# tbl_AudioPeople

Bio:
Mr. Vecsey has been a professional reporter since 1960, covering a variety of topics including, baseball, the Kentucky Derby, country music, coal mining and religion.  He began his career with the Newsday, on Long Island and moved to the New York Times in 1968.   He was voted the New York State Sportswriter of the Year for six straight years (1985-1991), by the National Association of Sportswriters and Sportscasters.  Mr. Vecsey is also an accomplished author who has written or edited many books, whose topics are as varied as his reporting subjects.  One of Vecsey’s most successful books was bestseller, "Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner's Daughter”, which was made into a film in 1980 starring Sissy Spacek.  A few examples of his sports-related work are: "Joy in Mudville" (1970), a history of the New York Mets and "Martina," (1985) the autobiography of Martina Navratilova that was also a best seller.  Most recently, Vecsey has written “Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game” (2006), a concise history which reflects upon the most notable events and personalities of the game of Baseball, including Babe Ruth.

QuickDesc:
A Pulitzer prize-winning columnist for the New York Times, as well as a best-selling author of multiple books.


Bio:
Bill Jenkinson, a resident of the Philadelphia area, is a baseball historian and has been a researcher for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Bill has spent the past 25 years conducting in-depth research on the Babe and the history of his homeruns.  The culmination of those efforts is the upcoming book, “The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs: Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger.”  Bill’s book, which is due out in March 2007, takes a new and unique look into the Babe and his hitting abilities.  Here’s a description of his book from Amazon:

“In an unprecedented look at Babe Ruth’s amazing batting power, sure to inspire debate among baseball fans of every stripe, one of the country's most respected and trusted baseball historians reveals the amazing conclusions of more than twenty years of research. Jenkinson takes readers through Ruth's 1921 season, in which his pattern of battled balls would have accounted for more than 100 home runs in today's ballparks and under today's rules. Yet, 1921 is just tip of the iceberg, for Jenkinson's research reveals that during an era of mammoth field dimensions Ruth hit more 450-plus-feet shots than anybody in history, and the conclusions one can draw are mind boggling.”

We at BRC had the privilege of interviewing Bill for the site and getting the opportunity to learn more about his unique knowledge regarding the Babe and his homeruns.

QuickDesc:
Baseball historian and author of the recent book, "The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Homeruns."


Bio:
Bettie Hoyt is the widow and third wife of Waite Hoyt, a Hall of Fame pitcher who played the majority of his career with the New York Yankees.  Although Waite started his Major League career with the New York Giants, his first full season as a pitcher was in 1919, when he joined the pitching rotation for the Boston Red Sox, alongside Babe Ruth.  In 1921, he joined Ruth and the Yankees for one of their most successful decades.  By the time Waite retired in 1938, he had played on 7 pennant-winning teams (6 with the Yankees and 1 with the Philadelphia Athletics) and had the record for the most wins in World Series history (6).  In Hoyt’s retirement, he initially became a broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  After 2 years he moved on to announcing for the Cincinnati Reds where he remained for 24 years.  As a broadcaster, Waite was well-recognized for his stories during rain delays.  Many stories were captured on record with the albums, “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain” and “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain, Volume 2.”  A lot of his anecdotes focused on the Babe, who was always one of Waite's favorite mediums for analysis and discussion.  
	
Bettie (formally Bettie Deary) had her own role in Baseball, as an assistant to Warren Giles, who was president of the Cincinnati Reds and ultimately president of the National League.  Listen to Betty convey some of Waite’s stories and thoughts on the Babe here.

QuickDesc:
Widow of Waite Hoyt, who was a long-time friend and teammate of Babe Ruth.


Bio:
Hall of Fame pitcher Waite Hoyt, was a team mate of Babe's on both the Boston Red Sox, as well as the Yankees, during one of their most successful decades.  By the time Waite retired in 1938, he had played on 7 pennant-winning teams (6 with the Yankees and 1 with the Philadelphia Athletics) and had the record for the most wins in World Series history (6).
 
In Hoyt’s retirement, he initially became a broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  After 2 years he moved on to announcing for the Cincinnati Reds where he remained for 24 years.  As a broadcaster, Waite had a strong following from Cincinatti fans.  He was also well-recognized for his stories during rain delays.  Many of these stories were recorded and packaged on two vinyl albums -- “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain” and “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain, Volume 2.”  
 
Volume 2 comprises a number of stories and anecdotes from Waite, all of which focus on the Babe.  As Mrs. Betty Hoyt, widow of the former Yankee pitching star, mentioned in her interview with BRC, Babe Ruth was always one of Waite's favorite topics of conversation. Listen to Betty's interview here.
 
Mrs. Hoyt generously gave BRC the original vinyl album, as well as the permission to use the recordings for educational purposes.  BRC has had Volume 2 digitized and we are happy to present many audio clips from it to Babe Ruth fans.
 
Listen below for a lot of great stories from the Babe, coming from one of the people that knew him best - Waite Hoyt.


Bio:
"Babe & The Kid" provides a well-researched recount of the story of Johnny Sylvester, a young boy who was laid up with a deadly illness.  The night before game four of the 1926 World Series, Ruth autographed a ball for Johnny, inscribing it, "I'll knock a homer for you in Wednesday's game - Babe Ruth."  Ruth delivered on his promise, and Johnny made a miraculous recovery.  

Charlie Poekel is a former member of the New Jersey State Historical Commission, having been twice appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman.  He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).  He is a practicing attorney and a member of the Bar in New York, New Jersey and DC.  Get your copy of "Babe & The Kid" here.

QuickDesc:
Recent author of "Babe & The Kid: The Legendary Story of Babe Ruth and Johnny Sylvester."


Bio:
Julia was born in 1917 in Athens, GA.  She is the last-surviving daughter of Babe Ruth.  Julia and her mother, Clara Mae Hodgson, moved to New York in 1918, where Claire began a modeling and dancing career.  In 1922, Claire and Babe became acquainted and started a long friendship and courtship.  Ruth and Claire married in 1929 and, soon after, Babe adopted Julia.  Julia is an avid baseball fan and spends her time between Arizona and New Hampshire.  When she’s able, she always tries to make an appearance at a ballpark or event on behalf of her “Daddy”.  Most recently, she went to Chicago in April 2006 for an event hosted by the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, recognizing Babe Ruth’s 1932 called shot.


Bio:
Mike Gibbons has been the Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum in Baltimore, MD since 1983.  In the early 1980’s, the building that housed the Babe Ruth Museum (which was the building in which Babe was born) was fighting demolition, when Gibbons, originally a historian and documentary producer, agreed to become involved in turning the Babe Ruth Museum around.  What was supposed to be a temporary position, has now turned into a 23-year career that includes establishing and directing a nearby sister museum, Sports Legends at Camden Station, which houses the Orioles Hall of Fame, the Maryland Collegiate Hall of Fame, the Johnny Unitas collection and other collections & memorabilia from Maryland sports.

