WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take a monumental 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:05.360 stack of sources, the articles, the biographies, 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:07.580 the statistical breakdowns, and distill them 00:00:07.580 --> 00:00:10.460 into the most powerful, concise, and surprising 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:14.460 insights curated just for you. Today, we are 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.420 opening the book on perhaps the single most important 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:20.980 figure in the history of American sports, George 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:23.559 Herman. Babe Ruth. And we're not here just to 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:25.600 list off the famous nicknames, you know, the 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.399 Bambino or the Sultan of Swat. No, we're here 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:31.679 to dissect a cultural phenomenon. That's the 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:34.320 mission. We have to go beyond the myth and understand 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:36.840 the mechanics. Our task is to figure out exactly 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.420 how one man didn't just play baseball better, 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:41.840 but, I mean, he fundamentally transformed it. 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:44.000 He really did. He took the game from that low 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.560 -scoring, highly strategic style of the dead 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:49.880 ball era. A game of bunts and stolen bases. Exactly. 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:52.380 And almost overnight, he turned it into the home 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:55.100 run spectacle we all recognize today. He ushered 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:58.200 in the live ball era. It's a story defined by 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:01.079 this, this duality, this contradiction. Absolutely. 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:04.140 You have to look at the star pitcher and the 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:06.299 chaotic slugging outfielder at the same time. 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:09.400 I mean, when you review his career, you basically 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:12.760 see two Hall of Famers rolled into one extremely 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.379 large personality. Let's just start with the 00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:17.579 sheer scope of that. The hating numbers, everyone 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:21.459 knows those. 714 career home runs, a lifetime 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:24.980 batting average of .342. An astounding 12 American 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:27.000 League home run titles. But then you strip all 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.379 that away. And you look at the man on the mound, 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:33.799 a 94 -46 win -loss record, a stellar 2 .28 career 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.200 ERA, and three World Series rings as a pitcher. 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:39.859 And that split performance is exactly why his 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.640 impact is still felt nearly a century later. 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:45.900 Ruth's story isn't just a sports footnote. Our 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:47.900 sources really emphasize that he is a, quote, 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.079 unique figure in the social history of the United 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:52.180 States. So that's where this deep dive starts 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:54.299 to matter beyond just the box score. Why did 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:56.540 he transcend the sport in that specific moment? 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:58.819 Was it just the stats? No, not at all. It was 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:00.659 timing and persona. He's the first star athlete 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:04.219 to get that kind of overwhelming public adulation 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:06.939 in the modern sense. He shows up right after 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:09.360 the trauma of World War I and the devastating 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:13.020 1918 flu pandemic, right at the dawn of the Roaring 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:15.599 Twenties. So the country was desperate for an 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.080 icon. Desperate for an escape. for someone who 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:21.340 embodied that American success story, a larger 00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:23.599 -than -life figure who rose from absolutely nothing 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:26.419 to achieve something colossal. Ruth was that 00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:29.979 loud, uncouth, and just flamboyantly successful 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:32.580 figure that defined the social changes of the 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:35.939 1920s. Which brings us to a fact that is so critical 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:38.020 to understanding the first part of his career, 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:40.879 a detail that gets completely overshadowed by 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:43.780 the hitting legend. The truth that Babe Ruth 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:46.400 began his professional life not just as a competent 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:48.689 pitcher, but as a star left -handed pitcher, 00:02:48.849 --> 00:02:51.810 a World Series ace for the Boston Red Sox. And 00:02:51.810 --> 00:02:53.830 that sets the stage for the massive internal 00:02:53.830 --> 00:02:55.770 struggle that would lead him to change the game 00:02:55.770 --> 00:02:57.770 forever. Okay, let's unpack this and start at 00:02:57.770 --> 00:03:00.069 the very beginning. George Herman Ruth Jr. was 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:03.310 born on February 6, 1895, in a pretty rough neighborhood 00:03:03.310 --> 00:03:06.250 in Baltimore. His parents, George Sr. and Catherine, 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:08.810 were of German ancestry. And our sources are 00:03:08.810 --> 00:03:11.030 clear, the earliest details of his childhood 00:03:11.030 --> 00:03:14.840 are, well, they're scanty. often conflicting. 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:17.620 But they paint a picture of a chaotic, totally 00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:20.860 unsupervised upbringing. And that chaotic nature 00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:24.419 is so central to the man he became. Of the seven 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:26.860 children born to his parents, only his younger 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.500 sister Mamie even survived infancy. Wow. Which 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:32.479 just speaks to the harshness of their environment. 