I was just wondering what the current general consensus on this topic is. In almost every book and movie you see or read on the Bambino, the called shot in the World Series game against the Cubs is a thing of fact. I also saw some rough video footage of the game once, and while Babe clearly made gestures toward something its debatable to me as to what exactly he was pointing at. Plus the pitcher who was pitching that day for the Cubs said the called shot never happened, if so he would have drilled Babe with the ball the next pitch.
Per Wikipedia, their answer is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth's_Called_Shot
Maybe he did, maybe not.
Very good article. I guess its everyone’s opinion for themselves on this one. Good story either way. I personally like the one about Babe punching an umpire when he was pitching for Boston a bit better but oh well. Oh and it was the 1932 World Series…my mistake.
Is the footage in the Bud Light commercial real*? If so, (and if I may get into IMHO territory), it looks to me like he’s pointing towards the stands, not to the bleachers.
- Obviously the Bud Light vendor isn’t real footage from the game, but what about the Babe Ruth footage?
The Babe maintained that he DID call the shot, and just got lucky.
The Cubs insist that he wasn’t predicting a homer. There was some very bad blood between the Yankees and the Cubs, and both teams were yelling and cursing at each other routinely. Cubs pitcher Charlie Root claimed that the Babe DID make a dramatic pointing gesture, but that it had nothing to do with hitting a home run. Rather, the Babe was pointing to one of the Cubs who was harrassing him, and implying, “Shut up, or I’ll come over there and kick your behind.”
The footage I saw was inconclusive, but SEEMED to confirm Charlie Root’s account.
Too bad- as a Yankees fan, I liked the legend.
I agree with your assessment. Ruth seems to have been pointing at one of the Cubs. And, the pitcher would have been in the best position as a witness to know.
The footage in the Bud Light commercial is definitely not from the 1932 World Series. It’s not even of Babe Ruth I believe. In 1932, Babe Ruth would have had a #3 on his uniform. The Babe Ruth in the commercial doesn’t have one. They just want to imply it’s Babe Ruth. I don’t believe they say “Babe Ruth” at any time.