QuickDesc:
Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Museum.


Bio:
Bill Werber was the first All-American basketball player at Duke University.  After graduating from Duke, Werber signed on with the Yankees in 1927, but didn't see Major League action until 1930.   Scout Paul Krichell said he had "the best baseball legs I ever saw, including Cobb."  Werber won the American League base stealing title with the Boston Red Sox in 1934 and 1935 and tied for it while with the Philadelphia A's in 1937.  He was the first player to hit four consecutive doubles in one American League game and, in 1940, he became the only man to do so in both leagues.  His energy was a big contributor to getting the Cincinnati Reds to the pennant in 1939 and then winning the World Series in 1940 against Detroit (he hit .370 in that series).  He was also the first player to bat in a televised game, leading off for the Reds against Brooklyn on August 26, 1939.
During his time with the Yankees -- in 1927 while "learning the game" on the bench with Miller Huggins and then starting his Major League career with them in 1930 -- Werber had the opportunity to play, interact with and observe Babe Ruth.  He also got to experience some of the antics of the highly-successful 1927 New York Yankees, which he remembers vividly and shares candidly in our BRC interview.

QuickDesc:
The last-living baseball player to play with the Babe.


Bio:
Ernie Harwell was born in Washington, GA in 1918 and is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta.  He began his radio career in 1940, announcing games for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association on WSB radio.  In 1948, he made his way to the Major Leagues, announcing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Harwell went on to announce for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles and then settled in Detroit in 1960, where he was the announcer for the Tigers until 2002 (less a year announcing for the Angels in 1992).  Harwell is a highlight in Detroit baseball history, his voice forever associated with the Tiger team.  He has broadcast more play-off games than any other announcer in baseball history.  In 1981, Harwell became the first active play-by-play announcer to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, and has also been inducted into the National Sportscaster's Hall of Fame.  He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998.  He has also has written several books, including "Tuned to Baseball", "Diamond Gems" and "The Babe Signed My Shoe".  Harwell continues to regularly write a baseball column for the Detroit Free Press.  BRC sat down with Ernie and his lovely wife of 65-years to capture his perspectives.

QuickDesc:
The longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers.


Bio:
Tom Stanton has been a journalist for twenty-five years.  A founder of the Voice Newspapers in suburban Detroit, he has won state and national press awards, including a prestigious Michigan Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  Stanton is the author of "Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America", "The Road to Cooperstown" and "The Final Season".  "The Final Season" was considered the best baseball book of the year in 2001, winning both the Casey and Dave Moore awards. He also co-authored "Rocket Man: Elton John from A-Z". Stanton belongs to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Friends of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Mayo Smith Society.

QuickDesc:
A sports author who has written prize-winning baseball books including, “The Final Season”.


Bio:
(September 21, 1910 - August 4, 2006)

Elden Auker was an All-American in baseball, basketball and football at Kansas A&M in the 1920's.  Although suffering a shoulder injury while playing football, Auker was still able to become a successful pitcher by creating an underhanded style of pitching, which led to his nickname, "Submariner."  Auker joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933 and pitched in the 1934 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, winning one game (although Detroit lost the championship in a seven-game series).  Auker also played in the 1935 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.  He pitched the first six innings of game three, which Detroit ended up winning in the eleventh, 6-5, leading Detroit to win the series in six games.  Elden also became the first pitcher to throw in a night game in St. Louis (May 24, 1940). 

BRC had the privilege to interview Mr. Auker shortly before his passing on August 4th of this year.

QuickDesc:
Until recently, he was the last living player to pitch to Babe Ruth.


Bio:
Bob Creamer is a sportswriter and editor who has spent the majority of his career writing for Sports Illustrated.  Creamer was one of the first members of the Sports Illustrated staff when he was hired in 1954.  He worked as a Senior Editor for the publication, starting with its commencement until 1984.  He was also the writer for the weekly Scorecard section of the magazine.  Creamer is also noted for writing the most definitive biography of Babe Ruth, titled "Babe", which was published in 1974.  Creamer is now retired; however, he occasionally writes retrospective articles for Sports Illustrated.  Mr. Creamer opted for a written exchange for his interview with BRC.  We present the questions and answers below.

QuickDesc:
Author of the definitive Babe Ruth biography, “Babe”.

Transcript:
BRC Q1:  "What is your main attraction to the game of Baseball?" 

BC A1:  "It would take a lot of space to answer this fully. To be brief, I like it because of the great variety of skills it demands and because of the almost incredible peaks of excitement and accomplishment it can attain.  Examples: Bobby Thomson's home run in 1951 and the Red Sox victory over the Yankees in the 2004 American League championship series.  But any game can contain great moments of accomplishment or excitement."


BRC Q2:  "When did you discover your passion for sports reporting?"

BC A2:  "I don't know that I'd call it a passion. I've always liked sports and I discovered early in my life that I had an ability to write. I was lucky to land my job with Sports Illustrated when I was into my 30s, and I was happy to find that I could make a good living writing about a subject that I was comfortable with. "


BRC Q3:  "Given your long career with Sports Illustrated, who are your favorite athletes of all time?"

BC A3:  "Well, my interest in fine athletes goes back a long way before I joined Sports Illustrated.  I instantly think of John Woodruff, an absolutely great half-miler, who won the Olympic 800-meter run in 1936.  <He> probably would have won it again in 1940 and 1944, except that there were no Olympic Games in those years because of World War II.
I loved Babe Ruth from the moment I saw him hit a homer in Yankee Stadium in 1932, when I was 10.  Willie Mays, who came to the New York Giants in 1951, three years before I joined Sports Illustrated, was even more satisfying for me to watch than Babe, because the Babe was very old as a player when I saw him and Willie was in his burgeoning prime.  I also very much admired Joe Louis and Ray Robinson as boxers; Doug Flutie as a quarterback; Yogi Berra as a ballplayer; Tiger Woods as a golfer; Greg Maddux as a pitcher; and, Nicole Blood as a runner.  If I keep listing athletes I've admired, this list will get very long indeed."


BRC Q4:  "Specifically thinking about baseball, who are your favorite baseball players of all time?"

BC A4:  "Limiting it to players I've seen in action, either in the ballpark or on TV, I'd say my favorites - the ones I've enjoyed watching the most, not necessarily the best -- include Ruth, Mays, Berra, Maddux, Jackie Robinson, Lefty Grove, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Andruw Jones, Sal Maglie, Bob Gibson, Terry Pendleton, Derek Jeter….  I'd better stop.  There are a lot more I'm thinking of, but, I know I'll leave a favorite out, and that will make me feel bad."


BRC Q5: "What are your thoughts on the Babe (as a player and as a person)?"

BC A5:  "Gee, I wrote a long book that should answer that.  Briefly, he was a magnificent player, surely the best who ever played the game.  Personally, I gather that, for all his misbehavior, he had qualities that gave pleasure and joy to those who knew him well."