00:03:33.139 --> 00:03:35.840 His father had various blue -collar jobs before 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:39.000 managing a family saloon. Young George Jr. was, 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:41.729 for all intents and purposes, feral. He ran the 00:03:41.729 --> 00:03:44.189 streets, rarely went to school. He later admitted 00:03:44.189 --> 00:03:46.050 he was drinking beer and chewing tobacco from 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.689 a very, very early age. So his childhood wasn't 00:03:48.689 --> 00:03:51.310 just poor. It was completely lacking any kind 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:53.810 of structure. And that leads to the definitive 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:56.169 turning point in his life. Absolutely. The environment 00:03:56.169 --> 00:03:58.810 was just deemed unsuitable. So on June 13th, 00:03:58.810 --> 00:04:01.189 1902, when he's just seven years old, the city 00:04:01.189 --> 00:04:02.949 intervenes. He's sent to St. Mary's Industrial 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:05.810 School for Boys. Which was, you know, basically 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:08.210 a strict reformatory and orphanage run by these 00:04:08.210 --> 00:04:11.270 Varian brothers. His intake record listed him 00:04:11.270 --> 00:04:14.509 simply as incorrigible. And he'd spend the vast 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:17.170 majority of the next 12 years there. On and off, 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:21.350 but mostly on. Right inside those walls. So St. 00:04:21.430 --> 00:04:23.990 Mary's wasn't just a temporary stop. It was the 00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:26.850 crucible that forged the champion. But it sounds 00:04:26.850 --> 00:04:29.069 like a tough place. It was incredibly harsh by 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:31.529 modern standards. The boys were given simple 00:04:31.529 --> 00:04:34.839 food, subjected to strict discipline. Corporal 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:37.379 punishment was common. But it was also vocational. 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:39.300 Right. They were expected to learn work skills. 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.279 And Ruth, surprisingly, became proficient in 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:45.689 two trades. Carpentry. And shirt making. Shirt 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:48.250 making. Yes. And there's this fascinating anecdote 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:50.569 here. Even when he was one of the highest paid 00:04:50.569 --> 00:04:52.930 athletes in the world, he would carry a sewing 00:04:52.930 --> 00:04:55.410 kit in his suitcase and adjust his own shirt 00:04:55.410 --> 00:04:58.389 collars. No way. Yeah. A direct nod to the practical 00:04:58.389 --> 00:05:00.949 skills he learned at St. Mary's. It shows that 00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:03.649 even the adult chaos of Babe Ruth couldn't entirely 00:05:03.649 --> 00:05:06.350 shake off that early discipline. But the real 00:05:06.350 --> 00:05:08.930 game changer was the man who noticed his potential. 00:05:09.750 --> 00:05:12.600 Brother Matthias Boutlier. This wasn't just a 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:15.420 teacher. No, this was a true mentor. Brother 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:17.860 Matthias was the prefect of discipline, and he 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:20.279 was probably the most influential figure in Ruth's 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.879 entire life. A surrogate father figure. He was 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:25.740 a physically imposing man, highly respected for 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:27.839 his strength and fairness, and he became Ruth's 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:31.500 role model. Crucially, he loved baseball and 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:34.279 strongly encouraged Ruth's athletic pursuits. 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:37.000 And Ruth credited him directly. He did. He said, 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.579 quote, I think I was born as a hitter the first 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:42.339 day I ever saw him hit a baseball. That's amazing. 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:45.600 So that structure combined with that one specific 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:49.000 mentor is what unlocked the talent. How did he 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.420 actually develop his skills in that environment? 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:54.060 He was a natural anomaly. Because they were often 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:56.439 short on players, Ruth played all nine positions 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.079 in the school leagues. All nine? As a lefty? 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:01.439 Can you imagine? It was extraordinary. He'd find 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:03.779 himself a third base, shortstop, or even catcher, 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:05.920 forcing him to learn to use right -handed gloves 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:08.339 awkwardly. But pitching was where he exploded. 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.379 It was. And his entry into pitching was almost 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:14.860 a joke. Brother Matthias, exasperated by the 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:17.759 wild pitching of the other kids, supposedly told 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.459 the laughing Ruth, go on, you laugher, let's 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:23.560 see you do better. And he did. By 1913, at age 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.680 18, his skills were so advanced that he was allowed 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:28.839 to leave the premises on weekends to play with 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:31.740 community teams. And that's where the word started 00:06:31.740 --> 00:06:34.379 to spread about this big left -hander who didn't 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:36.379 just pitch well, but hit these prodigious home 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:39.000 runs. And that raw talent brought him to the 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.839 attention of professional baseball. It did. In 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:45.319 early 1914, Jack Dunn, who owned and managed 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:47.839 the minor league Baltimore Orioles, was invited 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:50.980 to see Ruth play. Dunn was so impressed he signed 00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:53.040 into his first professional contract. And this 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.399 is where he gets the iconic nickname, Babe. And 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:57.959 it's not some grand story, is it? No, not at 00:06:57.959 --> 00:06:59.779 all. It's a reflection of his absolute lack of 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:01.810 worldly experience. Right. When they traveled 00:07:01.810 --> 00:07:03.970 to spring training, you have to remember, Ruth 00:07:03.970 --> 00:07:06.850 had spent 12 years institutionalized. He knew 00:07:06.850 --> 00:07:09.250 nothing about hotel etiquette, ordering off a 00:07:09.250 --> 00:07:12.110 menu, proper behavior. He's like a big, enthusiastic 00:07:12.110 --> 00:07:14.970 kid. So the veteran players started pranking 00:07:14.970 --> 00:07:18.290 him. Immediately. And Dunn, who was tasked with 00:07:18.290 --> 00:07:21.050 supervising him, frequently referred to him as 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:25.389 his new babe. The name just stuck instantly. 00:07:25.629 --> 00:07:29.129 A perpetual reminder of his raw, uncivilized 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:31.370 upbringing. But the Orioles were quickly facing 00:07:31.370 --> 00:07:34.490 a crisis. A huge financial crisis, yeah. Baltimore 00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:36.730 had a competing team in the upstart Federal League, 00:07:36.829 --> 00:07:38.910 the Baltimore Terrapins. And that just cut into 00:07:38.910 --> 00:07:41.850 the Orioles' attendance. Severely. Dunn was losing 00:07:41.850 --> 00:07:44.750 money fast. Attendance sometimes dipped to as 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:47.889 low as 150 fans per game, even though the team 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:51.199 was in first place. He had no choice but to liquidate 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.139 his assets. So fate intervenes via insolvency. 