Needed: Opinions from advanced Ruth Collectors. For your consideration a small Black & White original photo that resembles a very young George, possibly between 7-12 years old. Also in the image a girl whom maybe his sister Mamie. I suspect childhood Ruth images are quite scarce, especially with family so it may be difficult for imput. I hope the surrounding neighborhood in the photo,Mamie,etc. may offer clue's. Although the boys batting stance is righty, this could be caused by a reverse negative, a quick pose, or a playful prank for the camera?--In any event you may find this image fascinating!--thanks!

i think this post is fascinating. especially since there is no picture posted. now if there was an image it might really get interesting.

The ears are wrong. Clearly not Ruth. Maybe Cobb? You should sell it to Jeff L.

Nope, it looks much more like a young Chief Bender or Honus Wagner.

You're all wrong. It's Moses Fleetwood Murakami.

You guys have it all wrong. It's clearly Joe Jackson.

Leon,
You may be right. It can't be Honus as the ears are not right and there is no prehistoric farm implement in the background. Now it may be Chief Bender or Joe Jackson.

I prefer to discuss my photo with either very serious advanced collectors or advanced Ruth collectors with expertise in this field that might have productive feedback. Sorry, I don't have time for comical evaluations. (Phone:573-450-0590) Any imput + personal privacy will be held strictly confidential! Until!

My apologies, but what photo?

Not sure apologies are needed. Poster failed to post a scan. What does he expect?

Steve, it is Sunday.

He'll describe the photo over the phone.

Anthony,
I'm out. After I hit 50 my telepathic powers have taken a severe decline. I would be happy to post the photo for the OP if he doesn't know how to post it.
Jeff

Why don't you either post a scan of the image on this board or send me a .jpg scan and I will post it for you. You went into great detail in your first post about all of the nuances and then don't show the photo? Sorry we are having some fun....It's a baseball card chat board and that is what we do. I do have a person in mind that you might communicate with that says he also doesn't like to have fun? We could even start your own place on this forum for you and him...We could call it the "no fun" section or something...

ps...Anthony- he described it in his first post and that is what led us to having no fun.

It's all in good fun. If you trip and don't hurt youself, expect folks to chuckle ....

marty

Ok, can anyone please post the answer to this simple question? We all know Ruth was born in 1895. Whats the year or his age of the first known documented photo showing baseball equipment as holding a baseball bat, piching, catching, etc.--------thanks again!

PS:I do like the response, its justified.

Hello Directly...

We site participants / board members would really like to see the photo that you've mentioned. I am sure that if you either scan and post it, or email a scan to Leon so he can post, then you're MUCH more likely to get responses from us about 'first known picture...'


The ears thing is a bit of a longstanding inside joke. The idea, belief, maybe truth is that a person's most identifiable facial feature is their ears. (Are ears part of a face? Or are they on the sides of one's head, with the face on the front??) At any rate, the science of the ears has inflicted some of us to the absurd extent that when we look at our pocket change, we sort the quarters from the nickels by looking at ears, Washington's ears are distinctly different from Jefferson's. If I'd only been told about the ears at a young age I could have learned coins much sooner!

A scan of the photo, please sir.

Here is a famous image reproduced on a current card. I think this one is from 1911. There might be others earlier but this is one of his earliest. I am sure there is a yearbook or photo that this was taken from...Maybe someone will have an earlier one but this will get us started....

Leon - interesting to see what appears to be a "Red Sox Champ" sign in the background of that early Ruth pic - possibly dating it to 1912 as opposed to '11? Cool shot regardless...

I recently posted a snapshot that I thought might have been a young Ruth before he was famous, and the board pretty much shot it down as not him. But it was good fun and there is no reason not to post yours here.

Directly,
I need to say "Thank You!" A Co~worker of mine(who's from Alabama) told me a couple of weeks ago that he has a friend who's Sister is also his Mother!? At that time(Up until now!)I just was so confused, my head actualy hurted! If ya know what I mean...........
Since you edjamacated me that the Babe's Sis is his Mamie, I now truly understand how this can be! What a relief

Can I git a look at the photo you mentioned?



Life's Grand,
Denny Walsh

Has anyone noticed anything else unusual + unique concerning Ruth's pose in his 1911-12 St Mary's team photo?

He's wearing a right handed catcher's mitt? Not a big deal...he still played catcher left handed. He wore the mitt on the wrong hand.

American flag has 48 stars dating the pic to 1912 at the earliest when Arizona and New Mexico became the 47th and 48th states.

Instead of noticing unusual and unique stuff about that image on the Sporting News card, I'd prefer to notice aspects of the photo that you've mentioned but has yet to be posted.

Does it have a calendar on the back?

Now c'mon guys...it's worth a THOUSAND words...he still has room to spare!

I will post my photo tomorrow.
Remember as Slidekellyslide pointed out. Ruth as a 17 year old wearing his mit on the wrong hand isn't a big deal.
I agree, so please keep this in mind. Until!