BRC Q6:  "Your book had a fairly balanced view of the Babe, acknowledging his appetites for woman and partying, but also that he was very kind to the fans, loved kids and had a joy for life.  A lot of portrayals today, however, seem to focus more on the negative aspects (food, alcohol, women, etc.).  Do you have any thoughts about that and why some of the media tends to focus on the negatives?"

BC A6:  "Again, I touched on this in my book on Ruth.  People love gossip -- negative information about anybody.  See <all the> featured stories in any tabloid for verification.  I'm not a Barry Bonds fan, but he's taking a terrible beating in the media.  All we seem to want to know about Bonds are the bad things.  Mark Spitz, the great Olympic swimmer, said the American public likes to build up a hero and then knock him down.  The exact quote is somewhere in 'Babe: The Legend Comes to Life.'"


BRC Q7:  "How important do you think Babe Ruth is to baseball today? What was his ultimate impact on the game?" 

BC A7:  "Ruth is of extreme importance.  He's become something of a saint, a boy with some naughty habits perhaps, but a genuine hero of the past, something to look up to and admire.  His 'ultimate impact' on the game remains the home run, which was of secondary importance before he came along, but has been the single most admired aspect ever since."


BRC Q8:  "As you probably know, Babe Ruth was an amazingly balanced player, excelling in batting and pitching. In today's world, who do you think is comparable to Babe?" 

BC A8:  "I thought at first you met balanced between skills like hitting and fielding, base-running, arm and so on.  I thought of beautiful all-around players like DiMaggio, Musial, Mays, Aaron, Mantle and who might be like them today.  But if you mean who compares to him as a batter/pitcher, there isn't anyone.  And, I can't think of other sports with the divergent skills that baseball has.  Maybe cricket, but I don't know much about cricket."


BRC Q9:  "As a sports author, what is your opinion of the 'Curse of the Bambino'?  Do you think the Curse was good for baseball?"

BC A9:  Sure it was.  It was fun.  Dan Shaughnessy's book "The Curse of the Bambino", which really hyped the idea, was a delight to read.  And it certainly promoted interest in baseball in Boston.  <All> the talk about the Curse was the seed that led to the two wonderful documentary films about the Curse and the lifting of the Curse."


BRC Q10: "Your book on the Babe is generally considered the most definitive biography published to date.  Why do you think that is?  Do you have any interesting stories from when you were researching the book?  Do you have any interesting stories on reaction/feedback about your book after it was published through today?"

BC A10:  "Whoa…  too many questions asking too much for me to answer briefly. I'll say only that my book is one of many good sports biographies. The fact that it's about Ruth, a fascinating human being, adds to its luster. If you want to read an excellent biography of a sports figure, read David Maraniss's book on Vince Lombardi."


BRC Q11:  "There has been mention that you were a bit rushed in finishing up your book due to another Babe Ruth biography being released about the same time.  Is this true?  If this is true, were there any stories or aspects of the Babe that you would have liked to incorporate, but that you didn't have the opportunity to include in your book on the Babe?"

BC A11:  "Leigh Montville in his new biography of Ruth, "The Big Bam," is generous in thanking me for the little bit of help I gave him, but in his acknowledgments he got the story I told him about the pressure of finishing the book a little wrong (probably because of the way I told it to him).  I'd been working on the book for four years when, for reasons having to do with my job at Sports Illustrated and Henry Aaron's pursuit of Babe's record of 714 homers, I absolutely had to have the manuscript finished by the end of the summer of 1973.  I was at most only vaguely aware of other biographies of Ruth being prepared at the same time and really wasn't concerned about them.  I put everything in the book that I wanted to put in at that time."


BRC Q12:  "As I also understand it, Leigh Montville has written another very complete look at the Babe.  Some of his book is apparently based on additional material that you had gathered.  How do you think his book will differ from yours?"

BC A12:  "I've read Leigh's book.  He's an excellent writer and he's done a fine job.   He may have found some stuff in my research that helped him, but I think he found a lot more in stuff he uncovered through his own extensive research -- notably extra material Jerome Holtzman had amassed in writing his "No Cheering in the Press Box" and Lawrence Ritter in writing his "The Glory of Their Times".  How his book and mine differ, I leave up to readers.  No two biographies are exactly alike."


BRC Q13:  "You mention that you saw Babe hit a homerun in 1932.  It must have been quite a thrill for a 10-yr old boy.  Could you elaborate on that experience?"

BC A13:  "I can't be specific.  I know that I went to ball games in Yankee Stadium once or twice a year in 1932, 1933 and 1934, usually double-headers.  I know that each of the four or five times I was there, the Babe hit a home run… not in every game.  He'd hit one in the first game of a doubleheader, but not in the second game; or, he might sit out one of the games in a doubleheader.  But I do know that I was never disappointed, because he always came through with a homer when I was there.  However, I cannot remember the first home run (I saw), as such.

I do remember that, each of the homers I saw him hit, was pulled into the right-field seats and that each seemed hit very high, so that each seemed to float into the seats.  One homer that I do specifically remember came in an odd game that the Yankees won over the Philadelphia Athletics 17-11, probably in 1933.  As I recall, the A's scored 11 times in, I think, the second inning and led 11-4 going into the bottom of the fourth, when the Yankees scored ten times to take a 14-11 lead. Then in the seventh or eighth, the Babe hit a three-run homer to put the icing on the cake.  I also remember (I think correctly) that a young pitcher named Don Brennan came in for the Yankees after the A's took that big lead and pitched beautifully the rest of the way."


BRC Q14:  "A number of people I have talked with have said that Babe was really just a "big kid."  What do you think about that?"

BC A14:  "I agree, except that it's too much of a simplification.  As Waite Hoyt said (see page 18 of my book), he was much more complex than that.  Yet, it's true (see the last three paragraphs of Chapter 28 of my book, pages 333-334) that he often behaved like a big overgrown child."


BRC Q15:  "Babe obviously had a unique background and childhood, given that he grew up in an orphanage.  In your opinion, how much do you think that impacted the Babe and do you think that his vices are at all attributed to that?"

BC A15:  "It wasn't unique. Lots of children in that era ended up in orphanages for shorter or longer periods of time.  My wife's mother, who was born about the same time Babe was, was put in an orphanage at the age of seven or eight after her mother died.  There were other children and her father was incapable of handling the family.  Later, an older cousin took her in and raised her as her own daughter.  I have to point out that my mother-in-law was wonderful -- a sweet, considerate woman, who had to fend with lots of difficulties in her life, yet never lost her kind, gentle manner.  I mention this only to reaffirm the old adage -- different strokes for different folks.

But there is no question that the reform-school atmosphere of St. Mary's affected Babe, particularly the discipline, which had to be a constant frustration for such a lively soul.  When he got out of St. Mary's and was free at last, he wanted to stay free.  Again, see my book, page 330, where his old teammate Ernie Shore says, 'You have to remember, he had grown up in that Catholic reformatory.  When they let him out it was like turning a wild animal out of a cage. He wanted to GO every place, and SEE everything and DO everything.'  And he didn't want to be told not to."


