Having worked at Wrigley Field for a good portion of the 80's (Including 5 years in the front office) I was able to speak to a good many old timers about the history of the old ballpark. A few of the workers that were still there at Wrigley in the 80's were also there in the 30's and to a man, they all said Ruth was po'ed at the Cubs for some reason, (I believe the reason was the Cubs screwed over Mark Koenig on a World Series share or something along these lines) and there was bad blood the whole series. Ruth was getting heckled from the Cubs bench and he let the first pitch through and held up his hand and said "thats one!". The second pitch came through and he held up his hand a second time and said "thats two" all the while saying it only takes one pitch!! The third pitch was deposited in the trees across Sheffield ave where a number of boys were hanging out watching the game.
These sources were people that had first hand knowledge and were at the game. Former players, ballpark electricians etc. Each one said the exact same thing to me when I asked them their version of the story.
Its always cool to speak to former players or people that have a direct connection to former players. Sitting down and talking to a relative of Ben Chapman had to be a very cool experience!!
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10-25-2011, 11:11 AM
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