George Herman Ruth, Jr., or Babe Ruth – as people fondly referred to him – is considered one of (if not THE) best baseball player of all time. His colorful life is documented in numerous books, but there are some things most people don’t know about the baseball legendary.
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The son of a saloon owner in a seedy section of Baltimore, Ruth was sent to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys at age 7 to keep him out of trouble. The Babe displayed a talent for shirt making, and he was good enough to earn an apprenticeship at a tailor shop located in the school's laundry building.
While most people know Babe Ruth for his phenomenal 714 home runs, he actually started as a very dominant left-handed pitcher in the 1910s. His position was changed to an outfielder after just 5 games.
Ruth's first contract with the Yankees saw him bag a staggering $20,000 salary and by 1930, it had hit the $80,000 mark, which was the highest a baseball player had ever been paid.
Ruth had an unusual method for keeping cool
To keep his head cool in the playing field, the Babe used to wear a piece of cabbage below his hat. This was rather innovative, but not revolutionary to the point where it was adopted by other major leaguers.
His biggest regret was not managing a team
Ruth passionately wanted to manage a team in the major league, particularly the Yankees, but never really got the opportunity. Most of the offers that came his way were simply for publicity, including his contract with the Boston Braves at the end of his career.