BRC Q16:  "I know you touch on this topic somewhere in your book, but if you could go into a bit more detail: Why did you decided to write a book about the Babe, as opposed to another sports figure?"

BC A16:  "My first three books were all "told-to" books and I wanted to do something on my own.  I suggested several topics to Peter Schwed, the editor I knew at Simon & Schuster, and he thought the Babe was the best idea. It was as simple as that. Later he suggested Casey Stengel, a subject I also loved writing about.  But, after doing "Stengel", I never was able to come up with a single figure that combined dramatic ups and downs in life with fun, rich anecdotes and lively personalities, such as I found in Babe and Casey.  I'm sure there are one or two out there, but none that got to me the way Babe and Casey did."


Bio:
Author Leigh Montville recently published one of the most popular biographies on the Babe called, "The Big Bam".  He began his sports-writing career as a columnist for The Boston Globe, where he worked for 21 years.  Montville is now a senior writer for Sports Illustrated.   He is also the author of many books, including, "Manute: The Center of Two Worlds", "Dare to Dream" (written with University of Connecticut basketball coach, Jim Calhoun), "At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt", "Why Not Us?  The 86-Year Journey of the Boston Red Sox Fans From Unparalleled Suffering to the Promised Land of the 2004 World Series" and the bestseller, "Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero."

QuickDesc:
Author of the most recent biography of the Babe, “The Big Bam”.


Bio:
Dave Anderson's sportswriting career began with the Brooklyn Eagle after graduating from Holy Cross College in 1951.  The newspaper folded in 1955, leading Anderson to join The New York Journal-American, where he worked for 11 years.  In 1966, Anderson had the opportunity to join The New York Times, as a general assignment sports reporter.  He became a regular sports columnist there in 1971, writing for the "Sports of the Times" column.  He is the author of 21 books, as well as more than 350 magazine articles.

In 1981, Mr. Anderson received the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary for his sports column.  In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Anderson won the 1965 E.P. Dutton Award for the best magazine sports story about "The Longest Day of Sugar Ray"; the 1972 E.P. Dutton Award for the best sports feature story of the year about the return of the heavyweight champion Joe Frazier to his Beaufort, S.C. hometown; the 1974 Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism; and, the 1994 Associated Press Sports Editors Red Smith Award for distinguished sports column writing.  He was inducted into the National Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in Salisbury, N.C. in 1990.

QuickDesc:
The Pulitzer prize-winning sports columnist for the New York Times.


Bio:
Dan Shaughnessy is an award-winning columnist for the Boston Globe and the author of several sports books, including "Fenway: A Biography in Words and Pictures", "Spring Training : Baseball's Early Season", "Seeing Red: The Red Auerbach Story", "Reversing the Curse".  He also wrote the popular classic, "The Curse of the Bambino", a best-selling book now in its twenty-first printing. Seven times, Shaughnessy has been voted one of America's Top Ten sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors, as well as named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year.

QuickDesc:
Award-winning sports columnist for the Boston Globe who wrote the bestseller, “The Curse of the Bambino”


Bio:
Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller played his entire baseball career of 18 years for the Cleveland Indians.  He has the most wins of any Cleveland Indian with 266.  He led the American League in strikeouts seven times and amassed a total 2,581 strikeouts over his career.  In 1946, Feller set a record in the modern era of baseball with 348 strikeouts in a season.  He pitched three no-hit games; shares the major league record with 12 one-hitters; and, is the only pitcher to throw a complete game no-hitter on Opening Day (April 16, 1940).  Feller was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21.  In 1947, when he was 23 years-old and had 107 wins, Bob enlisted in the Navy to fight in WWII.  In his first two full seasons back from the armed service (1945 and 1946), he won 26 and 20 games, respectively.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility.

QuickDesc:
Hall of Fame pitcher who had the opportunity to meet and see the Babe on multiple occasions.


Bio:
After nine years with the Yankees as the youngest public relations director to serve a major league baseball team, Appel went on to direct public relations for Tribune Broadcasting's WPIX television station in New York.  He also served as the Yankees Executive Producer for TV broadcasts at the same time. Appel later directed PR for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and the Topps Company, before opening his own agency.  His client base has included Topps, The Sporting News, The Football Network, The Yogi Berra Museum, the Yankees and the Office of the Baseball Commissioner.

Marty manages PR for many groups outside of sports including: NYC Health & Hospitals Corp., Columbia University's New Teacher Institute, a communications course in Harlem's District 5 for an after-school program, the New York City D.A.R.E. program, the Maritime Association, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the New York Academy of Medicine's 'Doctors Against Handgun Injury' program, and Mickey Mantle's Restaurant.

Marty has also written multiple books including collaborations with Larry King, Bowie Kuhn, Tom Seaver, Lee MacPhail, umpire Eric Gregg, Thurman Munson, the definitive collection of Hall of Fame biographies in Baseball's Best, and the award-winning biography "Slide, Kelly, Slide" about a 19th century baseball star.  His autobiography, "Now Pitching for the Yankees," which was published in June 2001, was named best New York baseball book of 2001 by ESPN.

QuickDesc:
Hired by George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees as the youngest public relations director in baseball history.


Bio:
Gallo studied art in high school and after graduation got a job as a copyboy on with the New York Daily News in 1941.  He stayed there for seven months, until he went away to the war.  After returning from WWII, Gallo went to Columbia University and later to the School of Visual Arts, while continuing to work for the Daily News throughout his educational pursuits.  Gallo was transferred to the Sports Department after a well-rounded education as a newspaperman in 1960.  It was at this point that he began drawing sports cartoons, creating many popular characters including "Basement Bertha".  Gallo has been a ten-time winner of the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonist Society. He has also been a twenty-time winner of the Page One Journalism Award from the New York Newspaper Guild.  Additionally he has received the Power of Printing Award, the Segar Award (as outstanding Cartoonist in 1975), and the Achievement Award for Alumni from the School of Visual Arts.  In recognition of Gallo's boxing column, he has also received the James J. Walker Award from the Boxing Writers Association, the Champions Award from the Downtown Athletic Club, and was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.

QuickDesc:
The prize-winning sports cartoonist/columnist for the New York Daily News.


Bio:
Ambassador Kato was born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan in 1941.  He has been the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. since 2001.  Ambassador Kato is a very passionate baseball fan and strongly supports the growing Trans-Pacific partnership in baseball.  He is also a big fan of the Babe and offered to do a written correspondence interview, discussing the Babe and baseball.  We are honored to have his contribution on BRC.  We present the questions and answers below.

QuickDesc:
Japanese Ambassador to the United States and a passionate baseball fan.

Transcript:
BRC Q1:  "Would you be so kind, for the purposes of our interview, to recount your primary childhood memories about baseball?"

