The Big Bam Theory
Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:03 pm
Mark Koenig was the Yankee shortstop in 1927. Part of 'Murderer's Row, Koenig was a part of the Yankee teams that ripped through their competition that year. He was traded later in that decade, but Earle Combs, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Tony Lazzeri would remember Koenig as a friend a few years later. Koenig played for the Tigers and was sent to the minors in '32.. He was sold to the Cubs in August of that year. He hit over .350 and was a big reason for the Cubs success in winning a pennant and reaching the World Series against the Yankees.
This would lead to one of the most talked about home runs in baseball history. Back in the day, the first order of business after celebrating a pennant was to divvy up shares for the World Series money. This money represented almost a whole year's salary for some players. So this was not done lightly. The Cubs only voted Koenig a half share. This was usually the right thing to do for a late season pickup. Yankee players felt that the Cubs wouldn't be there to play them at all had Koenig not helped them.
In the press and on the field, the Yankees let the Cubs know about their cheapness to their friend. More than one player vowed to take no mercy on the Cubs.
The Cubs were not like the '27 Pirates who seemed defeated before taking the field against Murderer's Row. These Cubs would fight back through the press by calling the Yankees, 'bullies' and on the field by calling the Yankees other names.
The Yankees were bullies. They went the season without being shut out. Gehrig hit four homers in a game and his fifth at bat had a ball that went longer than the first four, but was still in the field of play some 450 feet away from home plate.
At age 37, Ruth hit 41 homers and batted .341
It set the stage for one of the loudest World Series in history. The Yankees won the first two games at Yankee Stadium.
Game three shifted to Chicago and the town was buzzing. Ruth and Gehrig were coming to town and they were pissed ! At least that's the way the local press painted it.Temporary bleachers were built on Sheffield and Waveland Avenues.
It was probably the most people ever to witness a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. The 'official' paid attendance didn't say so, but there was no room anywhere, including the temporary bleachers.
Some fans brought lemons. Lemons were the weapon of choice for fans to throw at players not liked.
As Babe Ruth went to the plate in the fifth inning a lemon rolled behind him. The Cubs dugout was in a full roar along with the crowd. Cubs players were calling Ruth, 'Grandpa' and 'nigger' and 'half-breed'. A common derision from players that didn't care for and/or wanted to torment Ruth. Ruth yelled back a few obscenities of his own to the dugout.
Ruth took a strike from Charlie Root and pointed a finger at Root to acknowledge that he had one strike. Ruth loved being center stage and at 4-4 in the fifth inning of a World Series game, he knew where the spotlight was. He took two balls, then another strike. He raised two fingers. It was so loud, that not even Gabby Hartnett, the Cubs catcher could hear what Ruth was saying. Ruth also pointed the bat.
The next pitch went over the center field fence. For all intents and purposes, it was the end of the Series. Ruth doffed his hat and yelled and smiled as he passed the Cubs dugout.
It was over on the field, but not in the press.
The press proclaimed that Ruth had 'Called his shot' in pointing to center field. Nobody could say whether he did or didn't. It was just too loud to know what was said. Ruth took the attention and ran with it. To his dying day, he proclaimed he had indeed called his shot.
Gabby Hartnett said that he couldn't hear him, but said, "You know darned well a guy with two strikes isn't going to say he'll homer on the next pitch."
Charlie Root said he didn't know what Ruth was saying. And if he had heard Ruth say that the next pitch would go over the center field fence, the next pitch surely would have found Ruth's ribcage.
The story was so large, that non-baseball fans of the time would even talk about Babe Ruth. While other players of the time could hit home runs, only Ruth could call his shot. It cemented the legacy of Babe Ruth. Already the home run king to baseball fans, he became common knowledge to those that didn't follow the game. His name was even used as a password to discern Americans from Germans in a war 10 years later.
Did he call his shot? Nobody really knows.
It makes for good publicity and Ruth was all about good publicity.
After his career was over, the story was one of his favorites for telling kids. Clearly, whether believing the naysayers or the Big Bam theory, Ruth was a believer in never letting the facts getting in the way of a good story.
This would lead to one of the most talked about home runs in baseball history. Back in the day, the first order of business after celebrating a pennant was to divvy up shares for the World Series money. This money represented almost a whole year's salary for some players. So this was not done lightly. The Cubs only voted Koenig a half share. This was usually the right thing to do for a late season pickup. Yankee players felt that the Cubs wouldn't be there to play them at all had Koenig not helped them.
In the press and on the field, the Yankees let the Cubs know about their cheapness to their friend. More than one player vowed to take no mercy on the Cubs.
The Cubs were not like the '27 Pirates who seemed defeated before taking the field against Murderer's Row. These Cubs would fight back through the press by calling the Yankees, 'bullies' and on the field by calling the Yankees other names.
The Yankees were bullies. They went the season without being shut out. Gehrig hit four homers in a game and his fifth at bat had a ball that went longer than the first four, but was still in the field of play some 450 feet away from home plate.
At age 37, Ruth hit 41 homers and batted .341
It set the stage for one of the loudest World Series in history. The Yankees won the first two games at Yankee Stadium.
Game three shifted to Chicago and the town was buzzing. Ruth and Gehrig were coming to town and they were pissed ! At least that's the way the local press painted it.Temporary bleachers were built on Sheffield and Waveland Avenues.
It was probably the most people ever to witness a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. The 'official' paid attendance didn't say so, but there was no room anywhere, including the temporary bleachers.
Some fans brought lemons. Lemons were the weapon of choice for fans to throw at players not liked.
As Babe Ruth went to the plate in the fifth inning a lemon rolled behind him. The Cubs dugout was in a full roar along with the crowd. Cubs players were calling Ruth, 'Grandpa' and 'nigger' and 'half-breed'. A common derision from players that didn't care for and/or wanted to torment Ruth. Ruth yelled back a few obscenities of his own to the dugout.
Ruth took a strike from Charlie Root and pointed a finger at Root to acknowledge that he had one strike. Ruth loved being center stage and at 4-4 in the fifth inning of a World Series game, he knew where the spotlight was. He took two balls, then another strike. He raised two fingers. It was so loud, that not even Gabby Hartnett, the Cubs catcher could hear what Ruth was saying. Ruth also pointed the bat.
The next pitch went over the center field fence. For all intents and purposes, it was the end of the Series. Ruth doffed his hat and yelled and smiled as he passed the Cubs dugout.
It was over on the field, but not in the press.
The press proclaimed that Ruth had 'Called his shot' in pointing to center field. Nobody could say whether he did or didn't. It was just too loud to know what was said. Ruth took the attention and ran with it. To his dying day, he proclaimed he had indeed called his shot.
Gabby Hartnett said that he couldn't hear him, but said, "You know darned well a guy with two strikes isn't going to say he'll homer on the next pitch."
Charlie Root said he didn't know what Ruth was saying. And if he had heard Ruth say that the next pitch would go over the center field fence, the next pitch surely would have found Ruth's ribcage.
The story was so large, that non-baseball fans of the time would even talk about Babe Ruth. While other players of the time could hit home runs, only Ruth could call his shot. It cemented the legacy of Babe Ruth. Already the home run king to baseball fans, he became common knowledge to those that didn't follow the game. His name was even used as a password to discern Americans from Germans in a war 10 years later.
Did he call his shot? Nobody really knows.
It makes for good publicity and Ruth was all about good publicity.
After his career was over, the story was one of his favorites for telling kids. Clearly, whether believing the naysayers or the Big Bam theory, Ruth was a believer in never letting the facts getting in the way of a good story.
