Buster and the Bam

[DOUGHBOYS]

I've found some of these newspaper accounts from 1927 fascinating stuff. It was an uninhibited time for reporters. Not only could they report on instances, they could also weave their opines into the story. We can do this here in a forum as well in these days and times, but back then, a newspaper was most folks only source of news.
This next story is from Richard Vidmer, the Yankees beat writer for the New York Times. I've read all of Vidmer's accounts of the 1927 season and to say he favored one player over another is an understatement.
I'll set this up for you-
It is July 31, 1927 and the Yankees have just beaten Cleveland in a double header. The pennant race is already over before August begins as the Yanks have a 15 game lead on the nearest team and 'Murderers Row' cannot be stopped.
The writers have turned their attention to the home run race between Ruth and Gehrig and the record of 59 homers set by Ruth six years ago.
Before the double header started, Ruth had 34 homers, Gehrig 33.
Anything in parenthesis is me, not the writer....

'Fortune smiled on Buster Gehrig (Buster was a pet nickname given to Gehrig by New York writers) yesterday, but had nothing but frowns for his twin-thriller Babe Ruth.
As a result of this fickle favoritism, Louis, the Prince of Punch, sits on the home run throne, while George, the King of Clout, looks to his lost laurels with a worried expression.
Fortune not only helped Gehrig to make his second home run of the afternoon, but robbed Ruth of two. The first the Buster busted into the right field bleachers was the genuine article. It was hammered fair and square and and landed high up against the sun seats (upper deck), but his second barely got into the left field section, and then only doing so after a hop off the running track.
(Until 1931, all balls that hit in fair territory and bounced into the seats in fair territory were called home runs. This was the one and only time that Ruth or Gehrig hit what we know as a ground rule double, that year.
The 'running track' is not the warning track. It was an actual running track that was inside the stadium. Warning tracks were initiated in the late 40's).

While 40,000 fans saw the persistent pretender to the throne catch up and pass the King, they also saw the Babe himself smack two mighty punches into the high heavens, only to have them gathered by the center fielder who was playing in the next county. (Center field was 490 feet away then). The Babe hit those two hard enough to keep pace with Gehrig, but they were in the wrong direction.
Both of Lou's blows were made in the opener.
(Note that the score, pitcher, and account of the first game is omitted. The only thing of importance to the writer was that his beloved King, had been passed by the pretender)
The one homer in the second game by Bob Meusel would have been sufficient to win the game, as Waite Hoyt shut out the Indians on six hits. But the Yanks did not let it go at that, and they hammered Joe Schaute for 10 hits, and five runs.
Hoyt was supreme in that closing affair, allowing more than one runner in only one inning, and doing his best pitching right after his worst, which was not all that bad.
And so when the auditors had checked up on the day's activities, they found that the Yankees had walloped the Indians twice and that the Buster had taken the lead in the Great American Home Run Handicap.'


Richard Vidmer, The New York Times

If you're as fascinated with these game write-ups as I am, let me know and I'll feature more.
If not, I'll keep them to myself.

[Ando]

Keep em coming, Dan. I really enjoy this type of perspective about the history of the game, especially of the '27 Yanks.

[viper]

continue please

[DOUGHBOYS]

Will do!
Thanks for the interest.