AK A1:  "When I was a boy, baseball was the biggest sport in Japan.  While there were many Japanese players who were considered heroes to Japanese children, my older brothers told me about Major League baseball and how much greater American baseball players were compared to their Japanese counterparts.  Since it was the late '40s and early '50s, there was no TV coverage, no internet, and no way for Japanese baseball fans to actually watch MLB games.  So I read everything I could about American baseball and it has been a life long hobby.


BRC Q2:  "As a child, when you learned that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other American baseball stars had visited Japan in 1934, what did you think? "

AK A2:  "My father and my older brothers told me all about the great American baseball players.  They told me all about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams and Stan Musial.  They also told me that, in 1934, Connie Mack led the MLB All-Stars on a tour of Japan.  They recounted that while the entire team was dominating, the most extraordinary player was Babe Ruth.  Babe was on a completely different level.  In fact, he hit 13 home runs in 17 games.  My thoughts were that these were the best athletes in the entire world."


BRC Q3:  "Why do you think baseball become so popular in Japan and remains so today?" 

AK A3:  "I can't give you a precise answer, but there is just something about the game that drew the Japanese to it ever since it was first introduced by Mr. Horace Wilson to the Japanese in 1873.  Love is often times beyond logical explanation."


BRC Q4:  "I have read that Japan's first professional baseball team was established in late 1934, after the American player's visit.  Is there a direct connection?"

AK A4:  "Yes, very much so.  I attribute this to the "Babe Ruth effect."  His performance during that tour excited both the diehard and casual fan.  I would also like to add that "Lefty" O'Doul also played a major role in increasing baseball's popularity in Japan."


BRC Q5:  "How important is the common bond of baseball to Japanese and U.S. relations? "

AK A5:  "Even today, one of the strongest common bonds between Americans and Japanese is their love of baseball.  This is even reflected in the passion both President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi have for baseball."


BRC Q6:  "What do you feel is Babe Ruth's impact on Japanese baseball and sports culture in Japan?"

AK A6:  "Babe Ruth's impact on Japanese baseball and sports culture in Japan was enormous.  He impressed upon the Japanese the thrill of the homerun.  He changed Japanese baseball, from 'small ball' to the 'home-run age' as we call it in Japan.

During the time of Babe Ruth, there was no one even close to being the equivalent in Japanese baseball.  In fact, it was only in 1946, when a Japanese player first hit 20 HRs in a season in Japan's baseball history.  Ever since then, the HR output has steadily increased in Japan.

Young HR hitters in Japan were often times called, 'Wasei Babe', meaning 'Babe Ruth made in Japan'."


BRC Q7:  "Is Babe Ruth still a relevant baseball hero today in Japan , like he is here in the U.S.?"

AK A7:  "Yes, he is.  Those Japanese who were lucky enough to see him play in Japan in 1934 are over 80 years old now, but their memory of Babe Ruth has been widely shared with younger Japanese baseball fans.  Single season record of 60 HRs, life time record of 714 HRs, 'the called shot' in the World Series, hot-dogs and beer and 8 egg omelet, his being very kind to kids, etc...  these are the part of Babe Ruth's legend in Japan.  Also, I believe the concept and custom of 'retired numbers' is often associated with Babe Ruth. (We call it 'Eikyuu Ketsuban' meaning 'permanently retired number'.)"


BRC Q8:  "Are there any stories that you know of about Babe Ruth during his trip to Japan in 1934?" 

AK A8:  "When Babe Ruth arrived in Japan, he was greeted and treated like a 'king'.  Then, when he hit 13 home runs in 17 games, the legend only grew larger.  Also, many of those home runs were the typical 'tape measure' drives that so impressed the Japanese fans.  One funny story I remember is that during one game, when it began to rain, Babe Ruth stood in right field with a glove in one hand and an umbrella in the other."


BRC Q9:  "Does Babe Ruth just represent baseball in the mind of the Japanese fans or does he also represent the U.S. in general, in popular culture?"

AK A9:  "Babe Ruth definitely represents not just American baseball, but American culture in general.  He was to the Japanese, a symbol of America, and the American dream."


BRC Q10:  "Which other American sports heroes are popular in Japan?  How would you say that they compare to the Babe's popularity?"

AK A10:  "Concerning the sport of baseball, most knowledgeable Japanese fans are familiar with Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays among others.  Many of the current MLB stars are also popular in Japan.

In other sports, some boxing champions are popular along with golfers, such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods.  Sumo wrestlers Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishiki can <also> be mentioned.  (FYI, all three of the above mentioned sumo wrestlers were Americans living in Hawaii before becoming sumo grand champions).

However, over the last century, baseball remains the most popular game in Japan and Babe Ruth is still considered the 'king'.  That fact alone is an amazing feat."


BRC Q11:  "What do you think of the recent events of Barry Bonds chase to tie Babe's career homerun record and the related media coverage?"

AK A11:  "It is so hard to compare the current era with the baseball that was played during Babe Ruth's time.  Clearly, things are so different.  But one thing that I find impressive is the Babe's clear dominance over all other players during his time.

When Barry Bonds hit 73 HRs, runner up Sammy Sosa hit 64 HRs.  When Mark McGuire hit 70 HRs, Sammy Sosa again was the runner up with 66 HRs.

If my memory is correct, during Babe Ruth's time and before World War II, only three other players hit more than 50 HRs.  They were Jimmy Foxx, Hack Wilson, and Hank Greenberg.  Of those players, only Jimmy Foxx did it twice.  Babe Ruth did it four times.  Babe Ruth also has 11 seasons with 40 or more HRs.  His closest challengers are Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds who have both had 8 seasons with 40 or more HRs.  Babe Ruth's dominance is absolutely overwhelming.  Not only could he hit for power, but he has a life time batting average of .342.

This does not even take into account his time as an overpowering pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.  Imagine what his career hitting numbers would have been had he been a full time hitter during those several seasons when he was a pitcher."


BRC Q12:  "Have you ever been to the Babe Ruth Museum and Birthplace in Baltimore?"

AK A12:  "Yes.  I have been to the museum and would like to visit again."


Bio:
Leon Fichman, born in 1921 in Los Angeles, CA, has had a full life with a variety of experiences.  Leon and his siblings were all child actors, helping to support the family during the Great Depression.  When he was nine, Leon had a role as an extra in three short films that starred the Babe:  "The Orphanage", "Teaching Kids to Pitch" and "Slide, Babe, Slide".  


Fichman played college football at Alabama under the leadership of Bear Bryant.  After graduating college, Leon was drafted by the Army and fought in one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of WWII - The Battle of the Bulge.  When he returned back to the U.S., Leon was drafted by the Detroit Lions, where he played for a full season in 1946 and one game in 1947, before permanently injuring his knee and being unable to continue playing in the NFL.  After that, Leon moved on to teaching, which he did for 53 years.  Leon was also an integral part in starting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in part because his daughter suffered from the disease.  The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has funded research that can be attributed to extending the lives of children with the disease from five years at the Foundation's initiation to 38 years today.  Leon now volunteers for a senior-assistance group, "RSVP", and enjoys tutoring math to children.

