He was able to redefine the game he loved, baseball. ... With him the game is the thing. ... He started the game as an outfielder, stepped into the breach as a pitcher, and finally won the game with a smashing hit. ... His final appearance at a Yankee stadium actually came later. ... He transcended the game off the field and acted as an ambassador to the game of baseball. ...
Over the years fans have adopted different pre-game rituals. ... The game is under way and the fans can sit back and enjoy what lies ahead. ... Everyone carefully watches the ball sail through the air and waits to see where it's final destination will be. ... Heaven has shone down on Yankee Stadium, the Yanks are up and the game is rejuvenated. ... The game brought people together to share in America's great pastime. ...
He was the best pitcher in his day and still remains the strongest slugger in the game. Ruth had power, strength, an appetite and a desire for the game that no other player would ever have. ... Billy Kelly was the only Toronto player to take a hit from Ruth throughout this game. ... In 1933 a new game was created in baseball, the All-Star Game. ... Out of his six final home runs, three occurred on this day, but according to Cub's Fred Linstrom "it was like watching a monument beginning to shake and crack, you were waiting for it to topple". ...
His big swing led to escalating home run totals that not only drew fans to the ballpark and boosted the sport's popularity but also helped usher in the live-ball era of baseball, in which it evolved from a low-scoring game of strategy to a sport where the home run was a major factor. ... In his final years, Ruth made many public appearances, especially in support of American efforts in World War II. ...
He once hit four home runs in a game, and to this day still holds many other major league records. ... Ball players may have been looked at as if they were indestructible and emotionless, but this speech Gehrig gave illustrated clearly that baseball is just a game and that there are more important things in life like family and friends. ... Gehrig's final paragraph is one of his strongest in getting his point across. ... The final line of Gehrig's speech wraps up the message I believe he is trying to get across fully. ...
The film like the novel romanticizes everything about the game of baseball, even the darker aspects gambling, temptation, corruption. ... A good example of this is when Levinson borrows Malamud's material to show Hobbs' three great home runs, his debut, where he proves that he does still possesses something great, the one in which he breaks out of his slump, where he redeems himself in the eyes of the team, the fans, and himself and his final at-bat where the redemption is complete. ...
