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Show VlMmMi I A IficeJi i THE glamour and fame of Babe Ruth's career began in 1914 when he reported to the Boston Red Sox. ' The Babe Ruth that almost everyone every-one knows stepped out beneath, the great white spotlight at that 30-year-ago date. But how many know the story of the Babe Ruth between the ages of 12 and 19 when he was a kid at the St. Mary's Industrial fjl3wm school in Baltimore? ClJSSl We happened to run jfTj across Brother Gil- s A bert who knew the J Babe in those early i and far away days, f Llyff J "I was the base- ' Vy ball coach at Mt. ! -ft (Si St. Josephs, around j llfi 1911." Brother Gil- u ' u-- 4 bert told me, "when Babe Ruth i I first ran into the Babe. He was then 16 years old, a tall, stringy kid, well built, but in no sense bulky. "When I first saw the Babe play he was a left-handed catcher. He wore his catcher's mitt on the left hand and I was amazed at the swiftness swift-ness and the deftness he employed In tossing aside his big mitt and throwing throw-ing to second with his left hand. It was easy to see that the Babe was no catcher but It was Just as easy to see that be was a natural ballplayer ball-player who had the winning spirit. The Babe just thought he bad to win. Even as a young kid he could never understand defeat. "I watched him from that time on. In one of the first important games I ever saw Ruth play he hit three home runs. He was a fine hitter when he was only 12. There used to be three or four teams playing play-ing at St. Mary's and everyone wanted want-ed to see the young Babe swing a bat" The Earlier Years "The time came," Brother Gilbert said, "when the Babe was ready to get his chance. So I recommended him to my close friend, Jack Dunn, Baltimore's famous manager. In the early training season Jack used the Babe at short, where he did all right. But Dunn knew that a left-handed shortstop just didn't belong, so he Cnoved Ruth into the pitching spot, n his first real professional test he fchut out the 1914 Athletics, Ameri-can Ameri-can league pennant winners, 6 to 0. "He was then 19 years old, weighing weigh-ing around 185 pounds. Later he beat the 1914 Boston Braves 2 to 1 knd as you remember the Braves whipped the Athletics four straight. (The two pennant winners that sea-ion sea-ion got Just one run off the Babe in 18 innings. And he was then Just a kid. The Babe's curve ball was Just fair, but he had everything else, Including In-cluding a cool head and a stout beart. Plus fine speed and control. "There was another time that spring where the Babe started a double dou-ble header. He was knocked out in pe first Inning of the first .game and then came back to win a shutout shut-out in the second." Brother Gilbert was a close friend bf Jack Dunn's and Connie Mack's. I asked him why it was that Connie Con-nie didn't get the Babe. "This is an odd story," Brother Gilbert said. "Early in 1914, the year that Babe started with Baltimore, he was offered of-fered to Mr. Mack for $10,000. "But it so happened at that time that Connie had too many good ballplayers. ball-players. His Athletics had won the pennant in 1910, 1911 and 1913. They won again in 1914. They had been to good that they were beginning to draw smaller and smaller crowds. Early In 1914 when Connie could have bought Babe, he had such pitchers as Chief Bender, Eddie Plank, Bullet Joe Bush and I think Jack Coombs. He had a likely looking look-ing lefthander coming along by the name of Herb Pennock. He had one tf his greatest ball clubs. 'I know this boy Ruth is a ereat ballplayer,' Connie told me. 'But I already have too many great players in my club. Why should I add another?' "I remember one game at St. Mary's when the Babe was only IT fears old. There was another ball game going on at another spot in (he same field. When Ruth came to bat the other fellows stopped their rame. " 'We'd better look out,' someone laid, 'or that guy will kill somebody.' some-body.' Ruth hit a low line triple lhat Just cleared their heads. "Ruth was a great kid," Brother Silbcrt said. "He was a kid who loved kids then and'has loved kids ill his life. We'd get him a few Jobs, But he'd never hold them long. He 9nty v. anted to play baseball to tatch, to pitch, to play the infield ind the outfield to knock the ball iver some fence." About the National Leapuc A few nights ago I had the privilege privi-lege of facing a group of wounded loldiers. They wanted to know who I thought would win the National league pennant. Here is my opinion: ' The Cardlnnls have a good prewar learn. Billy Soulhworth has a big jump on his league. The Cardinals may run away with the pennant before be-fore mid-July. Many managers rate Ihe Reds, Pirates, Dodgers, Giants and Cubs In a compact bunch, giving giv-ing the Phillies and Braves a chance. |