The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-04-09
Talking
IT OVER
rrTTrI TnE LII rrAarS
WITH JOE WILLIAMS

A~-~~4~~-~~S~-~~-~->-~~-~
NEW YORK, April 9.-That man
IN Ruth is still quite a fellow.
For ten years now he has been the
biggest figure in baseball. Anyway
YOU take him. First, he began
churning up the distant subdivisions
with nonstop home runs right a. a
time when the game needed an
anti-toxin, a pulmotor and a white
wash. This was in 1919 when the
White Sox sold out 10 the Reds. The
big stencil did not rise up 70 pollute
the virtuous atmosphere Of the
game until the following year.
But when the news broke that
the impossible had happened
that a world series actually had
been sold out-the customers were
enthralled by new phenomenon.
A FELLOW b. THE EA.iE on RUTH
WAS HITTING A BASEBALL FARTHER
AND OFTENER THAN ANYBODY III The
HISTORY OF The GAME HAD EVER
DONE BEFORE. AND HE WAS DOING II
WITH & DRAMATIC FLOURISH AND
sHOWMANsHIP THAT LEFT THE Gus
TONERS LIMP WITH EC6TACY.
TURING the winter Of that year
II the two leagues got together
and decided that baseball faced a
perilous future. and that something
would have to be done TO convince
the customers that every once in a
while the athletes played a contest
that was on the up and up.
So the good Judge kenesaW
Mountain Lands was drafted
from the federal bench and cast
in the role of basebalrs civic vir-
tue-a gray-haired, grim-faced
gentleman addicted to sOnorous
decisions.
IN ORDER TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD
The MOGUL5 GAVE HIM UNLIMITED
AUTHORITY AN ENFORCED GENEROs-
TTY THAT. HAS BEEN PLENTY EMBAR-
RAISING SINCE IN THE BEGINNING
THE JUDGES JOE WAS TO RESELL
BASEBALL TO THE CUSTOMERS AS A
NICE CLEAN HOME GAME 1T TURNED
OUT TO BE a VERY SIMPLE JOB, AND
THERE IS REASON TO BELIEVE TIE
JUDGE HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH
IT.
II UTH began hitting harder,
N farther and oftener than ever
in 1921, and the season wasn't half
gone before 1t was evident that TINS
blubbery giant of a man with The
funny walk and boyish smile would
hang up an unprecedented record
IN home runs
And so il followed that the
Scorn and contempt of the Gus
toners passed and an OverWhelm-
ing enthusiasm sprang up for this
curiosity the sports writers called
the Sultan of Swat,
AND WHEN TIE FINANCIAL RECORDS
OF THE SEASON BECAME KNOWN AN
INCREDIBLE FACT STOOD OUT EVERY
CLUB IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE HAD
DONE MORE BUSINESS THAN EVER BE
FORE!
IT Is matter of history that
l Adam Doubleday discovered base
ball It will also be a matter of
history that Ruth saved it. The
coed Judge was merely on the bases
on a pass, at that-when the Babe
swung and drove the game back
into its old state of acclaim.
Interesting news of Ruth drifts
in from the south. More people
are turning out to see him and
the Yanks this spring than ever
before. And this in spite of the
fact he is a comparatively old man
in the game. and certainly no
longer 4 novelty as a slugger.
BECAUSE OF RUTH'S TREMENDOUS
APPEAL, The YANKs WILL MAKE $4,000
ON THEIR SPRING TRIP THIS YEAR.
THE AVERAGE CLUB LOSES THAT
MUCH THE BALL PLAYERS SALARIES
DON'T START UNTIL THE FIRST Off
CIAL PITCH IS MADE. THIS MEANS
THAT RUTH is WORKING WITHOUT PAY
TO BRING $4,000 INTO THE YANKEE
C0rFFPe AND He SEEMS TO LIKE IT.