QuickDesc:
Child actor who was an extra in three short films starring Babe Ruth.


Bio:
Bobby Murcer, originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was a professional baseball player for 17 seasons.  Murcer broke into the Major Leagues with the New York Yankees in 1965 and came on full-time in the centerfield position in 1969.  Murcer played for the Yankees until 1975, when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants and then the Chicago Cubs in 1977.  In 1979, Murcer returned to the Yankees primarily as a designated hitter, where he played in the 1981 World Series,  He retired in 1983, making way for a new, young talent – Don Mattingly.  Murcer ended his career with 252 home runs, 1,043 RBIs, and a .277 average.  He made the All-Star team five years straight, from 1971 to 1975 and won a Gold Glove Award in 1972.  Since retiring from his playing days in 1983, Murcer has been a sportscaster for the Yankees -- on broadcast TV, radio and, currently, the Yankee cable station, the YES Network.

Sadly, Mr. Murcer passed away on July 12th, 2008 due to complications from a malignant brain tumor.

QuickDesc:
Ex-New York Yankees centerfielder and current-day sports announcer for the Yankees on the YES cable network.


# tbl_AudioFiles

FileDesc:
Betty recalls Waite's story of his last time with the Babe.


FileDesc:
Betty conveys Waite's feelings regarding the perception that Babe was an alcoholic and over-eater.


FileDesc:
Betty recalls Waite's opinion on "The Called Shot".


FileDesc:
Betty recalls Waite's thoughts of Claire Ruth and her role in Babe's life.


FileDesc:
Betty talks about the short story that Waite Hoyt wrote: "Babe as I knew him."


FileDesc:
Betty recalls a story from Waite regarding the time that he brought his second wife, Eleanor, to meet Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Betty discusses Waite's and Babe's history and connection together.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about what makes his book on the Babe unique.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about how he came up with the title of his new book, "The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs."


FileDesc:
Bill talks about Babe's love of children.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about some of the public misconceptions of the Babe.


FileDesc:
Bill discusses Babe's importance to baseball today.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about Babe's growth as a person.


FileDesc:
Waite summarizes his thoughts on the Babe as a person.


FileDesc:
Hoyt discusses a big turning point in Babe's baseball career.


FileDesc:
Waite talks about Babe's ability to please his fans and teammates.


FileDesc:
Hoyt shares a second-hand story of Babe and the local kids in San Francisco.


FileDesc:
Waite talks about Babe's ability to inspire others.


FileDesc:
Waite shares his thoughts on whether Babe pointed in his famous 1932 World Series homerun.


FileDesc:
Waite share a story of one of the longest homeruns he ever saw Babe hit.


FileDesc:
The story of a fine Babe was supposed to receive more missing batting practice.


FileDesc:
Babe ensures that the Yankees catch their train home for the next day's homegame.


FileDesc:
A sample of Babe's ability to put on a show.


FileDesc:
Waite recounts the story of when Babe meets Herbert Hoover.


FileDesc:
Ruth definitely wasn't good with names.  Here's some humorous stories of how Babe forgot the names of some notable figures.


FileDesc:
Babe's encounter with a fan at the gas station.


FileDesc:
Mr. Poekel expresses his thoughts on some of the media's negative portrayals of the Babe.


FileDesc:
Mr. Poekel shares his thoughts on Babe's ongoing impact as an icon.


FileDesc:
Charlie talks about the research process for his book, "Babe & The Kid."


FileDesc:
Mr. Poekel gives us a background on his book, which tells the story of Babe's interaction and impact on sick, little Johnny Sylvster.


FileDesc:
Mr. Poekel talks about how he became an author.


FileDesc:
Charlie talks about growing up as a baseball fan.


FileDesc:
Julia discusses Babe’s childhood and family.


FileDesc:
Julia talks about how generous Babe was with others.


FileDesc:
Julia talks about how Babe Ruth got his nickname.


FileDesc:
Julia talks about Babe’s fondness for Brother Mathias at St. Mary’s Industrial School, where Babe grew up.


FileDesc:
Julia talks about some of details of her trip around the world that she took with Babe Ruth and Claire during the 1934 barnstorming baseball tour of Asia.


FileDesc:
Mike talks about how he became such a big baseball fan.


FileDesc:
Mike talks about some of his other favorite baseball players.


FileDesc:
Mike recalls a child baseball experience related to the Babe.


FileDesc:
Mike talks about how he became Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Museum.


FileDesc:
Mike discusses Babe’s iconic status in America.


FileDesc:
Mike responds to the question of, “Who compares to the Babe?”


FileDesc:
Bill quickly recaps his playing days, his favorite team to play for and his favorite memory as a player.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about the first time he bat as a professional baseball player, batting second before Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about Babe’s love of children.


FileDesc:
Bill responds to some of the media commentary that suggests that Babe Ruth was an alcoholic.


FileDesc:
Ernie tells his story about how he broke into baseball reporting.


FileDesc:
Ernie talks about being bestowed the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick award for sports announcers.


FileDesc:
Ernie talks about Babe’s impact on baseball.


FileDesc:
Ernie compares the baseball abilities of Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Tom talks about his passion for the game of baseball.


FileDesc:
Tom talks about his motivations for becoming an author of books on baseball


FileDesc:
Tom shares his thoughts on Babe’s baseball talent.


FileDesc:
Elden talks about what he enjoyed most in baseball – the friends he made.


FileDesc:
Elden talks about his first time up to pitch in the Major Leagues, which happened to be against Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Elden talks about the golf league that he was in with other Major League players, including Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Elden responds to the question, “Do you think that Babe had an impact on the game of baseball?”


FileDesc:
Elden shares his thoughts on the Babe as a person and a player.


FileDesc:
Leigh shares some of his childhood baseball memories.


FileDesc:
Leigh discusses why he decided to write a book on Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Leigh discusses Babe’s impact on American culture.


FileDesc:
Leigh discusses Babe’s impact on the game of baseball.


FileDesc:
Dave recalls some of his baseball experiences growing up.


FileDesc:
Dave talks about some of his thoughts and memories of baseball.


FileDesc:
Dave recalls the first ballgame that he saw, which also happens to be the first time he saw the Babe in person.


FileDesc:
Dave talks about some of the articles he has written on the Babe over the years.


FileDesc:
Dave shares his thoughts on the “Curse of the Bambino”.


FileDesc:
Dan talks about his childhood baseball memories.


FileDesc:
Dan talks about some of his favorite baseball players.


FileDesc:
Dan shares his thoughts on the Babe and his legend.


FileDesc:
Dan discusses the media’s response to the Babe.


FileDesc:
Bob talks about some his favorite baseball-playing memories.


FileDesc:
Bob tells the story of when Babe Ruth came to Des Moines, Iowa for one of his barnstorming games.


FileDesc:
Bob recounts his first time actually meeting the Babe.


FileDesc:
Bob discusses Babe Ruth’s baseball-playing abilities, as well as his impact on baseball.