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:57.980 Precisely. In July 1914, Dunn sells three of 00:07:57.980 --> 00:08:00.779 his best players, including Ruth's contract to 00:08:00.779 --> 00:08:03.420 the Boston Red Sox at the American League. The 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:05.680 announced price was $25 ,000, but the deal was 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.959 more complex. Regardless, this was the beginning 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.060 of the end for the pitching phenomena and the 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:13.459 dawn of the slugging legend. So Ruth arrives 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:17.420 in Boston, a raw 19 -year -old kid in 1914. He 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:19.620 actually had a great debut, won his first start. 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.879 But after losing his second, he wasn't used much. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.180 And his lack of polish, it quickly rubbed his 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:27.139 teammates the wrong way. This is where we see 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:28.939 that clash again. The professional expectations 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:32.000 versus the institutionalized youth. The sources 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.639 point out the brutal reality of his early interactions 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.799 with the veterans. The culture shock was immense. 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:40.700 His teammates found him arrogant, loud, completely 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:43.820 uncouth. They nicknamed him the Big Baboon. Which 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:46.269 is highly derogatory. And he detested it. Not 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:48.549 just because it was mocking his size, but as 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:50.970 our analysis suggests, it likely echoed a much 00:08:50.970 --> 00:08:54.389 worse, highly racist nickname, nigger lips, that 00:08:54.389 --> 00:08:56.649 he had endured back at St. Mary's. So it created 00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:58.889 this environment of tension and hostility from 00:08:58.889 --> 00:09:01.429 the get -go. Exactly. And that hostility was 00:09:01.429 --> 00:09:03.990 tangible. When Ruth insisted on taking batting 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:06.009 practice, which was really unusual for a rookie 00:09:06.009 --> 00:09:08.809 pitcher and seen as him showing off, his teammates 00:09:08.809 --> 00:09:13.110 retaliated by sawing his bats in half. Wow. They 00:09:13.110 --> 00:09:15.440 were sending a clear message? Know your place. 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.220 They were. And after a brief, unsuccessful run, 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:20.519 he was sent down to the minor league Providence 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.740 Grays. But that detour turned out to be crucial 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:24.539 for his development as a pitcher. It absolutely 00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:26.679 was. He excelled there, helped Providence win 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.539 the pennant, and he credited their manager, Wild 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:32.080 Bill Donovan, with teaching him invaluable lessons 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:35.000 about control and strategy on the mound. When 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.179 he came back to Boston in October, he recorded 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:40.159 his first major league hit, a double. By 1915, 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:42.340 he'd earned his spot in Red Sox rotation, which 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:44.600 is impressive. Boston already had two superb 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:46.960 left -handed starters. He was 18 -8 that year, 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:50.659 but 1916 was his true breakout as a pitching 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:53.879 star. A statistically dominant season. Dominant 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:56.440 even by the standards of the dead ball era. Ruth 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:59.870 went 23 -12. But look at the context. He led 00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:02.009 the entire American League with a phenomenal 00:10:02.009 --> 00:10:06.850 1 .75 ERA and nine shutouts. 1 .75. That's untouchable. 00:10:06.929 --> 00:10:09.190 The league average for a starter then was closer 00:10:09.190 --> 00:10:12.870 to 2 .80. And that nine shutout figure for a 00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:15.870 lefty, it stood as a league record for 62 years 00:10:15.870 --> 00:10:19.289 until 1978. And he wasn't just padding stats 00:10:19.289 --> 00:10:22.730 against weak teams. He was actively dueling Walter 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:25.470 Johnson. Yes. The legend for the Washington Senators. 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:29.620 The benchmark. That season, Ruth faced Johnson 00:10:29.620 --> 00:10:33.779 five times and won four of those matchups, including 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:37.320 two 106 shutouts. One of those wins was so thrilling, 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.659 the league president called it one of the best 00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:42.259 ballgames I have ever seen. So this wasn't a 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:44.320 sideshow. This was Babe Ruth establishing himself 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:46.720 as a premier high -stakes pitcher. Absolutely. 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:49.940 And this success led the Red Sox to three World 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:53.679 Series titles in four years, 1915, 1916, and 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:56.539 1918. He was a pillar of that dynasty. And he 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:59.360 proved it in the postseason. He did. In the 1916 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:01.980 World Series, he won Game 2 in an epic 14 -inning 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:04.179 complete game, still the longest World Series 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:06.519 complete game victory ever recorded. And that's 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:08.419 where he set the scoreless inning streak. 29 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:10.179 and two -thirds consecutive scoreless innings 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.139 in the World Series. Let's pause on that. The 00:11:13.139 --> 00:11:15.799 sources suggest this record was a source of immense 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:18.299 pride for him, maybe even more than some of his 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:21.159 hitting feats. Why was that? It speaks directly 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:24.320 to his identity as an athlete. To dominate under 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:26.980 that intense pressure against the best hitters 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:30.480 was a testament to total control, the one thing 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:32.940 the institutionalized kid often lacked in his 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:35.519 personal life. It represented the ultimate expression 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:37.840 of the discipline St. Mary's had tried to instill. 