The Washington times., 1926-04-03
HITS
EN- FAR
By BABE RUTH

ATLANTA, Ga, April 3.-Riding
along with Jack Fourier the other
day we got to talking about home
runs. Jack has swatted plenty OF
them himself, you know. And base
BAH players always like to talk
about hitting. It's like a dentist
talking about pulling teeth or sur
geons talking about operations.
Whats the longest homer you
ever got. Babe" Jack asked.
That was a tough one. It's hard
to tell where the longest hit was.
One of the longest ! ever hit,
though, / got in Knoxville last year.
And it was one of the funniest, too.
Dazzy Vance was pitching and
the first time up I famed like q
windmill. The left center field
fence in Knoxville Is long way OFF
and some 20 feet outside the fence
In Knoxville is big live oak tree.
The day we played that tree was
chuck full of pickanniniss who
wanted to watch the game but who
for q bleacher seat. There must
have been so of them in the tree
and they were having great time.
Finally, the second time ! was
up, I got hold Of one Of Dazzy's
fast Ones-and sent IL on . bee
line over the fence and through
the tree. / never saw so many
picIxannInies In my life rs dropped
out Of that tree when the ball
came through. It was rs funny
sight as I ever saw, TO watch
them. dropping like nuts, trying 60
get out Of the way Of the ball.
That was a long drive, too.
Someone said 1t was over 500 feet
to the foot of the tree and the bail
was stfIl going hard when It got
out there.
Another funny one hit in
The right field fence in Cleveland
is high and there are a row OF
houses across the street. This
time I hit a long, high fly that
cleared the fence and hit the avn.
ing over an upstairs window OF
one of the houses across the street.
The ball knocked the awning down
and went right on through the win.
dow into the house.
And here's the laugh. had
hardly made the circuit Of the
bases when a kid who lived In the
house came rushing over to the
park with the ball in his hands,
He didn't know who hit It, but he
wanted whoever did to autograph
the ball. autographed it, and
NJ L. T..
Of the best friends have in
baseball.
There have been a lot Of long
home runs hit. I don't know
whether I hold the record or not.
But I'll say one thing. believe
/ hit the longest tWO-bagger that
was ever made in the history Of
baseball. And II was just this
spring while we were down In
Sc. Petersburg.
We were playing the Braves. and
they had a field rule that a ball hit
into the right.fieId bleachers wal
good only for two bases. Lou
Gehrig was on first base when / got
hold OF one. The ball sailed over
the right-field fence, across the
street. and landed on the porch OF
hotel, right at the feet of some
ladies who were playing bridge
Two OF them tainted and the others
screamed q loudly that you could
have heard them for five blocks.
But / only got two bases. just the
same, though, I could have ruT
twice around the paths before the
fielders ever got that one. The st
Petersburg newspaper men meas
ured the drive later. It was 52S
| from the home plate to the spot
where the ball was picked up aftel
it stopped rolling. And 1t was only
a two-bagger. I'll bet right now
that there never was another two
Dagger in baseball history that was
that long.
One Of the longest drives / ever
got in the regular season was In
Detroit. ! hit one there one day
! that cleared the wall in left center
| field in just about the deepest part
! or the field. ] don't know how faI
/ 1t was-but believe me it was some
/ wallop. Ty Cobb said ii was the
| longest drive he had ever seen or
| the field. and I've got a bunch il
was about as long a homer as I've
ever hit.
Copyright. 1925. by the Christy
Walsh Syndicate)