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Babe's Called Shot

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rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
I was wayyyyy off

so is it a second deadball era that fans weren't greedy about HR balls and their monetary figure until the 1990's? You'd think with
Babe setting a $366 (2017 dollars) bounty in 1934 for a milestone ball, fans would be greedy like that through the decades but that doesn't appear to be the case until the memorabilia part of the hobby exploded and fans held balls ransom for money or graphed goods.
 

magicpapa

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
10,057
1,347
daffy_reduit.jpg
 

magicpapa

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
10,057
1,347
Bill walks into a bar with a dog. The bartender says, 'You can't bring that dog in here.'
'You don't understand,' says Bill. 'This is no regular dog, he can talk.'

'Listen, pal,' says the bartender. 'If that dog can talk, I'll give you a hundred bucks.'
Bill puts the dog on a stool, and asks him,
'What's on top of a house?'
'Roof!
'Right. And what's on the outside of a tree?'
'Bark!'
'And who's the greatest baseball player of all time?'
'Ruth!'
'I guess you've heard enough,' says the man. 'I'll take the hundred in twenties.'
The bartender is furious, 'Listen, pal,' he says, 'get out of here before I belt you.' As soon as they're on the street, the dog turns to Bill and says, 'Bill, do you think I should have said "DiMaggio"?'
 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
I mean, to me there are really 3 ppl who can truly account that event:
1. Babe
2. Catcher
3. Umpire

But we will never know


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Actually we do know:

The origin of the "called shot"

"As soon as the ball left Ruth’s bat in the fifth inning, Davis J. Walsh, sports editor of the International News Service, “leaped to his feet and shouted, ‘Hey, he hit it exactly where he had pointed.’”

From the pitcher Charlie Root:

"Ruth most certainly did not call his home run in that game,” said Root years later. “I ought to know. I was there.”18 Root claimed that he would never have allowed Ruth to show him up without retaliating: “I’d have put one in his ear and knocked him on his ass.”

From the pitcher's daughter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWj0-Xh6Jag

From the Catcher Gabby Hartnett

"According to Hartnett biographer William McNeil, Gabby later said, “I don’t want to take anything from the Babe, because he’s the reason we made good money, but he didn’t call the shot. He held up the index finger of his left hand … and said, ‘It only takes one to hit.’ "

From the Cubs second baseman, Hall of Famer Billy Herman

"“If he’d have pointed and hit it there, he’d have been on his ass the rest of the series,” said Herman. “The Cub pitchers would have retaliated and sent the Babe sprawling with a blizzard of knockdown pitches. Our bench was on him, calling him everything, a big, fat baboon, everything you could think of. He was pointing toward our dugout, not to center field."

From Ruth himself:
"In 1933, Hal Totten, who did the Play-by-Play for WMAQ radio from 1924-1935, asked Babe Ruth if he had pointed to center field. Ruth replied:

Hell no. It isn’t a fact. Only a damned fool would have done a thing like that. You know there was a lot of pretty rough ribbing going on both benches during the World Series. When I swung and missed that first one, those Cubs really gave me a blast. So I grinned at them and held out one finger and told ’em it only takes one to do it.

Then there was that second strike, and they let me have it again. So I held up that finger again, and I said I still had one left. Now kid, you know damn well I wasn’t pointing anywhere. If I had done that, Root would have stuck the ball in my ear. I never knew anybody who could tell you ahead of time where he was going to hit a baseball. When I get to be that kind of fool, they’ll put me in the booby hatch."

I had the great pleasure to speak to a number of people who were in attendance that fall day in 1932 and while many want to believe that Ruth called his shot most, if not all admit he really didnt as he was just giving loads of crap right back at the Cubs that day.

Many of the quotes I copied are from SABR articles or from the Hall of Fame and I would be happy to cite them if need be.
 

Enfuego79

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2013
5,229
101
Deltona, FL
Actually we do know:

The origin of the "called shot"

"As soon as the ball left Ruth’s bat in the fifth inning, Davis J. Walsh, sports editor of the International News Service, “leaped to his feet and shouted, ‘Hey, he hit it exactly where he had pointed.’”