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:39.860 But here's where the internal conflict takes 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:42.659 over. Despite all this dominance on the mound, 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:46.039 Ruth was restless. He hated pitching only every 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.740 four or five days. That tension just became unbearable 00:11:49.740 --> 00:11:52.620 for him. And eventually for the management. Manager 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:54.700 Ed Barrow, recognizing his hitting potential, 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.440 slowly started to give in. Right. By 1917, he's 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:00.879 still pitching well, 24 -13, but his batting 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:03.759 average was a respectable .325. Barrow realized 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.620 that the crowds were significantly larger on 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.460 days Ruth played, whether he was pitching or 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:09.799 in the outfield. So the economics of his slugging 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.039 started to outweigh the value of his pitching. 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:15.279 Exactly. And in the war -shortened 1918 season, 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.399 the shift was clear. Ruth was primarily used 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.679 as an outfielder, and he promptly tied for the 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:23.120 Major League Home Run title with 11. He was still 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.700 vital to that 1918 World Series win, though. 00:12:25.779 --> 00:12:27.340 Oh, yeah, that's where he set the scoreless streak. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.399 But his future was clearly as a position player. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.720 By 1919, the experiment was over. He only pitched 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:36.100 in 17 games. Right, focusing almost entirely 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:39.179 on offense. And the results were historic. He 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.559 broke the single -season record of 27 home runs 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:44.179 by hitting 29. He became the first player to 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:46.220 hit a home run in every ballpark in his league. 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.179 The statistical explosion was unmistakable. The 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:51.480 pitcher was now fully, permanently overshadowed 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:54.059 by the slugger. His six seasons in Boston ended 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:58.730 with an 89 -46 record and a 2 .19 ERA. An era 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:00.610 -defining career that was about to be completely 00:13:00.610 --> 00:13:02.909 eclipsed by his next one. And so we arrive at 00:13:02.909 --> 00:13:05.129 the sports transaction that completely rewired 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:07.710 American baseball. The sale of Babe Ruth to the 00:13:07.710 --> 00:13:11.230 New York Yankees on December 26, 1919. We really 00:13:11.230 --> 00:13:13.190 need to pause and look at the financial storm 00:13:13.190 --> 00:13:15.870 behind this. Red Sox owner Harry Frazee was, 00:13:16.110 --> 00:13:19.190 to put it simply, desperate. He was deeply in 00:13:19.190 --> 00:13:22.149 debt from buying the club. And he needed immediate 00:13:22.149 --> 00:13:25.429 cash to fund his theatrical productions. Now, 00:13:25.450 --> 00:13:29.149 the famous legend is he sold Ruth. For... no, 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:31.450 Nanette, but that's a bit of an oversimplification. 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:35.309 The core truth remains. He was using the Red 00:13:35.309 --> 00:13:39.179 Sox roster as an ATM for Broadway. And Ruth himself 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:41.360 was escalating the pressure, wasn't he? Oh, he 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.100 was. He was fully aware of his star power. He 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:47.059 demanded his $10 ,000 salary be doubled. And 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:49.360 he threatened to sit out the entire 1920 season 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.480 if he didn't get it. And that demand was causing 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:54.139 a ripple effect. A huge one. Other key players 00:13:54.139 --> 00:13:56.980 started asking for massive raises. Freezee needed 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:59.840 the problem and the debt gone immediately. Okay, 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:01.899 let's detail the transaction itself because the 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.940 terms were just... Unprecedented. Frazee sold 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:07.500 Ruth's contract to the Yankees for $100 ,000 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:10.419 in cash, a record payment for any player at the 00:14:10.419 --> 00:14:12.019 time. But that wasn't even the most critical 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:14.820 part. Not even close. The deal included a massive 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:19.000 $350 ,000 loan from the Yankee co -owner to Frazee, 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:21.519 which was secured by a mortgage on Fenway Park. 00:14:21.929 --> 00:14:23.710 A mortgage on the ballpark itself, that just 00:14:23.710 --> 00:14:26.070 speaks to the absolute desperation of Frazee. 00:14:26.149 --> 00:14:29.409 And the willingness of the Yankees to risk everything 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:32.649 on this one player. It was an unimaginable level 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:35.049 of commitment in baseball history. And the Yankees 00:14:35.049 --> 00:14:38.529 quickly rewarded Ruth. Immediately. They offered 00:14:38.529 --> 00:14:41.690 him an unheard of contract for two years at $70 00:14:41.690 --> 00:14:47.289 ,000 annually, plus a $20 ,000 bonus. Ed Barrow. 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:50.360 the Red Sox manager, famously told Frazee he 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.799 was making a terrible mistake. And he was promptly 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:55.179 hired by the Yankees to oversee the new dynasty. 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.559 The result is the curse of the Bambino. The Red 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.620 Sox have been one of the dominant franchises 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:03.200 of the 1910s. Five World Series titles before 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.960 the sale. And then. Nothing. They didn't win 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:08.980 another pennant until 1946 and didn't win a World 00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:12.700 Series for 86 long years until 2004. While the 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:14.299 Yankees, who had never won an AL championship 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:16.759 before Ruth, became the most successful dynasty 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:19.139 in professional sports. This transaction didn't 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:21.440 just move a player. It fundamentally shifted 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.779 the balance of power in baseball for generations. 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:26.779 Now let's move from the trade to the on -field 00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:30.279 revolution. The year 1920 is considered the definitive 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:34.000 start of the live ball era. What changed? Well, 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.460 philosophically, baseball changed from inside 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:40.059 baseball, bunts, stolen bases, pitching dominance, 00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:43.639 to a power spectacle. But the mechanics were 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:45.720 equally important. It wasn't just Ruth hitting 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:47.779 harder. The ball itself had changed. Exactly. 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:50.220 The manufacturer introduced new production techniques. