Babe Ruth : Launching the Legend

by Reisler, Jim

• ISBN13: 9780071432443
• ISBN10: 0071432442
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-23
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

The fascinating, nearforgotten tale of how Babe Ruth revolutionized baseball and became America's biggest hero, all in a single season With World War I, the "Black Sox" scandal, and a dearth of home runs, 1920 looked like the end of baseball. Then, in a move forever known in Boston as the "Curse of the Bambino," Babe Ruth joined the Yankees. His timing was impeccable, and his season of seasons--with a record-breaking 54 home runs--was just the tonic America needed. In Babe Ruth: Launching the Legend, baseball historian and critically acclaimed author Jim Reisler describes the remarkable impact Babe Ruth and the 1920 Yankees had on the game. Their brand of baseball was something never seen before, creating a level of excitement that rescued the game at its darkest hour. This is the story about that pivotal moment in baseball history, an era frozen in time, with Ruth on the verge of becoming a legend --and giving rise to the Yankees dynasty that endures to this day.

Author Biography

Jim Reisler (Irvington, NY) has written articles for The New York Times and Newsweek and is the acclaimed author of three baseball books: Black Writers/Black Baseball, Babe Ruth Slept Here, and Before They Were the Bombers.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
ONE "I Can't Turn That Down"
Babe Ruth Becomes a Yankee	1	(14)
TWO "I Still Can't Believe What I Saw"
Legend in the Making	15	(18)
THREE "I'll Show You Some Hitting of the Old Apple"
The 1920 Yanks Take Shape	33	(34)
FOUR "A Sofa Cushion on Grant's Tomb"
Play Ball!	67	(14)
FIVE "The Most Alarming Menace"
Ruth and the Yanks Hit Their Stride	81	(22)
SIX "They Have Never Seen His Equal"
Ruth Heats Up	103	(24)
SEVEN "What Counts Is Socking That Ball and Giving It a Ride"
Ruth Becomes the Sports Phenomenon of the Age	127	(22)
EIGHT "They Came from as Far as Kokomo and as Near as the Bronx"
A Nail-Biting A.L. Race Captivates the Country	149	(32)
NINE An Accident Pure and Simple"
A Tragic Diversion to the Race	181	(18)
TEN "A Tremendous Concept of Anticipation Fulfilled When the Homer Is Made"
The Babe Is Bigger than Baseball	199	(12)
ELEVEN "Burn My Bridges and Jump Off the Ruins"
The Black Sox Shake Baseball's Core	211	(18)
TWELVE "Almost as Many Home Runs as Heinz Has Pickles"
A Titanic Blast When Baseball Needed It Most	229	(14)
THIRTEEN "I Ain't Gonna Be Leaving for a While Yet"
The Making of the Myth	243	(18)
APPENDIX Statistics	261	(10)
Bibliography	271	(4)
Index	275