From the pitcher Charlie Root:

"Ruth most certainly did not call his home run in that game,” said Root years later. “I ought to know. I was there.”18 Root claimed that he would never have allowed Ruth to show him up without retaliating: “I’d have put one in his ear and knocked him on his ass.”

From the pitcher's daughter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWj0-Xh6Jag

From the Catcher Gabby Hartnett

"According to Hartnett biographer William McNeil, Gabby later said, “I don’t want to take anything from the Babe, because he’s the reason we made good money, but he didn’t call the shot. He held up the index finger of his left hand … and said, ‘It only takes one to hit.’ "

From the Cubs second baseman, Hall of Famer Billy Herman

"“If he’d have pointed and hit it there, he’d have been on his ass the rest of the series,” said Herman. “The Cub pitchers would have retaliated and sent the Babe sprawling with a blizzard of knockdown pitches. Our bench was on him, calling him everything, a big, fat baboon, everything you could think of. He was pointing toward our dugout, not to center field."

From Ruth himself:
"In 1933, Hal Totten, who did the Play-by-Play for WMAQ radio from 1924-1935, asked Babe Ruth if he had pointed to center field. Ruth replied:

Hell no. It isn’t a fact. Only a damned fool would have done a thing like that. You know there was a lot of pretty rough ribbing going on both benches during the World Series. When I swung and missed that first one, those Cubs really gave me a blast. So I grinned at them and held out one finger and told ’em it only takes one to do it.

Then there was that second strike, and they let me have it again. So I held up that finger again, and I said I still had one left. Now kid, you know damn well I wasn’t pointing anywhere. If I had done that, Root would have stuck the ball in my ear. I never knew anybody who could tell you ahead of time where he was going to hit a baseball. When I get to be that kind of fool, they’ll put me in the booby hatch."

I had the great pleasure to speak to a number of people who were in attendance that fall day in 1932 and while many want to believe that Ruth called his shot most, if not all admit he really didnt as he was just giving loads of crap right back at the Cubs that day.

Many of the quotes I copied are from SABR articles or from the Hall of Fame and I would be happy to cite them if need be.

That is the thing, for 1. Ruth was known for changing the story (let alone remember a name). The second baseman can't POSSIBLY confirm if he did or did not. The catcher would've been able to, but had his back turned at that very moment..the pitchers daughter? Well, I'll leave that one alone


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mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
That is the thing, for 1. Ruth was known for changing the story (let alone remember a name). The second baseman can't POSSIBLY confirm if he did or did not. The catcher would've been able to, but had his back turned at that very moment..the pitchers daughter? Well, I'll leave that one alone


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board

If we stay with the facts we know that he was just lucky as even Ruth admitted many times he never called his shot. But this is a story that will continue into infinity with those on both sides believing what they know to be true.

As I mentioned I had the great opportunity to talk to many who were there and even a few on the field that day and to a person they say he never called his shot and that is what I am believing.
 

Enfuego79

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2013
5,229
101
Deltona, FL
If we stay with the facts we know that he was just lucky as even Ruth admitted many times he never called his shot. But this is a story that will continue into infinity with those on both sides believing what they know to be true.

As I mentioned I had the great opportunity to talk to many who were there and even a few on the field that day and to a person they say he never called his shot and that is what I am believing.

Without a doubt it will be told for years to come, but I also believe he did not call that shot. I strongly believe he may have had HR in mind, but placing crosshairs on a specific location, Babe was great, but not stupid.


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RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Post 1 "almost certain he did", post 11 "maybe he did", post 29 "he did not"......

Ryan
Will Clark / Mike Brown Collector
 

Enfuego79

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2013
5,229
101
Deltona, FL
Yah, which one is it, Enfuego?
You changed your mind three times in this thread.

See? That's the weird part, what I have mentioned, comes directly from the book I read...but I truly believe that he made a gesture, now as far as saying "it's going over there" I don't think he would go that far...


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dano7

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
13,325
3,848
Roanoke, VA
Just as likely that he was calling the hot dog vendor to come over AFTER he finished hitting his homer!
 

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