The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1921-05-26
GEORGE H. RUTH
HOME RUN KING
"BABE" EARNS MANAGER
INTEREST ON THE $780,
900 HE COST
Crowds Expect Him to Hit a
Home Run Every Time He
Comes Up to Bat.
Whot is George II. Ruth?

Huh! There is something about
that name-Ruth-tha sounds IA
miliar. 1t isn't? Yes, it is, Babe
Ruth, the man who made fifty-four
home runs last season and has
started out for a bigger record this
season and is already 10 to the good
which is ahead of his last years
pace.
A powerful man, only 81 years old,
Ruth has just started on his career
If he isn't injured and he can per,
suade the opposing pitchers not to
walk him too often there is no tell.
ing what he will do to the records
before he is through.
Ruth stands six feet two and In
playing condition weights 1913 pounds.
Deep of chest and with immense
shoulders he steps into the ball and
hits it with a clean swing that sends
it out of the park. Walter Johnson,
premier pitcher of the Washington
Americans, who for years was feared
by the mightiest sluggers, claims that
he does not fear Ruth, but goes on
to admit that on at least one occa-
sion Ruth picked out one of his
sisters and placed it where the field
ers were not
The play was one in close game
where Walter was anxious to win.
Washington was a run ahead. TWO
Boston men-Ruth was playing for
Boston then-were on bases. Ruth
came up. Previous to that he had
been samming the ball into the right
field fence, weakness of his If he
has one, and the Washington field
ers all moved over into that part OF
the park. Ruth stepped into one OF
Johnsons shoots, hit it before 1t
broke and slammed it way out just
inside the left field foul line. And
all that time Johnson had thought
him a lucky hitter.
Ruth blossomed from boys school
into the Baltimore International club
in 1914. Because he was under age
the manager Of the club had to adopt
him in order to get him into the
club and for that reason the players
dubbed him Babe" name now
world famous.
Ruth was prominent then because
of his pitching ability. Strange
phenomenon, pitcher who could
hit. His hitting ability was SO pro
nounced that the Boston manager
had to make a place for him on the
regular squad SO he became a fielder
He still pitches some of the time.
81 strike out quite as often as any
player of the 800 class" says Ruth,
"but when l hit the ball l hit it."
That is the wheel story, he puts all
of that 1913 pounds into his swing
and when he hits the ball it goes.
Like all big men Ruth is particu-
larly amiable. In game in Phila'
delphia he struck out every time up
and Connie Mack's men won. The
next day a delegation of citizens
came out to the plate and demanded
Ruth. When Ruth came forward
they presented him with an imposing
looking package from which Ruth
GXLIdCIGu UlOWA uOi A>O" oA'
ing a player a brown derby is sup
posed to be the most caustic hoax
possible to pull on him, but Ruth
put on the hat, low crowned affair
of the type worn by Hebrew come
dams, and wore it and broad grin
all through the game winning both
the game and the friendship of the
fans.
Boston got Ruth from Baltimore
after he had been one year on that
club and at the close of hte 1918
season sold him to the New York
Americans for 100000, two and a
half times as much as had ever
been paid for a player before. The
Boston fans yelled bloody murder
but the manager said he would
rather have team Of good men
than bunch OF stars and finally
Gained his supporters down some
what. There was considerable talk
about whether a player was worth
that much to any team, but fans all
around the circuit turn out to see
KUN play anu cApCCI ~ AAA.N~
a home run every time at bat, so II
is probable that he has paid in the
box office many times over. When
Ruth is batting and the pitcher
shows any inclination not to pitcf
to him the fans yell out their dis
appointment in vari-colored Ian
guage. even when the pitcher tries
to make Ruth bat bad ball..
The first thing Ruth did when ne
broke into baseball was to try anc
ruin the manager by eating the hote
ont of business. When he got his
seasons pay all together he went ou'
and set his father up in business. II
was called to his attention that MS
father had never been a business
success, but he said that his father
had never had a good chance before
and, anyhow, he was his father.
When Ruth isn't playing ball ne
runs a cigar factory up in Boston
n,ovs golf and noses for the moves