The "Boy Would I Love To Have This" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thinking whether I want to bid on a piece of baseball history.  Seems that Babe Ruth's dark colored Louisville Slugger baseball bat, which he used to hit his 500th Major League homer in 1929, will go up for auction on November 27.  George Herman "Babe" Ruth played major league baseball for 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.  He carried the nicknames of "The Bambino" as well as "The Sultan of Swat."  

The Bambino

Many might not realize that he began his career pitching for the Boston Red Sox, but gained baseball fame as the slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees.  He had 714 career home runs, 2,213 career RBIs, 2,062 career bases of balls, .690 slugging percentage and a 1.164 on-base plus slugging percentage which still stands as the all time best as of last year.  Many consider him to be the greatest baseball player of all time.  In 1936 he was elected as one of the first five members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Personally, I don't care much for the Yankees, but I wouldn't mind having that bat!  He was the first player ever to hit 500 homers when he hit a solo shot off Willis Hudlin at League Park in Cleveland.  He later gave the bat he used to hit the homer to his friend Jim Rice who was mayor of Suffern, New York.  The two friends golfed, bowled and dined together and Babe was a regular visitor at Rice's home.  Jim's son Terry is selling the bat.  Terry was born in 1948, two years after Ruth had died.  Terry's heroes were Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, but always had the "Babe's" bat in the corner behind the family's TV set.  Not once did he think to take the bat out and take a few swings with it.   The bat was recently authenticated and received the highest grade given.  The bat shows marks on the upper barrel where Ruth knocked mud from his cleats.  One part of the barrel has impressions where the bat made contact with the ball.  A bit of green paint from a dugout piece of wood where the bat always stood can be seen.  Now, how neat is that!  The ball that he hit for his 500th homer over the right field fence was found by an Indians fan who returned the ball to Ruth for $20 and his autograph.  

Babe Ruth's historical bat.  Worth $1,000,000?

Mr. Rice died in 1983 with his wife taking possession of the bat and keeping it in a closet in their home.  When she died it passed to their son Terry Rice who recently talked with his two older sisters before deciding to sell the bat.  They were OK with the move since they will all share the money from the auction.  It is estimated that the bat will sell for over $1 million.  I have to check my bank account and see if I may have enough to win the bat to go with the ball I already have.    The ball I'm talking about is the one I hit my first, and only, homer with when I was a 12 year old.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.