Sunday, September 30, 1934

Went to Sunday school. I stayed for church. Ollie was over. Played cards in evening.

September 30, 1934: Babe Ruth's final game as a New York Yankee. He batted 0 for 3. From New York, he went to the Boston Braves. He played in his last Major League game in Philadelphia on May 30, 1935, when he left the field with a hurt knee.   

Monday, January 15, 1934

Walked to school with Pauline. Ruth Ray and I waited for Nadine and Pauline and walked home with them.

George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948)
AKA "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat"
American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935
Elected to play in the first All Star Game and hit the first home run in the game's history
One of the first five players elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame

A mainstay in the New York Yankees' lineup that won seven pennants and four World Series
titles during his tenure with the team, Ruth had become noticeably overweight by the end of
the 1933 season. On January 15, 1934, he signed a one-year contract for $35,000, which meant
he took a $17,000 pay cut.  By the end of the 1934 season, Ruth had reached a personal milestone 
of 700 home runs and was about ready to retire. His heart was set on managing the Yankees, and
he made no secret of it. Instead, he played another year - this time for the Boston Braves. At the
end of the season he retired with 714 home runs to his credit.

Thursday, July 6, 1933

Aunt Katie and Helen were over this afternoon. Helen and I exchanged magazines. We got some ice cream cones.



July 6, 1933: Major League Baseball's First All-Star Game
Above: Babe Ruth with a Chicago White Sox and a Chicago Cubs player

Arch Ward, a sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, came up with the idea for the game,
originally called “Game of the Century” to coincide with the celebration of the city’s
 “Century of Progress” Exposition. The game was conceived as a single, one-time event
to help lift the spirits of a country during our Great Depression.  However, its enormous
 popularity made the game an annual event. Scheduled for a day when no other games were
being played, it was held July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Retired Giants manager John
McGraw was chosen to manage the National League, while Athletics manager Connie Mack
 led the American League. To everyone's surprise, 47,595 fans filled the stands.

The first run was scored in the second inning, when AL starting pitcher Lefty Gomez drove in

Jimmie Dykes with a single. In the next inning, Babe Ruth gave fans what they came to see,

hitting a two-run homer into the right-field stands. The crowd were said to have “roared

in acclamation” for the homer, according to Baseball Almanac. The AL went on the win the game

4-2, bolstered by Ruth’s home run, Jimmy Dyke’s two hits, and 7 innings of two run pitching

 by Lefty Gomez, the winning pitcher. The National League was led by the "Fordham Flash,"

Frankie Frisch of the Cardinals, who had two hits, including a home run and two

hits by Bill Terry, the Hall of Fame first baseman of the NY Giants.





Wednesday, June 28, 1933

Marrilyn Beckwith was over here today. She and I went down to Mrs. Pendergast's to swing.

One of four 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth Baseball Cards

Some of the most recognizable Babe Ruth baseball cards are from the 1933 Goudey set.
This 240-card set produced by the Goudey Gum Company is one of the most popular baseball
card sets of all time (along with the T206 set). It has been the subject of numerous reprints.
Because no Babe Ruth cards were included in the 1934 set, the 1933 Ruth cards are even more
 valuable. Depending on card condition, the value of the Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey cards range from
a few hundred dollars to over $20,000.

Friday, May 19, 1933

We went outside in Gym and played baseball. Last night we played a game and our side won. It was 8-6, I believe.

Seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell (left) poses with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
after striking out both men back to back in an exhibition game on April 2, 1931.
A pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, Jackie was known for her wicked,
dropping curve ball. A few days after the exhibition game, Baseball Commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided Jackie Mitchell's contract, claiming that
baseball was "too strenuous" for a woman. In 1933, after barnstorming across the
country pitching in other exhibition games, Jackie signed on with the House of David,
a men's team famous for their very long hair and long beards. Jackie retired from baseball
in 1937, at the age of 23, and went to work in her father's optometry office.