Posted
on April 27, 2015
 |
| Ruth was not only nicknamed "Babe," but he had other nicknames, too, such as "The Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat." |
George
Herman Ruth, also known as Babe Ruth, was born in February (1895) and
died in August (1948). So why is April 27 considered Babe Ruth Day?
First,
you have to know that Babe Ruth was extremely important – popular,
famous, well-paid, a character. You might even say that he was a
legend in his own time. He remains one of the biggest sports heroes
in American culture and some say he was the greatest baseball player
of all time.
That's
why, when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in late 1946, fans
wanted news about his health, and the Yankee team organized Babe Ruth
Day on this date in 1947. He ended up speaking to a crowd of more
than 58,000 fans at Yankee Stadium.
According
to The
New York Times,
“Just
before he spoke, Ruth started to cough and it appeared that he might
break down because of the thunderous cheers that came his way. But
once he started to talk, he was all right, still the champion. It was
the many men who surrounded him on the field, players, newspaper and
radio persons, who choked up.”
Ruth's
life by the numbers:
Age
he went away to a Roman Catholic reformatory school: 7 years old.
Age
he signed his first professional baseball contract: 19 years old.
Age
he died: 53 years old.
Record
breaking number of home runs in one season: 60 home runs.
Number
of years Ruth's home run record stood: 34 years.
(But
the record was broken when Major League Baseball had 8 more games per
season!)
Record
breaking number of career home runs: 714 home runs.
Number
of years career home runs record stood: 39 years.
Salary
per year (as of 1930): $80,000 per year.
(The
President of the United States only made $75,000 that years.)
Top
salary corrected for inflation: about one million dollars per year.
(Note:
top baseball stars these days earn $20 million to almost $30 million
per year! So Ruth was underpaid, by today's standards; if he were
playing and dominating today he would probably be able to ask $25 to
$30 million per year.)
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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