Tim Grover - Barnstorming Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is probably the biggest cultural figure of the 20th
century. Nearly 100 years after his death, his name remains
relevant. In 1922, after losing the World Series to the cross
bridge rival NY Giants, Babe Ruth and Bob Muesel departed for a
barnstorming tour of the Mid West. Tim Grover, a Mid West kid from
Iowa took to this story and wrote a book about Bob and Babe's tour.
The story is full of early 20th century greatness. Pete A Turner
welcomes Tim Grover to the Break It Down Show. Get Tim's book
Barnstorming Babe: A Slugger's Bumpy Trek Across Small-Town America
on Amazon at amzn.to/4gGvOEt Babe Ruth could be his own worst
enemy. After the 1921 World Series, the Bambino and teammate Bob
Meusel began a barnstorming tour in the Northeast. The new baseball
commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, had warned them against
doing it, citing a ridiculous and seldom-enforced rule. Greed
overruled logic, and they did it anyway. Landis responded by
suspending both players for the first six weeks of the 1922 season.
A year later, Landis had waived the rule. And after losing the
World Series in 1922, Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel left the harsh glare
of New York for an eighteen-game Great Plains barnstorming tour.
Stops included Omaha, Kansas City, and Denver. But also Sleepy Eye,
Pratt, and Tarkio. They played in sleet, rain, and snow, traveled
overnight on “jerkwater” railroads, and tolerated endless civic
celebrations. They hit monstrous home runs, played against
formidable Negro Leaguers, and faced some great small-town
pitchers. They also visited orphanages, raised money for the
American Legion, and created lifelong memories for hardscrabble
farmers who would have never otherwise had a chance to see a major
league baseball player. The adventure kicked off with a spitball in
Perry, Iowa, on Friday the thirteenth…