Enter the Sultan of Swat

George Herman Ruth, Jr, was born on this day in 1895. Better known to us as “the Sultan of Swat,” the “Bambino” and, of course, simply as “Babe.”

The Babe was a left-handed pitcher for the Red Sox, but was sold to the New York Yankees in the off season of 1919-20, where he gained his greatest fame as a “slugging” outfielder, establishing records for runs batted in, bases on balls, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, and, of course, home runs, delivering 714 in his career.

He would become equally well known, or nearly so, for his off-field antics, where he developed quite the reputation as a bad boy. All together, you know, the stuff of legend…

As a fifteen year New England resident, I’m most aware of the fact that his departure for New York, allegedly so Sox owner Harry Frazee could finance a Broadway production of “No, No, Nanette,” left Boston with the Curse of the Bambino, an eighty-six year period where the world series eluded the Sox. Even though I am a true child of California and have following a quarter of a century long exile finally returned home, a bit of New England has entered my blood and can never be expunged, and therefore I’m absolutely certain there’s a direct causal connection between the Babe’s departure and that near nine decade dry spell. How could it be explained otherwise?

That said.

What most everyone can agree on is that the Babe was a baseball player who will be remembered for as long as there is baseball, and I’d bet for a couple of years after that.