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.460 They began using a more efficient, tighter machine 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:56.620 to wind the yarn inside the baseballs. Which 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:59.299 resulted in a harder, livelier core. And the 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:01.990 impact was immediate and stark. The total number 00:16:01.990 --> 00:16:04.629 of home runs across the majors increased by 184 00:16:04.629 --> 00:16:06.929 over the previous year. And to give you some 00:16:06.929 --> 00:16:09.909 context on that, in 1918, the entire American 00:16:09.909 --> 00:16:13.049 League hit 160 home runs combined. And in 1920, 00:16:13.350 --> 00:16:16.129 Babe Ruth hit 54 by himself. He was the tsunami. 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:18.659 But the league had just built a speedboat. The 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:21.159 result was this staggering statistical explosion. 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.059 54 home runs, nearly doubling his own record. 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:26.980 He led the league in runs, RBIs. He set a new 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:29.220 record for home runs in a month with 11 in May 00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:32.279 and then broke it again with 13 in June. And 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:34.860 the fans came for the spectacle. The attendance 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:37.639 boost was just as seismic. The Yankees are still 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.539 tenants at the Polo Grounds, but they drew 1 00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:43.059 .2 million fans that season. The first team in 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:45.379 baseball history to draw seven figures. And they 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:48.210 drew huge crowds everywhere on the road. A sports 00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:50.649 writer at the time, Joe Vila, he articulated 00:16:50.649 --> 00:16:53.470 the change perfectly. He said the American public 00:16:53.470 --> 00:16:55.389 is nuttier over the home run than the clever 00:16:55.389 --> 00:16:58.429 fielding or the hitless pitching. Viva el home 00:16:58.429 --> 00:17:02.149 run and two times viva Babe Ruth. He turned baseball 00:17:02.149 --> 00:17:05.089 into entertainment. With the live ball era established, 00:17:05.410 --> 00:17:07.589 we enter the heart of the Sultan's reign, the 00:17:07.589 --> 00:17:11.710 1920s. And in 1921, Ruth proved 1920 wasn't a 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:14.410 fluke. No, he was building a legacy. He established 00:17:14.410 --> 00:17:16.650 statistical markers that still stand today. He 00:17:16.650 --> 00:17:18.650 broke Roger Conner's career home run mark of 00:17:18.650 --> 00:17:21.250 138, so every swing he took from then on was 00:17:21.250 --> 00:17:25.029 history. He finished 21 with 59 homers, a .378 00:17:25.029 --> 00:17:28.089 average, and a record .846 slugging percentage. 00:17:28.450 --> 00:17:30.369 Let's look at the records he set that year that 00:17:30.369 --> 00:17:33.150 are still untouchable in the modern era. 177 00:17:33.150 --> 00:17:36.609 runs scored, 119 extra base hits, and an astonishing 00:17:36.609 --> 00:17:40.289 457 total bases. That total base number really 00:17:40.289 --> 00:17:43.039 illustrates his... overwhelming presence. Right. 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:45.859 It's not just home runs. It's doubles, triples, 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:48.859 getting on base relentlessly. The Yankees won 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:50.980 their first pennant that year, but they lost 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:53.319 the World Series to the Giants. And this is where 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:55.799 we see that contradiction again, right? The talent 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:59.200 marred by the lack of discipline. Exactly. Ruth 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.519 suffered a badly scraped elbow sliding during 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:03.880 the series. Team physicians warned him not to 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.359 play. But he did anyway. He kept pinch hitting. 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:09.339 A reckless decision that likely contributed to 00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:12.349 them losing. But the real consequence came afterward. 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:16.049 Ruth and two teammates went on an unsanctioned 00:18:16.049 --> 00:18:18.430 barnstorming tour against the commissioner's 00:18:18.430 --> 00:18:21.150 direct orders. That show of defiance led to a 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.930 massive punishment. It did. Commissioner Landis 00:18:23.930 --> 00:18:26.269 suspended the trio until May 20th of the next 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:29.630 year and fined them their entire 1921 World Series 00:18:29.630 --> 00:18:33.029 checks. The league needed Ruth's star power, 00:18:33.210 --> 00:18:35.190 but they were determined to control his chaos. 00:18:35.589 --> 00:18:38.170 Even with that suspension, the Yankees knew they 00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:40.630 had to pay him. Oh, absolutely. In March of 22, 00:18:40.809 --> 00:18:43.650 he signed a contract for three years at $52 ,000 00:18:43.650 --> 00:18:46.549 annually. Which was more than double the largest 00:18:46.549 --> 00:18:49.470 sum ever paid to a player. And it represented 00:18:49.470 --> 00:18:53.170 40 % of the Yankees' entire player payroll. But 00:18:53.170 --> 00:18:55.990 the 22 season was a mess, marred by erratic behavior. 00:18:56.490 --> 00:18:59.289 He was briefly named team captain, but was stripped 00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:01.569 of the title after throwing Dirk on an umpire 00:19:01.569 --> 00:19:03.869 and then climbing into the stands to confront 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:06.509 a heckler. He was fined and suspended again. 00:19:06.769 --> 00:19:10.400 Sports writer Joe Vila. sensing the chaos, dubbed 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:13.119 him an exploded phenomenon. The narrative was 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:17.119 set, genius performance, toxic behavior, but 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:20.680 1923 changed everything for the Yankees. It was 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.680 a monumental, transformative year. The Yankees 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.359 were kicked out of the polo grounds by the jealous 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:28.140 giants and inaugurated their new venue, Yankee 00:19:28.140 --> 00:19:30.700 Stadium. The house that Ruth built. and the stadium 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:33.079 was literally tailored to his talents, with the 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:35.500 right field fence placed strategically closer 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:37.980 to home plate. He christened the stadium perfectly. 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:41.000 He hit the stadium's first home run, leading 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:42.980 the Yankees to their first World Series title, 00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:45.700 finally beating the Giants. He dominated that 00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:49.119 series. Then we hit 1925, the season known for 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.700 the Beliak herd around the world. This really 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:53.819 crystallized the internal battle he was losing 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:56.059 against himself. He arrived at spring training, 00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:59.690 weighing nearly 260 pounds. He collapsed twice, 00:19:59.930 --> 00:20:02.269 first in North Carolina, then again in New York. 00:20:02.369 --> 00:20:04.309 The official story was that he'd binged on hot 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:08.170 dogs and soda pop. A convenient, almost humorous 00:20:08.170 --> 00:20:11.490 myth. But our sources strongly suggest alcohol. 