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Noah Hengesbach
Ms. Stamm
English-10
31 October 2013
Babe Ruth
There are a lot of good baseball players in the MLB, but George Herman “Babe” Ruth, is
one player that stands out from all the rest. From being shipped away as a kid to dying an early
death, not one person would imagine that he would rewrite the history of baseball. “George was
placed at St. Mary’s Industrial School in Baltimore at the age of seven. There he learned to play
baseball” (“Babe Ruth”). Through all the hardships George had faced, he is remembered as the
best baseball player in America.
George was the son of George Sr. and Kate Ruth. He was one of eight children, but only
him and his sister were able to survive. At the age of seven, George made decisions that would
make him seem like a bad kid. He started chewing tobacco and had a short temper with his
parents. His parents finally got enough of it and sent him off to St. Mary’s Industrial School in
Baltimore. There George would meet his inspiration to baseball. “Biography” reads, “Brother
Matthias, one of the monks at St. Mary’s, took an instant liking to George Jr. and become a
positive role model/father-like figure to George Jr.” Being sent away from your parents as kid
could not be easy. George did not let it affect him.
At St. Mary’s school, George fell in love with the game of baseball. There he received
his nickname, ‘Babe’. He became so good at baseball that the monks called the coaches of
Baltimore to come watch him play. Baltimore wanted him to play with them, but they couldn’t
have him unless he had a legal guardian. Coach Dunn of Baltimore then became George’s legal
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guardian. When George arrived in Baltimore people were calling him, ‘Dunn’s baby’, gaining
the nickname ‘Babe’. According to “Babe Ruth”, Ruth has earned several nicknames. The
Bambino came from the Italian name for ‘babe’, and the Sultan of Swat for his homerun ability.
Even though being separated from his parents, Babe had found some happiness through the hard
times. That is one of the reasons why Babe is the best baseball player in America.
Babe was adored as the man who saved baseball after the 1919 White Sox scandal.
During that scandal, eight Chicago players conspired to fix the World Series (Berra). Babe
started his career in Baltimore, later he was traded to the Red Sox. While he was with the Red
Sox, he pitched and also played some outfield. When he was traded for the last time to the
Yankees, he became a full time outfielder. He had a great career, becoming an inductee to the
Hall of Fame. According to “Babe Ruth”:
Babe Ruth was elected as one of the first five people inducted into the hall of fame that
year. During a 154-game season Babe Ruth hit 60 homeruns. During the fall of1946, it
was discovered Babe had a malign tumor on his neck. His health from then on would
begin to deteriorate quickly. His jersey number three was retired for the Yankees.
From becoming a pitcher to an all-time outfielder, to hitting 60 homeruns in a 154-game season,
there is no doubt that he is the best.
His career ended quickly because of a tumor in his neck. He found out that he had throat
cancer and could not cure it. He soon passed away. His record of runs batted in would be
surpassed by a guy name Hank Aaron. “Although Ruth led the league in strikeouts…his record
got surpassed by Hank Aaron,” (Elementary Encyclopedia). If Babe Ruth was able to play more
baseball his records would never have been broken.
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Babe is the best player in baseball history, not for only achieving what he did, but the
hardships he had faced. Even though babe was sent away as kid, he still found happiness at St.
Mary’s. There, he was able to achieve records in major league baseball, he had short amount of
years in MLB until his passing. There are some great ball players, but none of them will be as
good as Babe Ruth.
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Works Cited
“Babe Ruth.” MSN Encarta. Microsoft Corporation, 2009. Web. 24 October 2013.
Berra, Allen. “The Immortals.” American History. 01 April 2011. Web. 24 October 2013.
“Biography.” BabeRuth. LLC, 2011. Web. 24 October 2013.
“George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth.” Find a grave. 2001. Web. 24 October 2013.
“Ruth, Babe.” Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. 2003. elibrary. Web. 24 October 2013.