore. He did not face discrimination. Most of the people did not believe that one day George would grow up to be “The Great Bambino.” I believe that “The Slugger” is the bravest and most impressive person I’ve ever heard of in Major League Baseball. He rose to this occasion for practice and non-stop playing. This person is remembered for his great personality and his career in baseball. He at first was heavy, but then while he played his career in baseball, he worked that off. While on his road to success, “Jidge” had done some interesting things. One interesting thing is while a child, in 1902, Babe Ruth got arrested since he broke the salon window and because he swindled others. Another interesting fact is Babe Ruth was an assistant manager of the Boston Braves in the year 1933. The last interesting fact is, while in a game with the baseball Giants, he stole two bases and bruised his knee and infected his elbow. He then scraped his elbow again. The doctor said he was unable to play baseball for a while, but he refused this. In his game, when he returned, his infected elbow got worse. This could’ve made “Babe” Ruth have blood poisoning, but thankfully he didn’t. This road to success and these interesting facts were few of the spotlights in “Babe’s” career.
I chose this person because he was a baseball legend and he is a great person. This person inspired me because of his respect for people, his non-dying attitude, and his love for baseball. “Babe” Ruth represents the 1920’s because this is when he was playing; in the 1920’s he was on the New York Yankees. He hit fifty-four home runs in 1 season. At the end of this decade, he hit his 700th home run of his career. When I grow up, I want to be a pro baseball player, just like him. “Babe” Ruth also had a quote. His quote was, “The only real game in the world, I think is baseball.” He said this because this is how much he appreciated the game baseball. He appreciated the game because that was pretty much his whole life from 1914 to 1935. This is interpreted by millions of fans, baseball players, and many, many more kids, adults, and elderly. When Ruth was in baseball, he was the star that pulled out all the fans of the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Boston Braves. That’s what he thought, but many of the other teammates disagreed. Everybody thought it was the whole team that brought them in. This means that the sport that had the most fans was baseball. If fans didn’t come to see this sport, “Babe” wouldn’t have said this. This sport is the best there ever was, the best there ever is, and the best there ever will be.
“The Great Bambino’s” life was full of controversies. When he was a kid, he wasn’t as good as he was when he grew up. Although, when he was playing for the Yankees he disappointed them, so the manager fined and suspended him. “Babe” then yelled at the manager, calling him all the names he could think of. The manager said that if “Babe” would like to play baseball on the Yankees again, he would need to apologize to him and the team. Also, he said that “Babe” would sometime thank him for this. Later that day, reporters found “Babe” and he said that he was in the best condition of his life or career. He said that the manager is blaming me even though it’s his fault. He last said either him or me. “Babe” then went to the owner and told him demanding, but the owner didn’t side with him. The next day he apologized to the team. “Babe” then said that he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.
“Babe” Ruth was representing this era because he was playing a great part with a great team for more than a decade. He was an all-time great slugger for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Braves, and the NY Yankees, even though he wasn’t always on the same page as them. He was the one and the only person that brought fans to the “Houses That Ruth Built.” In his decade of the 1920’s, he never gave up. He was more impressive than Lou Gherg. He was an impressive man to fans. The fans loved the team, but they loved him more. He was leading the league in home runs from 1926 to 1931. They won 6 Pennants in the 1920’s. They also won 3 World Series. I don’t think that there will ever be another great player as “Babe” Ruth. Even though his records have been broken, no one, not even Derek Jeter, will get that much love from the fans. In the 1920’s there were 2 presidents. The first president was Warren G. Harding. The second president was Calvin Coolidge. These two encouraged the rise of big business. Warren G. Harding said he wanted to bring the country back to “normal.” Calvin Coolidge wanted to help everyone and, make it “Cool with Coolidge.” Also, the famous “TV” was created. In 1923, there were 500 radio stations broadcasting. There was “The Gold Russell” and “The Great Catalog” was made. In 1929, Joseph Stalin became the dictator of the Soviet Union. These things all happened in the 1920’s and that is why I chose “Babe” Ruth for my Century Project!
Works Cited Page
Berke Art. Babe Ruth. New York: Franklin Watts, 1988.
Carter Len. Babe Ruth. New York: Franklin Watts, 1988.
Stephen Fun Glass. The 1920’s. U.S.A: English Publishers, 2001