00:20:12.109 --> 00:20:14.789 And the general toll of his high -living, unchecked 00:20:14.789 --> 00:20:18.230 lifestyle were the true roots. A six -week hospitalization 00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:20.829 suggested a far more serious breakdown. It was 00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:24.539 his absolute nadir as a Yankee. It was. He batted 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:28.279 just .290 with 25 home runs, and the team finished 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:30.880 next to last. But the Yankees' management learned 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:32.640 from this. They started surrounding him with 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.279 younger, more disciplined talent. Like Lou Gehrig. 00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:38.400 Exactly. Gehrig. Tony Lasvergaing. Which led 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.359 to the formation of the immortal 1927 team, the 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:43.259 legendary Murderer's Row. One of the greatest 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:45.339 teams ever assembled. They won a then -record 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:48.569 110 games. And the real focus wasn't even the 00:20:48.569 --> 00:20:51.170 pennant race. It was the spectacle of Ruth pursuing 00:20:51.170 --> 00:20:53.869 his own single -season record, challenged intensely 00:20:53.869 --> 00:20:56.349 by his own teammate, Gehrig. Gehrig was right 00:20:56.349 --> 00:20:58.990 there with him, finishing with 47 home runs, 00:20:59.150 --> 00:21:03.150 but Ruth hit 60. The competitive fire was unparalleled. 00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.250 He entered the final series needing three homers. 00:21:06.289 --> 00:21:09.049 He hit two in the first game. And then on September 00:21:09.049 --> 00:21:12.869 30, he broke it, hitting his 60th off Tom Zachary. 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.710 and his quote afterwards. Perfectly captured 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:19.650 the man's massive ego and swagger. 60. Let's 00:21:19.650 --> 00:21:21.210 see some son of a bitch try to top that one. 00:21:21.369 --> 00:21:23.529 The Yankees swept the Pirates in the World Series, 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:25.990 proving their dominance. The dominance continued, 00:21:26.289 --> 00:21:29.569 and so did the astonishing paychecks. In 1930, 00:21:29.930 --> 00:21:32.750 he signs a contract for an unprecedented $80 00:21:32.750 --> 00:21:35.910 ,000 a year. Let's place that in context. It 00:21:35.910 --> 00:21:37.529 was an obscene amount of money for the time. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:39.960 This is right as the Great Depression is deepening. 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:43.740 Unemployment is rising rapidly. And it was, famously, 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:47.200 $5 ,000 more than President Herbert Hoover's 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:49.619 salary. And the legend gave the perfect reply. 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:53.039 When reporters questioned it, Ruth quipped, Besides, 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:55.180 the president gets a four -year contract. I'm 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:57.640 only asking for three. It speaks volumes about 00:21:57.640 --> 00:21:59.980 the sense of untouchable royalty he had established. 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:03.380 It does. Now, let's discuss the single most debated 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:06.990 moment of his career. A story so ingrained in 00:22:06.990 --> 00:22:10.269 American sports mythology that its reality almost 00:22:10.269 --> 00:22:13.849 doesn't matter. The called shot in the 1932 World 00:22:13.849 --> 00:22:15.970 Series. Right. We have to set the scene. This 00:22:15.970 --> 00:22:18.410 is against the Chicago Cubs. And there was genuine 00:22:18.410 --> 00:22:20.950 animosity between the teams. The crowd and the 00:22:20.950 --> 00:22:24.190 Cubs players were relentlessly hostile, throwing 00:22:24.190 --> 00:22:27.450 lemons, screaming insults at Ruth. That hostility 00:22:27.450 --> 00:22:29.690 peaked during the fifth inning of Game 3. Score 00:22:29.690 --> 00:22:32.529 tied 4 -4 youth at the plate. The abuse was intense. 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:35.640 The pitcher throws a strike, then another. With 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:38.599 two strikes, the sources all confirm Ruth definitely 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:41.579 made a gesture. But what was the gesture? Did 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:43.640 he point his bat? Did he point towards center 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:45.960 field? That's the million -dollar question. Some 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:47.700 accounts say he pointed specifically toward the 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:50.839 center field bleachers. And then he hit the very 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:54.259 next pitch. A massive shot, estimated at nearly 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:57.089 500 feet over the center field fence. It was 00:22:57.089 --> 00:22:59.410 the decisive blow. The legend solidified almost 00:22:59.410 --> 00:23:01.630 instantly. Babe Ruth pointed exactly where he 00:23:01.630 --> 00:23:03.150 was going to hit the ball and then he did it. 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:05.910 And while that is the version we all love, we 00:23:05.910 --> 00:23:08.950 have to acknowledge the critical ambiguity. Many 00:23:08.950 --> 00:23:10.990 of his own teammates later cast doubt on it. 00:23:11.250 --> 00:23:13.589 It's more likely he was gesturing at the pitcher 00:23:13.589 --> 00:23:15.990 or at the Cubs dugout saying, I still have one 00:23:15.990 --> 00:23:18.769 strike left. But that ambiguity is what allowed 00:23:18.769 --> 00:23:21.470 the legend to take hold. It perfectly encapsulated 00:23:21.470 --> 00:23:24.390 the swagger and almost unbelievable power that 00:23:24.390 --> 00:23:26.660 had been built up around him. It's enshrined 00:23:26.660 --> 00:23:29.319 as one of baseball's most iconic moments, regardless 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:32.299 of the precise reality. After the glory of 1932, 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:35.279 Ruth enters the twilight of his career. He was 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:37.440 still productive in 33, hitting the first home 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:39.480 run in all -star game history. He even made his 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:41.720 final career appearance as a pitcher in the last 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:44.460 game of that season. A complete game victory. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:47.299 A fantastic full -circle moment. But the physical 00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:49.819 decline was now accelerating, and it was visible 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:53.079 to everyone. For sure. By 1934, years of high 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:55.059 living and poor conditioning were undeniable. 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:58.519 He was slow, struggling in the field. He hit 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:01.440 his 700th career homer that year, but his .288 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:03.920 average was, by his standards, merely mortal. 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.819 His contract reflected this. He took a significant 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:09.799 pay cut. But this period is dominated by his 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.599 ambition to become a manager. He openly sought 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:14.920 the job when Joe McCarthy was hired in 1930, 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:17.940 and he campaigned fiercely to replace him in 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:21.730 1934. He saw it as the natural progression, the 00:24:21.730 --> 00:24:23.869 only way to stay in the game he had transformed. 