FileDesc:
Marty shares some of his favorite memories of working in public relations with the Yankees.


FileDesc:
Marty speaks of his favorite baseball players.


FileDesc:
Marty tells about the story of “Little Ray Kelly”, Babe Ruth’s long-time personal mascot.


FileDesc:
Bill tells how he became a cartoonist and columnist for the New York Daily News and what it takes to be a newspaper cartoonist.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about who compares to Babe Ruth in baseball.


FileDesc:
Bill discusses Babe Ruth’s impact on American Culture.


FileDesc:
Bill speaks about Babe Ruth’s impact on the game of baseball.


FileDesc:
Bill recounts the general content of his cartoons relating to Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Leon recalls one of his memories with the Babe.


FileDesc:
Leon discusses a little bit of the background and purpose of the short films that he played in with the Babe.


FileDesc:
Leon gives a summary of each of the three films he did with the Babe.


FileDesc:
Bobby talks about a couple of his favorite moments as a baseball player and a sportscaster.


FileDesc:
Bobby speaks about his favorite ballplayer growing up.


FileDesc:
Bobby discuses Babe’s impact on the game of baseball.


FileDesc:
Bobby responds to the question of “Who Compares to the Babe?”


FileDesc:
Bill talks about the source of his initial interest in Babe.


FileDesc:
Bill talks about his reasons for writing a book on the Babe.


FileDesc:
Vecsey talks about his recent book, "Baseball" and his acknowledgement of Babe's importance within the book.


FileDesc:
George reflects on Babe's impact on the game of baseball.


FileDesc:
Vecsey talks about media portrayals of the Babe, yesterday and today.


FileDesc:
George shares his opinion on the "Curse of the Bambino".


FileDesc:
George discusses his contribution to the concept of the "Curse of the Bambino".


FileDesc:
George discusses Babe's effect on Baseball fans.


FileDesc:
Mr. Vecsey share's his thoughts on Babe's personality.


FileDesc:
George recalls some of his personal favorite baseball moments.


# tbl_Emails

EmailAddress:
To: mUW@hrj.com
From: IaUl9@yHOW.com
Subject: mfst***L5aO3AIr
Bcc: onehundredmbits@aol.com

L5aO3AIr

.


# tbl_MembersAudioPeople

Bio:
Julia was born in 1917 in Athens, GA.  She is the last-surviving daughter of Babe Ruth.  Julia and her mother, Clara Mae Hodgson, moved to New York in 1918, where Claire began a modeling and dancing career.  In 1922, Claire and Babe became acquainted and started a long friendship and courtship.  Ruth and Claire married in 1929 and, soon after, Babe adopted Julia.  Julia is an avid baseball fan and spends her time between Arizona and New Hampshire.  When she’s able, she always tries to make an appearance at a ballpark or event on behalf of her “Daddy”.  Most recently, she went to Chicago in April 2006 for an event hosted by the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, recognizing Babe Ruth’s 1932 called shot.


QuickDesc:
Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Museum.

Bio:
Mike Gibbons has been the Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum in Baltimore, MD since 1983.  In the early 1980’s, the building that housed the Babe Ruth Museum (which was the building in which Babe was born) was fighting demolition, when Gibbons, originally a historian and documentary producer, agreed to become involved in turning the Babe Ruth Museum around.  What was supposed to be a temporary position, has now turned into a 23-year career that includes establishing and directing a nearby sister museum, Sports Legends at Camden Station, which houses the Orioles Hall of Fame, the Maryland Collegiate Hall of Fame, the Johnny Unitas collection and other collections & memorabilia from Maryland sports.


QuickDesc:
The last-living baseball player to play with the Babe.

Bio:
Bill Werber was the first All-American basketball player at Duke University.  After graduating from Duke, Werber signed on with the Yankees in 1927, but didn't see Major League action until 1930.   Scout Paul Krichell said he had "the best baseball legs I ever saw, including Cobb."  Werber won the American League base stealing title with the Boston Red Sox in 1934 and 1935 and tied for it while with the Philadelphia A's in 1937.  He was the first player to hit four consecutive doubles in one American League game and, in 1940, he became the only man to do so in both leagues.  His energy was a big contributor to getting the Cincinnati Reds to the pennant in 1939 and then winning the World Series in 1940 against Detroit (he hit .370 in that series).  He was also the first player to bat in a televised game, leading off for the Reds against Brooklyn on August 26, 1939.
During his time with the Yankees -- in 1927 while "learning the game" on the bench with Miller Huggins and then starting his Major League career with them in 1930 -- Werber had the opportunity to play, interact with and observe Babe Ruth.  He also got to experience some of the antics of the highly-successful 1927 New York Yankees, which he remembers vividly and shares candidly in our BRC interview.


QuickDesc:
The longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers.

Bio:
Ernie Harwell was born in Washington, GA in 1918 and is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta.  He began his radio career in 1940, announcing games for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association on WSB radio.  In 1948, he made his way to the Major Leagues, announcing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Harwell went on to announce for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles and then settled in Detroit in 1960, where he was the announcer for the Tigers until 2002 (less a year announcing for the Angels in 1992).  Harwell is a highlight in Detroit baseball history, his voice forever associated with the Tiger team.  He has broadcast more play-off games than any other announcer in baseball history.  In 1981, Harwell became the first active play-by-play announcer to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, and has also been inducted into the National Sportscaster's Hall of Fame.  He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998.  He has also has written several books, including "Tuned to Baseball", "Diamond Gems" and "The Babe Signed My Shoe".  Harwell continues to regularly write a baseball column for the Detroit Free Press.  BRC sat down with Ernie and his lovely wife of 65-years to capture his perspectives.


QuickDesc:
Author of the recent biography of the Babe, “The Big Bam”.

Bio:
Author Leigh Montville recently published one of the most popular biographies on the Babe called, "The Big Bam".  He began his sports-writing career as a columnist for the The Boston Globe, where he worked for 21 years.  Montville is now a senior writer for Sports Illustrated.   He is also the author of many books, including, "Manute: The Center of Two Worlds", "Dare to Dream" (written with University of Connecticut basketball coach, Jim Calhoun), "At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt", "Why Not Us?  The 86-Year Journey of the Boston Red Sox Fans From Unparalleled Suffering to the Promised Land of the 2004 World Series" and the bestseller, "Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero."


QuickDesc:
The Pulitzer prize-winning sports columnist for the New York Times.

Bio:
Dave Anderson's sportswriting career began with the Brooklyn Eagle after graduating from Holy Cross College in 1951.  The newspaper folded in 1955, leading Anderson to join The New York Journal-American, where he worked for 11 years.  In 1966, Anderson had the opportunity to join The New York Times, as a general assignment sports reporter.  He became a regular sports columnist there in 1971, writing for the "Sports of the Times" column.  He is the author of 21 books, as well as more than 350 magazine articles.

