1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:13,000 WIP Mutual brings you now a special program in tribute to Babe Ruth. 3 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:26,000 From famous Yankee Stadium in New York, Mutual, in cooperation with every segment of the baseball world, 4 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:32,000 brings a tribute to one of the national pastimes all-time greats, Babe Ruth. 5 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:41,000 A crowd of some 60,000 persons here in Yankee Stadium and countless other thousands in baseball parks across the nation 6 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,000 pause now in honor of Babe Ruth. 7 00:00:45,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Ladies and gentlemen, here's eminent Francis Cardinal Spellman. 8 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Oh God of life and love and health, creator of all men, we beg thee to descend upon us with thy light, thy strength, and thy peace. 9 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:27,000 To bless our nation and all nations. To bless each person in every land. 10 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:38,000 To thee we turn today and pray thee be the spirit of our sports, the source of our spiritual inspiration 11 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:44,000 and physical strength for the upbuilding of our nation. 12 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:56,000 As on this occasion, we honor a hero in the world of sports, a champion of fair play, and a manly leader of youth in America. 13 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:07,000 We beseech thee to bless him and his apostolate among the youth of every land that he may continue to encourage and inspire the young 14 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:20,000 to live chaste, sober, and heroic lives that they may build for themselves bodies disciplined by the highest ideals of sportsmanship 15 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:27,000 for the glory of our beloved country, for the glory of thy beloved self. 16 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:36,000 Thou hast made the hearts of children and youth to rejoice and to benefit from the gladness they find in their games. 17 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Thou hast given them a divinely created instinct for play, laughter, and joy. 18 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:56,000 And today we beg thy peace for the sake of these same youthful hearts that they may learn to know, to love, and to live thy goodness 19 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:07,000 not only in their sports and games, but also in the love of man for man, race for race, nation for nation. 20 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:17,000 O life-giving Father in heaven, whose breath is life to man's body and whose spirit is health to man's soul, 21 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:23,000 bless thou with a special love, him whom we here honor this day. 22 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:30,000 Granted to him, O God, thy tender mercies forevermore. Amen. 23 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:44,000 And now, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce today's first distinguished guest after his eminence, Francis Cardinal Spellman, 24 00:03:44,000 --> 00:04:11,000 here is the Commissioner of Baseball, Albert B. Chandler. 25 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:21,000 Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered in the baseball parks and on the playing fields of America today 26 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:32,000 to pay tribute to and to say a prayer for an American boy who learned to play honestly and fairly 27 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:37,000 the national game of his people and became a national hero. 28 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:47,000 God grant that this resource may always remain with us, and that the spirit of baseball, the spirit of Babe Ruth, 29 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:57,000 and the spirit of God may be with us always as we build a new generation of young Americans humble in the sight of God 30 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:09,000 and fully capable of protecting our heritage as a free people. 31 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:25,000 And now, ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to present to you, representing the National League, its president, Mr. Ford Frick. 32 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:33,000 Ladies and gentlemen, as a personal friend, there are so many things I could say to the Jids. 33 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,000 He has been my good friend. 34 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:45,000 But speaking officially, I think the best thing I could do is read an inscription on a little token 35 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:50,000 that was prepared by the National League for the Babe. 36 00:05:50,000 --> 00:06:02,000 This is what it says, to Babe Ruth, whose tremendous batting average through the years is exceeded only by the size of his heart 37 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:16,000 and whose capacity to hit home runs is surpassed only by his capacity to make and hold friends among those of us who know him. 38 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:26,000 That you ruined our hopes in too many a world series and too often batted our brains out and made us like it 39 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:34,000 does not diminish our pride in your accomplishments or our affection for you. 40 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:43,000 And with that go all the good wishes of the entire National League. 41 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Good luck, Jidji, and God bless you. 42 00:06:47,000 --> 00:07:03,000 And now, ladies and gentlemen, representing the American League, its president, Mr. Will Harridge. 43 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,000 To say Babe Ruth is to say baseball. 44 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:11,000 Down through the years, these names have been synonymous. 45 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,000 Forever will mean one and the same thing. 46 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:22,000 For the time has added to, not dimmed, the brilliant luster of that name, Babe Ruth. 47 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:31,000 We of the American League would like to feel that he belongs to us, for it was in the uniforms of the Boston Red Sox 48 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:40,000 and the New York Yankees that he won and held the affection and interest of all baseball for more than a score of years. 49 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:49,000 Yet one club or league could claim to a name which has meant baseball in its fullest and broadest sense. 50 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Many great names shine through the pages, recording a long history of our national game. 51 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:04,000 Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Waller Johnson, Christie Matheson, shining brighter than them all, 52 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:11,000 not only because of his record as a player, but more so because he won the hearts of fans everywhere, 53 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,000 is the name Babe Ruth. 54 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:20,000 For what you have done for those fans, and for what you have done for all baseball, 55 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,000 we of the American League salute you, Babe Ruth. 56 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:39,000 This is Albert B. Chandler. At this time I would like to introduce a boy who will be under the leadership of Babe Ruth 57 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:45,000 when Babe takes over his new job as director of baseball for the American Legion. 58 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:53,000 Representing the boys of the American Legion, speaking for every American boy, ladies and gentlemen, here is Larry Cutler. 59 00:08:53,000 --> 00:09:05,000 Thank you Mr. Chandler. I guess there are thousands of 13 year old fellows like myself in this country 60 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:11,000 who have heard about Babe Ruth ever since the first time they learned there was such a game as baseball. 61 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:18,000 It's a great honor to be here, just to be able to tell Babe Ruth how proud we are to have him back in baseball, 62 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:26,000 back where he belongs. And to know that Babe Ruth is going to be with us kids, well, that's the biggest and best thing 63 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:33,000 that could happen in baseball. From all of us kids, babe, it's swell to have you back. 64 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:48,000 And now ladies and gentlemen, the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth. 65 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:31,000 Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. 66 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:38,000 Ladies and gentlemen, you know how bad my voice sounds? Well, it feels just as bad. 67 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:47,000 You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth, that means the boys. 68 00:10:47,000 --> 00:11:00,000 And after you're a boy and grew up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today. 69 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:12,000 And your national pastime, the only real game I think in the world, baseball. 70 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:25,000 As a rule, some people think if they give them a football or a baseball or something like that, naturally they're athletes right away. 71 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:38,000 But you can't do that in baseball. You've got to start from way down the bottom when you're six or seven years of age. 72 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:47,000 You can't wait until you're 15 or 16. You've got to let it grow up with you. 73 00:11:47,000 --> 00:12:00,000 And if you're successful and you try hard enough, you're bound to come out on top just like these boys have come to the top now. 74 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:25,000 There's been so many lovely things said about me and I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to thank everybody. Thank you. 75 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:31,000 And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our baseball story for today. From Yankee Stadium in New York, 76 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:38,000 Mutual, in cooperation with all of baseball, has brought you this tribute to Babe Ruth. 77 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:56,000 WIP Mutual brings you now, has brought you a special program in honor of Babe Ruth.