if the winter's getting you down, ladies and gents, and you need some baseball, even the literary variety, as a pick-me-up, you could do worse
than reading Robert Creamer's marvelous biography of Babe Ruth, "Babe, The Legend Comes to Life." it's some 40 years old now, but it's
still a lively, often very funny, read. you can get it at the library or online.

also, for those of you who may have winter colds, it's got just the remedy. here it is, from the book:

"Introduced before a game to a man he had never seen before, Ruth said, 'You sound like you have a cold.' The man admitted he did.
Ruth reached into the hip pocket of his uniform and pulled out a big onion.

'Here, gnaw on this,' he said. 'Raw onions are cold killers.'"

ruth wasn't done. on hot summer days, he'd stick a head of cabbage in an ice bucket at the end of the dugout. between innings, he'd peel
off a leaf of the cabbage and put it on his head, under his cap. instant coolant.

also, someone once asked ruth the secret to his hitting. his reply? "scallions."

farmers must have loved him. along with everybody else. even, surprisingly, after all those onions, women.

-mike



-- Edited by mhart on Wednesday 11th of February 2015 04:41:33 PM