Babe Ruth, “Sultan of Swat”

Neither before nor since has there been a ballplayer like Babe Ruth.

There have been many legends in American baseball. Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and A-Rod come to mind. But Babe Ruth, “The Sultan of Swat,” was probably the most iconic of all. Ruth’s career spanned 22 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

But make no mistake about it: Ruth wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Courtesy: Parade

George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr was born on February 6th, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. He had seven siblings, but only one survived infancy. Many details of Babe’s childhood are unknown, but we do know that he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School For Boys when he was seven years old. During his time there, Babe became a talented shirt designer and carpenter. His mother died when he was twelve.

How Babe came to play baseball is unknown, but many believe that it was at St. Mary’s. He had to choose a sport to play and Babe chose baseball.

In 1914, babe signed a professional contract with the Boston Red Sox and led the team to several World Championships before signing with the Yankees. He led NY to four World Championships before retiring in 1934. In 1935, he played for the Braves before calling it quits in 1937.

In his personal life, Babe dating a waitress, Helen Woodford, who died in a house fire, and the actress/model, Claire Merritt Hodgson.

In 1946, Babe was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Around that time, he was working on a book, The Babe Ruth Story, which was also made into a movie.

The doctors tried valiantly to save his life, but he died on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53.

Some say his death was caused by a life of overindulgence. But we’ll never know if that was the cause. What we do know is that President Trump awarded the Babe with the prestigious Medal of Honor.

Babe’s legacy will live forever.

Courtesy Sports Illustrated