The Sultan of Swat (Babe Ruth)
Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
by David Tanguay
Babe Ruth died the same year I was born so therefore I never seen him play a game. Only as legends
Biography
The Babe
He was born with the name George Herman Ruth, Jr. on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. But he is better known as "Babe." He earned this nickname for being so young when he became a professional baseball player. Before getting his big break, Ruth had a rough childhood. He liked to get in trouble and was sent to reform school several times. At school, he discovered the game of baseball. He played on his school's team and signed his first contract at the age of 19.
Ruth started out playing a minor league team in 1914, but soon joined the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher. In the major leagues, he won 94 games and lost 46 games as pitcher. He may have been a good pitcher, but he was an even better hitter. Ruth really showed the world his power at bat during the 1918 season. That year he hit 11 home runs.
Two years later, Ruth's contract was sold to the New York Yankees. He was such a strong hitter that he was nicknamed the "Sultan of Swat." While with the Yankees, Ruth kept hitting home runs and wowing the fans. He set a record of 60 home runs in a season in 1927. This record stood for more than 20 years.
Ruth was let go from the Yankees in 1934. He played for the Boston Braves in 1935 before leaving the sport. During his career, Ruth hit 714 home runs-another record. It took until 1974 for anyone to pass this number. He was one of the first players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He died from cancer on August 16, 1948, in New York.
Quotes
"Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me." Sportswriter Tommy Holmes
The above biography was taken from "The Biography Channel"
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)hi david,there is a movie called sandlot that mentioned babe ruth. it was a great movie. kids playing ball, calling babe ruth all the different nicknames, and they said, the sultan of ....something, i could never figure it out, now i know, the "Sultan of Swat."thanks for bringing this to us,my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for commenting Susan, yes Babe Ruth was called many things, not all good.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Nice article and nice to hear about the babe again...thanks for writing it Dave.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for commenting StevePlease log in to respond to this comment.
It was sports a writer and humorist named Arthur Bugs Bear who gave Ruth that nickname in the NY Journal American Newspaper. The nickname, one of many Ruth had, is one of the most recognized nicknames in sports history.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting Mary, and for the information you added.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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