In 1981, Mr. Anderson received the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary for his sports column.  In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Anderson won the 1965 E.P. Dutton Award for the best magazine sports story about "The Longest Day of Sugar Ray"; the 1972 E.P. Dutton Award for the best sports feature story of the year about the return of the heavyweight champion Joe Frazier to his Beaufort, S.C. hometown; the 1974 Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism; and, the 1994 Associated Press Sports Editors Red Smith Award for distinguished sports column writing.  He was inducted into the National Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in Salisbury, N.C. in 1990.


QuickDesc:
Also a Pulitzer prize-winning columnist for the New York Times, as well as a best-selling author of multiple books.

Bio:
Mr. Vecsey has been a professional reporter since 1960, covering a variety of topics including, baseball, the Kentucky Derby, country music, coal mining and religion.  He began his career with the Newsday, on Long Island and moved to the New York Times in 1968.   He was voted the New York State Sportswriter of the Year for six straight years (1985-1991), by the National Association of Sportswriters and Sportcasters.  Mr. Vecsey is also an accomplished author who has written or edited many books, whose topics are as varied as his reporting subjects.  One of Vecsey’s most successful books was bestseller, "Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner's Daughter”, which was made into a film in 1980 starring Sissy Spacek.  A few examples of his sports-related work are: "Joy in Mudville" (1970), a history of the New York Mets and "Martina," (1985) the autobiography of Martina Navratilova that was also a best seller.  Most recently, Vecsey has written “Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game” (2006), a concise history which reflects upon the most notable events and personalities of the game of Baseball, including Babe Ruth.


QuickDesc:
Author of the upcoming book, "The Year Babe Ruth Hit a 104 Homeruns."

Bio:
Bill Jenkinson, a resident of the Philadelphia area, is a baseball historian and has been a researcher for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Bill has spent the past 25 years conducting in-depth research on the Babe and the history of his homeruns.  The culmination of those efforts is the upcoming book, “The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs: Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger.”  Bill’s book, which is due out in March 2007, takes a new and unique look into the Babe and his hitting abilities.  Here’s a description of his book from Amazon:

“In an unprecedented look at Babe Ruth’s amazing batting power, sure to inspire debate among baseball fans of every stripe, one of the country's most respected and trusted baseball historians reveals the amazing conclusions of more than twenty years of research. Jenkinson takes readers through Ruth's 1921 season, in which his pattern of battled balls would have accounted for more than 100 home runs in today's ballparks and under today's rules. Yet, 1921 is just tip of the iceberg, for Jenkinson's research reveals that during an era of mammoth field dimensions Ruth hit more 450-plus-feet shots than anybody in history, and the conclusions one can draw are mind boggling.”

We at BRC had the privilege of interviewing Bill for the site and getting the opportunity to learn more about his unique knowledge regarding the Babe and his homeruns.


QuickDesc:
Widow of Waite Hoyt who was a long-time friend and teammate of Babe Ruth.

Bio:
Bettie Hoyt is the widow and third wife of Waite Hoyt, a Hall of Fame pitcher who played the majority of his career with the New York Yankees.  Although Waite started his Major League career with the New York Giants, his first full season as a pitcher was in 1919, when he joined the pitching rotation for the Boston Red Sox, alongside Babe Ruth.  In 1921, he joined Ruth and the Yankees for one of their most successful decades.  By the time Waite retired in 1938, he had played on 7 pennant-winning teams (6 with the Yankees and 1 with the Philadelphia Athletics) and had the record for the most wins in World Series history (6).  In Hoyt’s retirement, he initially became a broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  After 2 years he moved on to announcing for the Cincinnati Reds where he remained for 24 years.  As a broadcaster, Waite was well-recognized for his stories during rain delays.  Many stories were captured on record with the albums, “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain” and “The Best of Waite Hoyt in the Rain, Volume 2.”  A lot of his anecdotes focused on the Babe, who was always one of Waite's favorite mediums for analysis and discussion.  
	
Bettie (formally Bettie Deary) had her own role in Baseball, as an assistant to Warren Giles, who was president of the Cincinnati Reds and ultimately president of the National League.  Listen to Betty convey some of Waite’s stories and thoughts on the Babe here.


# tbl_MembersAudioFiles

FileDesc:
Julia talks about one of the times she felt closest to the Babe when she was ill.


FileDesc:
Julia recalls another experience that brought her closer to the Babe as a child.


FileDesc:
Julia discusses one of her favorite moments of her trip to Japan with Claire and Babe.


FileDesc:
Julia talks about one of Babe's favorite times of the year, Christmas, as well as their holiday traditions.


FileDesc:
Mike Gibbons recalls one of his favorite stories that he has heard about the Babe.


FileDesc:
Mike Gibbons talks about the “Babe Ruth Called Shot” and the exhibit at the Babe Ruth Museum that reflects on the event in 1932.


FileDesc:
Mike Gibbons tells a about Stephen Lang, who played Ruth in the made-for-TV movie, “The Babe”


FileDesc:
Werber tells of the first time encountering the Babe (Age 13+ content).


FileDesc:
Werber recalls a story of when Miller Huggins was ready to fine Babe Ruth.


FileDesc:
Werber tells a story of a prank teammate Jimmie Reese played on the Babe and Babe’s ensuing response.


FileDesc:
Harwell talks about his favorite baseball players.


FileDesc:
Harwell talks about the first time he met the Babe.


FileDesc:
Leigh Montville talks Babe’s big turnaround after the 1925 baseball season.


FileDesc:
Leigh Montville shares a non-Babe story which involves Ty Cobb, Connie Mack and Thomas Edison.


FileDesc:
Dave Anderson recalls an interview he did with the Babe's widow, Claire on the 25th anniverary of his passing.


FileDesc:
Dave Anderson talks about the one time he had the opportunity to see the Babe off the field at a golf club outside of New York.


FileDesc:
Vecsey talks about how Babe's personality affected his popularity and influence in the American public.


FileDesc:
Vecsey answers the question of "who's your favorite baseball player of all-time?"


FileDesc:
Bill recalls a Babe story that came from his Aunt that demonstrates Babe's impact in America.


FileDesc:
Bill shares his thoughts on the inaccurate perceptions regarding the Babe.


FileDesc:
Betty conveys a story that demonstrates Babe's generosity with others.


FileDesc:
Betty shares the "Babe Ruth connection" to how she and Waite Hoyt met.


# tbl_KidsAudioFiles

FileName:
Adventures of Babe Ruth 01 - Dusty Collins 04-16-34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures of Babe Ruth 02 - Dutch Reaver 04.23.34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures Of Babe Ruth 05 - Harry The Hat 05.14.34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures Of Babe Ruth 06 - Sweet William 05.21.34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures of Babe Ruth 07 - There Are No Bad Kids 05-28-34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures Of Babe Ruth 08 - Chick Foster 06.04.34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures of Babe Ruth 11 - Kidnapped 06.25.34.mp3


FileName:
Adventures Of Babe Ruth 12 - Bobby Lee 07-02-34.mp3


