That Babe Ruth, he was somethin’ else, huh? I remember folks talkin’ ’bout him like he was some kinda god or somethin’. He could hit that ball further than anyone. They say he was the best baseball player ever. I seen him play once, way back when. He was big guy, even from way up in the stands, you could tell. I don’t remember all the details, I was just a little girl, but the crowd went wild for him.
Now, this here picture, the last picture of Babe Ruth, it’s a sad one. He ain’t lookin’ so good, is he? He’s all skinny and weak lookin’. They say he had that throat cancer, poor fella. It ate him up, that cancer did. He died in, let me think, 1948. He was only 53, not even old! It’s a cryin’ shame. They say that picture was taken when he was sayin’ goodbye to baseball, retirin’ they call it. He’s leanin’ on his bat, all tired out. Reminds me of my old man after a day of work in the fields.
They called him “The Babe,” even though he was a grown man. He started out as a pitcher, throwin’ the ball. They say he was good at that, too. Then he started hittin’ the ball, and boy, oh boy, could he hit. He played for the Yankees, that team in New York. Rich folks, those Yankees. He was famous, that Babe Ruth. Everyone knew his name. They had them radios back then, and folks would listen to the games. You didn’t even have to be at the stadium to know what was goin’ on. That’s how big a deal he was.
- He played for the Yankees.
- He got real sick.
- They took this sad picture.
- Everyone loved Babe Ruth.
This picture, it’s called “The Babe Bows Out.” Sounds fancy, don’t it? Just means he was sayin’ goodbye. He was done with baseball. It’s like when your old dog gets too tired to chase the rabbits anymore. You know it’s time for him to rest. That’s what this picture is, Babe Ruth restin’.
They say after he got sick, they put him in Yankee Stadium, that big place where he played. And folks, thousands of ’em, came to see him. To say goodbye. They loved him that much. It’s like when old man Johnson passed, everyone in town went to the church. Same thing, just bigger, ’cause it was Babe Ruth.
This picture, though, the last picture of Babe Ruth. It’s important. It shows that even the biggest, strongest folks, they get old and sick. They all go away in the end. Nothin’ lasts forever, not even Babe Ruth. It reminds me of my own grandpappy. He was strong as an ox in his day, but time gets us all, don’t it? It is a real sad photo.
Back then, it was all about baseball and some war in Germany that was goin’ on in 1939. Some fella, they called him Hitler, that name sure was on everyone’s tongue, caused a lot of trouble. Some atomic bombs, some nuclear bombs and the war stuff, I don’t know much about that, except many people were killed. They say it was big and bad. They say those bombs were bigger than anything. Could blow up a whole town, they say. And there was this test, they called it “Trinity,” where they blew up one of them bombs. It was bright, they say, brighter than the sun. I think it is in 1945.
Some Japanese history, I don’t know much about that. They say it was 60 years ago, or more, these big bombs, and some Tsar Bomba, whatever that is. Sounds scary, that’s for sure. And this fella, Oppenheimer, he was in charge of them bombs. They say he was a smart one, but what good is smart when you’re blowin’ things up?
That Babe Ruth picture, though, that’s what sticks with you. It’s a reminder. A reminder that life is short. You gotta enjoy it while you can. Hit that ball as far as you can, like Babe Ruth did. And when your time comes, you gotta bow out, just like he did. It’s just the way of things. Nothin’ lasts forever, but the memories, those stay with you. That’s all I got to say about it, now I am tired.