Darn it. I checked today hoping yesterday was tomorrow but I was duped again..

marty

Wasn't today tomorrow?

two bow-legged rhinos fighting over a bowl of Cocoa Puffs,... ankle deep in a muddy pond,... surrounded by 6-foot tall reeds,... under a hot sun...in the Bronx,...where home plate used to be...and they're waiting in line for a Barry Sloate autograph and photo opp.

weird.
anyone else see that?

I think we are sneaking up on him...

Thanks.

Wow! That's him alright! I would suggest contacting the Hall of Fame.

Jodi

I agree. Definitely Babe Ruth.

Contact Rob Lifson ASAP

He might be able to sneak in your photo before auction closing.

1. What makes you think this is Baltimore?
2. A wood fence? Most fences in America at this time were probably wood.
3. The kid is right handed. No indication that Ruth every switched back and forth. Even when learning.
4. The smaller boy at right resembles a girl in my opinion. Also resembles Ruth for that matter.
5. This image is one of thousands of pictures of kids playing ball in the early part of last century.

In my opinion...not even close to Ruth...

Just waiting on the ear thing for confirmation.

Joshua

For your consideration...
the smallest child is now wearing a girl's shirt, anyway...

I am almost 85% uncertain that it isn't not Ruth, but I'd like to pose some alternate theories as well.

1) It is Chief Bender and is sold by the714gallery.

2) It is Marshall Barkman's grandpappy, bringing extreme baseball and punk classical music to the Generation C crowd

3) It is a 11 year old middle class child positioning the bat in a surreptitiously lewd manner, causing his comrades to giggle wildly as their mother snaps a photo.


However, the Ruth theory is very plausible. His mom stopped visiting him -- his mom is not in the picture. Wood fences were very uncommon during this time period and it IS mentioned in his bio. Since wood was a scarce resource most fences of this era were made out of vinyl or composite plastics. Finally, there are some trees in the area and Babe Ruth mentioned a tree at some point in his life. If all of this is mere coincidence, then my name ain't Peter (which, luckily, it isn't).



Now... back to writing my paper on The Matrix and its connection to various schools of philosophy...

I'm not convinced. Roof pitch does look acceptable for Baltimore's latitude.

If it is Ruth, why contact the HOF, Jodi?? They won't buy it, if that's
the goal.

And why contact Lifson, George?? I don't think 'Directly' indicated he
wanted to sell it.


FW

see the two rhinos off to the right?...

I think the comments were sarcastic, no?

Ok-I got the message, I,m sorry,so please don't send me back, I like it here!

Oh Directly. Best post in a very very long time. I needed a laugh. Good for you for taking the reaction in such good humor.

Joann

(I don't think it's Ruth - face is too narrow around the bottom - like the jaw isn't square enough or something.)

It's Joe Jackson before his ears grew. I can think of an auction house that would be interested.

No sir, Peter... all comments were sincere.

1- I am not convinced that is Ruth.

2- The pitch of the roofs do look like more of a northern setting, so
the Baltimore area seems possible to me.

3- I assure you the National Baseball Museum will not buy that. They don't
buy anything. What they do is sell stuff, ie admission, photo rights,
gift shop stuff... They accept exhibit loans and donations, the don't
buy artifacts, photos, or exhibits.

4- I'm not convinced that 'Directly' wants to sell the photo. Not sure
anyone here wants to buy it. I certainly wouldn't buy it for a dollar. And
if it is for sale, there are folks other than Lifson who could do as well
or better, selling it.


So all of that was sincere. What of it did you deem sarcasm???

FW

Frank, he was referring to our (me, Jodi, et cetera) sarcasm.

Maybe so, Dan...

But he has "frank" in his bold heading. We be all sarcastic!!

Frank - well done. The roof pitch comment was wonderful.

My Trade/Sale Page

you 'caught' it!

Is Ruth in this photo?

Nope. That's William Bendix and Spanky from the Little Rascals.

Sorry.

William Bendix is on our left??

Thanks!--I almost said the fellow on the right was Ruth, again I forgot Ruth was left handed--thanks again!

In all those William Bendix films from the 40's and 50's, they'd always have to put him in the foreground, about two feet from the camera, in order to give the illusion he was the same height as everyone else in the shot. In reality, as you can see in that Ruth photo, he was scarcely over two feet tall.

If I googled correctly, Babe Ruth actually wrote right-handed (being forced to switch from left as a child, which was quite common). However, I've never seen any suggestion he ever batted right handed. On the other hand, there is no suggestion that Bendix ever could properly hold a bat, either left or right handed.

Last night Turner Classic Movies ran "The Blue Dahlia." I came in late, and was astonished to see Bill Bendix and Hugh Beaumont, together, cast as gangsters! THAT Hugh Beaumont, as in "Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver." Some gang.

And I think the Babe was asleep in the back room. (One ear was sticking out from under the covers.)

B