Lore of the Bambino by Jonathan Weeks

 Please welcome Jonathan Weeks author of Lore of the Bambino

Jonathan Weeks will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Lore of the Bambino

byJonathan Weeks

 

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GENRE:   Sports-History-Biography

 

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RUTH’S LIFE OF EXCESS

 

            Few players have enjoyed the nightlife as much as Babe Ruth. Describing his voracious appetite for women, booze and entertainment, one researcher fittingly proclaimed: “Ruth grabbed life by the throat (or maybe it was another part of life’s anatomy) and shook it up—frequently.” Though he was not handsome by traditional standards, he was a charismatic figure. He drew crowds wherever he went. Among those crowds were scores of female admirers.

            Ruth was a habitual smoker. At one point during his career, he had his own brand of nickel cigars, which featured a picture of him on every wrapper. Over time, cigars became the measure of his sexual prowess. During his time with the Red Sox, the Babe roomed with pitcher Ernie Shore. One night, as Shore was trying to sleep, the Babe engaged in multiple rounds of noisy sex with a woman he had picked up. Shore finally drifted off as the sun was coming up. When he awoke, the woman was gone and his teammate was in a deep slumber. He noted that there were four or five cigars in an ashtray next to the bed. Ruth later explained that he was in the habit of smoking each time he had sex. 

            A similar story exists involving Yankee outfielder Bob Meusel. While sharing a suite with the Babe during a road trip, Meusel noticed a parade of women coming in and out of the room all night. True to his nickname, “Silent Bob” minded his own business and was eventually able to get to sleep. In the morning, he asked Ruth how many women he had been with. The Babe told him to count the number of cigars in the ash tray. Meusel was somewhat surprised to see seven of them.

            Ruth had no preference when it came to women. He liked them short or tall, slender or plump, attractive or homely. In addition to popular starlets, he frolicked with prostitutes. There was no shame in this for him. He habitually told St. Louis fans that he enjoyed visiting “The House of the Good Shepherd.”  While some of his Missouri followers assumed he was going to church, many of them realized he was actually referring to a notorious brothel. Putting it bluntly—the Babe loved sex. And he didn’t care if the women he hooked up with were spoken for. This led to multiple run-ins with jilted lovers and enraged husbands. During a spring training trip to New Orleans in 1921, Ruth was spotted by several sportswriters running naked through a train car. The reporters scarcely had time to process what they were witnessing before a naked woman wielding a knife appeared on the scene in hot pursuit.

            Shortly after the death of Ruth’s first wife in 1929, the Babe married his long-time mistress, Claire Merritt Hodgson. Self-assured and domineering, she began to assert control over the Yankee slugger. Wives of players were not in the habit of traveling with the club, but Claire was an exception to the rule. Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert felt that she was a positive influence on Ruth and welcomed her presence. The couple shared a private compartment on the team’s train, where they were sheltered from reporters. Claire answered the phone in the hotels they stayed at and was surprised by the number of women who called. She took great pleasure in telling them that her husband was no longer available. “The Babe brought out the beast in a lot of women the world over,” she wrote, “and I enjoyed very much setting them straight on the problem.” 

BLURB:

 

More than seventy years after his death, Babe Ruth continues to fascinate generations of fans. His exciting adventures on and off the field have become essential reading for students of baseball and pop culture. While most Ruth biographies are filled with mundane facts, Lore of the Bambino is the equivalent of a greatest hits compilation. Ruth’s extraordinary (and at times incredulous) tales carry readers on an enthralling journey through the life of the most celebrated sports figure of the twentieth century. All of the most popular anecdotes (such as the Babe’s alleged “called shot” in the 1932 World Series) are thoroughly covered along with many lesser known narratives.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 

In the annals of baseball history, there has never been anyone quite like Babe Ruth. He transformed the game from a slow-moving battle of wits to an explosive exhibition of raw power. He could alter the final score with a single swing. When he retired in 1935, he owned dozens of statistical records. And his 714 homers were more than double the output of the next closest competitor. 

            

Beyond the ballfield, Ruth was approachable, engaging, and jovial. He mingled with fans, autographed a myriad of baseballs, and befriended sportswriters. In an era when heroes were desperately needed, he fit the bill. He understood what he meant to people (especially children) and went out of his way to bring them joy.

 

As a role model, he was imperfect. He broke rules, got suspended, and struck out more than any other player of the era. But when the game was on the line, he almost always rose to the occasion, doing it in dramatic fashion. Over time, he became part god and part mortal—a mythical man-child who called his own shots and propelled baseballs farther than any player before or after him. He got more attention than U.S. Presidents and was just as newsworthy as a world war or economic depression.  Everyone wanted a small piece of him. And everyone who met him had an interesting story to tell. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

A lifelong sports fan, Weeks has published several non-fiction books on the topic of baseball. Additionally, he has two novels to his credit--one of them a posthumous collaboration with his father. His latest project: Best of the Bruins: Boston's All Time Great Players and Coaches, is due out in 2021.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QMN5FX2/ref

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Jonathan Weeks will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4130