00:24:24.309 --> 00:24:27.809 Yet the Yankees' ownership rupert, Barrow, they 00:24:27.809 --> 00:24:30.609 never took him seriously. And this is the central 00:24:30.609 --> 00:24:33.509 tragedy of his later career. Why the absolute 00:24:33.509 --> 00:24:36.549 refusal? The sources are unanimous on this. His 00:24:36.549 --> 00:24:39.490 volatility and lack of self -control were just 00:24:39.490 --> 00:24:42.109 too dangerous for a leadership role. Barrow's 00:24:42.109 --> 00:24:45.089 assessment summarized it perfectly. It did. How 00:24:45.089 --> 00:24:47.289 can he manage other men when he can't even manage 00:24:47.289 --> 00:24:50.160 himself? He had proven time and again that his 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:52.380 erratic behavior made him an impossible choice 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:54.980 to enforce team discipline. So his own talent 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:57.980 created his celebrity, but his personality disqualified 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:00.039 him from the next step. The ultimate contradiction. 00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:02.599 His desire was so intense, yet he turned down 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:04.380 an offer from the Tigers to be player manager 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:06.799 because he insisted on taking a planned trip 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:09.769 to Hawaii first. He prioritized leisure over 00:25:09.769 --> 00:25:12.109 the very opportunity he claimed to desperately 00:25:12.109 --> 00:25:15.829 want. He did. And that snub and rejection led 00:25:15.829 --> 00:25:18.269 him to his final disastrous playing arrangement, 00:25:18.529 --> 00:25:22.829 the Boston Braves fiasco in 1935. A humiliating, 00:25:22.829 --> 00:25:25.769 tragic farce from the start. It was. He was traded 00:25:25.769 --> 00:25:28.250 to the Braves, and the owner, Judge Emil Fuchs, 00:25:28.390 --> 00:25:30.970 needed a gate attraction desperately. So Fuchs 00:25:30.970 --> 00:25:33.630 promised him the world. Team vice president, 00:25:33.750 --> 00:25:36.069 assistant manager, consulted on all transactions. 00:25:36.410 --> 00:25:38.289 But it was all completely meaningless. Total 00:25:38.289 --> 00:25:41.170 deception. Ruth later found out his VP duties 00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:43.289 were limited to public appearances and signing 00:25:43.289 --> 00:25:45.750 autographs. Fuchs was just trying to exploit 00:25:45.750 --> 00:25:48.349 his fame for ticket sales. It was a mess. But 00:25:48.349 --> 00:25:50.710 despite the toxicity of the situation, Ruth gave 00:25:50.710 --> 00:25:54.589 one final, incredible flash of his genius. On 00:25:54.589 --> 00:25:58.019 May 25, 1935 in Pittsburgh. He went four for 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:00.680 four, smashing three home runs. His final career 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:03.460 home run, number 714, sailed completely out of 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:05.640 Forbes Field. A feat no other player had ever 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:07.859 accomplished there. A magnificent, almost poetic 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:10.220 closing statement of his physical prowess. But 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:12.140 that was the end. He played a few more games, 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:15.000 struggling, and retired on June 2 after a fierce 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.680 argument with Fuchs. He retired with a career 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:21.710 -worst .181 batting average for the season. The 00:26:21.710 --> 00:26:24.190 entire arrangement was a spectacular failure. 00:26:24.410 --> 00:26:26.869 And after he retired, the managerial snub continued. 00:26:27.250 --> 00:26:29.690 No major league team was seriously interested. 00:26:29.970 --> 00:26:32.210 His last professional role was as a first base 00:26:32.210 --> 00:26:35.710 coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938. And his 00:26:35.710 --> 00:26:39.109 duties were purely ceremonial. He was explicitly 00:26:39.109 --> 00:26:41.269 told he would not be considered for the manager's 00:26:41.269 --> 00:26:43.599 job. The man who had revolutionized the game 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:46.500 was deemed incapable of overseeing nine other 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:48.900 men. A tremendous psychological blow. But the 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:50.920 end of this chapter does include a profoundly 00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:53.519 poignant personal moment. The reconciliation 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.420 with Lou Gehrig in 1939. The seven -year rift 00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:58.980 between them had been heartbreaking. It reportedly 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:01.339 started over a comment Gehrig's mother made about 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:03.819 Ruth's daughter. Just a silly personal thing 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:07.079 that spiraled. Exactly. But on July 4th, 1939, 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:09.900 Ruth attended Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at 00:27:09.900 --> 00:27:12.349 Yankee Stadium. Gehrig, of course, was forced 00:27:12.349 --> 00:27:15.009 into retirement by ALS. The famous photo of that 00:27:15.009 --> 00:27:18.250 moment is just gut -wrenching. It is. Ruth walked 00:27:18.250 --> 00:27:21.190 over and just embraced a visibly ill Gehrig, 00:27:21.230 --> 00:27:24.769 leaning on him. It was a public and final reconciliation, 00:27:25.109 --> 00:27:27.869 a powerful human moment that transcended all 00:27:27.869 --> 00:27:30.710 the baseball drama and personal chaos. The consequences 00:27:30.710 --> 00:27:33.329 of Ruth's lifelong habits really began to take 00:27:33.329 --> 00:27:36.750 their toll publicly in 1946. He started experiencing 00:27:36.750 --> 00:27:39.410 severe pain over his left eye and great difficulty 00:27:39.410 --> 00:27:43.589 swallowing. The diagnosis was devastating. Inoperable 00:27:43.589 --> 00:27:47.529 nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a malignant tumor at 00:27:47.529 --> 00:27:50.539 the base of his skull. And a 1998 medical review 00:27:50.539 --> 00:27:53.279 suggested that his lifelong heavy use of tobacco 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:55.900 probably played a part in the cancer. But his 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:58.220 fame afforded him access to cutting -edge science. 00:27:58.539 --> 00:28:00.400 He became a trial patient. He was one of the 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:02.319 first cancer patients to receive simultaneous 00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:04.619 drugs and radiation treatment. The treatment 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:07.140 was brutal. He lost 80 pounds and his voice became 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:09.640 weak. But he did achieve a temporary remission. 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:11.640 And that allowed for his final public appearances. 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:14.720 Which were truly heartbreaking. April 27, 1947 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:17.059 was proclaimed Babe Ruth Day across the major 00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:19.759 leagues. By this point, his booming, raucous 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:22.279 voice had degraded into a soft, raspy whisper. 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:25.460 His decline was incredibly evident. The final 00:28:25.460 --> 00:28:28.579 iconic image of him came a year later. On June 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:32.640 13, 1948, he visited Yankee Stadium for the 25th 00:28:32.640 --> 00:28:34.900 anniversary of the house that Ruth built. He 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:37.339 was gaunt and hollowed out, struggling to walk, 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:40.400 using a bat as a cane. And the photographer Nat 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:43.480 Fain captured that moment from behind. Yes, the 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:45.900 image shows Ruth leaning heavily on the bat, 00:28:46.059 --> 00:28:48.079 looking out toward right field where all his 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:51.180 legendary home runs landed. It captured his frailty, 00:28:51.259 --> 00:28:53.480 but also his eternal connection to the stadium. 