Ruth Didn't Point Homer Off Root!-Root Claimed
 

Newspaper-4/26/1923

I prefer to think the Babe did point.

Most likely a myth but it makes for good lore.

There's film documentation that he "gestured". Was it pointing towards center field or pointing towards Root? That's a mystery that will never be answered, but for me the romance of baseball suggests that he pointed to the stands in center field. ;)

yi
 

great pics!!
all the best,
barry

A myth I wish would die, but never will.


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Historically unimpeachable re-enactment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q-rr1Q398I

Okay, maybe not as funny, but possibly just a little more accurate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkEX0eb2eBo

I know Charlie Root's daughter in law.. She's told me on many occasions that it was NOT a "Called Shot" it was merely a finger gesture, nothing more.

Albert

I had the opportunity to work for the Cubs in the early '80's and there were still many old timers around the park that were there and told me their version of the called shot. My understanding was that the Yankees were upset that the Cubs had only voted former Yankee Mark Koenig a partial World Series share and the Yanks thought that was bush league. There was a good deal of bad blood between the teams and when Ruth came to the plate at Wrigley that fall day the Cubs, who were in the dugout were riding him pretty rough. Ruth yelled back to the dugout that it only took one pitch for him to change the game with a swing.

Ruth let the first Root pitch go by and raised his finger towards the Cubs dugout and said "Thats one". The next pitch came and Ruth let that one go by as well while raising his hand with two fingers out. "Thats two" Ruth would shout, pointing nowhere in particular. The next pitch came in and Ruth crushed it over the temporary bleachers built onto Sheffield Avenue and into one of the trees that had contained some boys watching the game for free.

There is some film of Ruth rounding the bases and all the while he was running he was jawing with the Cubs dugout and gesturing to them. I had heard this same exact story from so many old timers I now believe their version to be true and not the generally accepted press version everyone has read about.

Only one sports writer place an article in the evening paper of that game, stating Ruth called his shot. Joe Williiams was that sports writer. The following day, the rest of the sports writers followed suit, and a myth was created.
If not for Joe Williams, the myth may have been just another home run by Babe.

As seen in the second link in post #7, although the first clip is a pretty entertaining version of events too...

Well, then - that settles it. I was going to suggest that we ask Albert.

Thanks man.. LoLzz

Albert

A person sort of has to wonder though...how much more famous is Charlie Root because of this? If anyone mentions the 1932 WS and Babe Ruth, what's the next thing you think of? Usually it's Charlie Root and the "called shot".

Sorry, didn't see the clip as I couldn't open it for some reason.

Witness
 

Somewhere I have a letter from Joe Sewell, one of Ruth's teammates, that he did indeed call his shot. I had written him in the late 80's asking about the game and he wrote back stating that Ruth called the shot before hitting it out.

Now I realize that does not make it the truth, but it's at least one eye witness's account.

But what did Sewell's daughter-in-law have to say about it...? ;)

Andrew, no, our apologies if our reference to the link came off as snarky. Just thought the link had gone unnoticed. Can you access it now?
That's the best footage we've seen of the episode.
Just us, but it looks less like the Bambino is pointing Bendix-fashion to declare his home-run intent and more like he's giving a GFY gesture to the Cub dugout...