Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, (b. February 6, 1895, d. August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth, also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat, was an American baseball player and United States national icon. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and he was the first player to hit over 30, 40 and 50 home runs in one season. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris in 1961. He also was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. In 1998, The Sporting News named Ruth as Number One in its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

Personal life

Personality

For someone who performed larger than life heroics on the field, Ruth was very

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often less than the ideal role model in his behavior and personality. He drank too much, had a speech splattered with profanities, chased women while being a married man, drove cars recklessly, was frequently childishly rebellious with a disregard for rules and authority figures, and sometimes had a quick temper with players, umpires, and even fans. Yet despite all of his well publicized faults, millions of people adored him. He was generous with his time and money, and set up numerous charities, many directed for children. On a number of occasions after games, Ruth, not wanting to disappoint any fans, would stand for hours signing autographs. Long after Ruth's death, Ernie Shore, a teammate of Ruth when both played for the Red Sox, echoed a sentiment shared by many who knew Ruth, "He was the best-hearted fellow who ever lived. He'd give you the shirt off of his back."

Related Topics:
Role model - Speech - Profanities - Women - Married - Car - Rules - Temper - Umpire - Fans - Time - Money - Charities - Children - Autograph - Ernie Shore - Red Sox

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Marital separation and the death of first wife

Ruth's womanizing eventually led to a separation with his wife Helen. Indeed, women for Ruth were always available and he frequently took the opportunity. He seldom talked about his sexual exploits, but never shyed away when asked, and once claimed he bedded every woman in a St. Louis brothel in one night. The promiscuous lifestyle came with consequences, as it may have led to his 1925 health problems (q.v.), and he also had a couple of paternity suits filed against him, although both of these accusations never went anywhere. His wife Helen undoutedly heard about all of her husband's sexual escapades over the years, and seemingly managed to ignore much of it. In 1925, however, with their marriage well beyond repair, both agreed to an estrangement.

Related Topics:
St. Louis - Brothel

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Unfortunately, Helen did not live long after her separation from Babe. On January 11, 1929, she died in a house fire in Watertown, Massachusetts. She had been living there with her husband, a dentist Dr. Edward Kinder, who was away at the time of the fire. The fire started in the first floor, and must have spread quickly preventing her escape, as her body was found upstairs on the second floor. It was later determined by fire examiners that the house had been improperly electrically wired. The fuses were too strong, so when the circuits became overloaded, the fuses did not blow to cut off the power. Helen Kinder had taken her husband's last name, and after her death, Dr. Kinder was quite shocked to learn that his wife was once the wife of Babe Ruth. Helen and Babe never legally divorced because they were both Catholic. Despite their separation, Ruth cried when he heard the bad news, and a few days later, he and a number of Yankee players and personnel attended her funeral. Helen was just 31.

Related Topics:
January 11 - 1929 - Fire - Watertown - Massachusetts - Dentist - Circuits - Catholic

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New marriage

By the time of Helen's death, Ruth was involved with a widowed socialite named Claire Merritt Hodgson, a woman he first met in 1923. Claire was educated, socially sophisticated, and a somewhat strong-minded woman. Babe was instantly attracted to her, and they began regularly seeing each other after his separation from his wife Helen. Helen's death cleared the way for Ruth to marry Claire, and they took their wedding vows on April 17, 1929.

Related Topics:
Claire Merritt Hodgson - 1923 - Wedding - April - 17 - 1929

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Upon marriage, Claire took complete control of their finances, and managed Babe's often free-wheeling spending, although he never had any finanical problems. She frequently traveled with the team on road trips, and curtailed some of his late-night social activities. She also helped manage his diet, even though she did little cooking herself. Claire cut down his food portions, reduced his starchy foods and desserts, and forced him to eat more meat and vegetables. Ruth loved to drink, and even though he could usually control it, Claire put a limit on it. Claire proved to be an ideal companion for Babe, and they remained together until his death.

Related Topics:
Marriage - Diet - Starchy - Meat - Vegetables - Drink

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