00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:56.779 Fane won a Pulitzer for that picture. Just two 00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:59.680 months later, the end came. Ruth died on August 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:03.640 16, 1948, at age 53. And the public response 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:05.759 was just tremendous. It really underscored his 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:08.700 unparalleled cultural status. 77 ,000 people 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:11.059 filed passes open casket in the Yankee Stadium 00:29:11.059 --> 00:29:13.890 rotunda. His Requiem Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral 00:29:13.890 --> 00:29:16.910 saw an estimated crowd of 75 ,000 waiting outside. 00:29:17.190 --> 00:29:19.589 His death really marked the true end of that 00:29:19.589 --> 00:29:22.490 roaring 20th spirit he embodied. His physical 00:29:22.490 --> 00:29:25.089 memorials followed quickly. A monument in Centerfield, 00:29:25.269 --> 00:29:27.390 his number three retired. And his birthplace 00:29:27.390 --> 00:29:29.509 in Baltimore was renovated and opened as the 00:29:29.509 --> 00:29:31.769 Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. The consensus 00:29:31.769 --> 00:29:34.329 among biographers is that he transcended sport 00:29:34.329 --> 00:29:37.250 like no one before or since. His image was so 00:29:37.250 --> 00:29:39.569 powerful it became a national symbol. During 00:29:39.569 --> 00:29:42.269 World War II, when Japanese soldiers wanted to 00:29:42.269 --> 00:29:44.529 provoke American troops, they reportedly yell, 00:29:44.710 --> 00:29:46.930 to hell with Babe Ruth. Because they recognized 00:29:46.930 --> 00:29:49.170 him as the single most powerful symbol of the 00:29:49.170 --> 00:29:51.349 United States. He wasn't just a baseball player. 00:29:51.509 --> 00:29:54.230 Yeah. He was the embodiment of American aspiration 00:29:54.230 --> 00:29:57.619 and excess. And he didn't just change the game 00:29:57.619 --> 00:30:00.200 on the field. He changed the financial landscape 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:03.660 for athletes forever. The first athlete to really 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:06.339 capitalize on his image. For sure. He earned 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:08.920 more from endorsements, candy bars, tobacco, 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:11.500 and other off -field activities than he did from 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:14.460 his playing contract. He laid the blueprint for 00:30:14.460 --> 00:30:17.079 the modern celebrity athlete. And that enduring 00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:20.220 cultural status translates directly into staggering 00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:23.140 financial value today. in the memorabilia market. 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:25.420 The value is astronomical. It's constantly breaking 00:30:25.420 --> 00:30:28.140 records. His jersey from the cold shot home run 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:32.740 sold in 2024 for a record $24 million. $24 million. 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:35.079 The bat he used to hit the first homer at Yankee 00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:38.059 Stadium sold for over a million dollars. His 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:42.259 1927 World Series ring, $2 million. These aren't 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:44.940 just artifacts. They are investments in a cultural 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:47.980 cornerstone. The impact is so profound that his 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:49.920 name has literally become a part of the English 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:52.559 language. We use the term Ruthian. As an adjective, 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:56.019 it means colossal, dramatic, prodigious, magnificent, 00:30:56.380 --> 00:30:59.099 with great power. He didn't just set records. 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:02.480 He set the standard for magnitude itself. So 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:04.559 what does this deep dive into the source material 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:07.700 tell us about Babe Ruth? We began by promising 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:10.500 to go beyond the legend. And what we found were 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:13.700 three distinct massive acts in a single lifetime. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:16.119 The institutionalized juvenile in Baltimore. 00:31:16.730 --> 00:31:18.849 the world -class Red Sox pitcher who owned the 00:31:18.849 --> 00:31:21.509 World Series, and the legendary Yankee slugger 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:24.109 who single -handedly dragged baseball into the 00:31:24.109 --> 00:31:27.230 live ball era. And we see a clear, defining contradiction. 00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:29.789 This was a man whose erratic personal behavior 00:31:29.789 --> 00:31:32.329 and inability to manage his own appetites meant 00:31:32.329 --> 00:31:34.390 he was repeatedly rejected from ever achieving 00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:37.089 his cherished final goal managing a major league 00:31:37.089 --> 00:31:39.970 team. Yet his sheer force of performance and 00:31:39.970 --> 00:31:42.470 personality fundamentally changed the structure, 00:31:42.690 --> 00:31:45.089 the rules, and the financial trajectory of the 00:31:45.089 --> 00:31:47.829 entire sport forever. The game of baseball, as 00:31:47.829 --> 00:31:50.470 we know it, is impossible without him. The cost 00:31:50.470 --> 00:31:52.690 of that shift, however, was his own self -management. 00:31:52.849 --> 00:31:55.910 It was. And that brings us to our final provocative 00:31:55.910 --> 00:31:58.990 closing thought, drawing on the analysis of baseball 00:31:58.990 --> 00:32:01.950 writer Jim Reisler. Reisler observed that while 00:32:01.950 --> 00:32:04.349 subsequent sluggers generated higher statistics, 00:32:04.750 --> 00:32:07.609 the Maurice's, the Bonds, they generated far 00:32:07.609 --> 00:32:10.190 less universal frenzied excitement than Ruth 00:32:10.190 --> 00:32:13.230 did. Why was that? It's because Ruth dominated 00:32:13.230 --> 00:32:16.579 a relatively small contained sports world. He 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:18.680 existed in a pre -television age where reporters 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:21.400 and word of mouth hyperbole allowed his legend 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:24.440 to grow unbound, making him seem absolutely mythological 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:27.059 to a nation searching for heroes. The reality 00:32:27.059 --> 00:32:29.200 of his performance was amplified by the limitations 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:31.740 of media. Which raises the final question for 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:34.440 you to consider. Does the enduring, nearly mythical 00:32:34.440 --> 00:32:37.099 status of Babe Ruth prove that the biggest sports 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:39.619 figures, the ones we remember centuries later, 00:32:39.819 --> 00:32:42.960 are those who define and transform an era, those 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:45.200 who are products of their unique time, rather 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.160 than just those who ultimately hold the highest 00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:49.619 statistics in the record books? Think about the 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:51.339 difference between setting a record and setting 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:51.819 a paradigm.