The Incomparable Babe Ruth(a)|无与伦比的贝比鲁斯

The Incomparable Babe Ruth

by William Ryan

This baseball great left an indelible mark on the world and changed the sport forever.

　　Babe Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture. In an ESPN poll in 1994, he was named the third greatest American athlete behind Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. He is also considered the greatest baseball player of all time, according to many surveys.

　　Born George Herman Ruth, Jr. on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland, Babe Ruth described his childhood as rough. When he was seven years old, his father sent him to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys and signed legal custody over to the Catholic missionaries who ran the orphanage. He remained there for the next 12 years, visiting his family only on special occasions. His mother died when he was a teenager. It was at this school that the future home run record holder was first introduced to the game of baseball by the school disciplinarian. Along with the fundamentals of the game that would make him famous, he was taught how to read and write. During his time there, Ruth was also taught tailoring and shirt making and was part of the school band and drama club.

　　One fateful day in 1913, St. Mary's Industrial School played a baseball game against a local college team, Mount Saint Mary's. That game was attended by Joe Engel, who was then a Major League pitcher for the Washington Senators. Engel was so impressed with Ruth's pitching ability that he brought him to the attention of the manager of the Minor League Baltimore Orioles team. Although initially skeptical, the manager was quickly convinced of Ruth's potential and immediately signed him to a contract after watching him pitch in a workout for around half an hour. Babe Ruth's professional baseball career started when he was 19 years old.

无与伦比的贝比鲁斯

这位棒球巨星在世上留下了无法磨灭的痕迹，并且永远改变了这项运动。

　　贝比鲁斯被视为美国文化上最伟大的体坛英雄之一。1994 年在 ESPN 民意调查票选活动中，他被评选为第 3 位最伟大的美国运动员，仅排名于麦可．乔丹以及穆罕默德．阿里之后。根据多项调查，贝比鲁斯也被公认为是有史以来最伟大的棒球选手。

　　本名为乔治．赫曼．鲁斯二世，于 1895 年的 2 月 6 日生于马里兰州的巴尔的摩市，贝比鲁斯形容他的童年时期是很艰苦的。在他 7 岁时，他的父亲把他送到圣玛丽男子工业实习学校，并与经营这所孤儿院的天主教传教士签署过继法定监护权。接下来的 12 年间他都待在那里，仅在特殊节日时他才能造访亲人。贝比鲁斯的母亲在他还是青少年时就过世了。就是在这间学校，经由校方的严厉督导，才让这位未来全垒打纪录的保持人首次接触到棒球这项运动。他一方面学习到让他在棒球界成名的基础知识，一方面也学会了怎么阅读以及书写。鲁斯待在那儿的那段时间，他学会了衬衫的剪裁与制作，他也是学校乐队及话剧社中的一员。

　　就在 1913 年关键性的一天，圣玛丽工业实习学校与当地大学球队  圣马利大学比赛棒球。参加这场比赛的有之后成为大联盟华盛顿参议员队的投手  乔．恩格尔。恩格尔对于鲁斯的投球能力印象相当深刻，因此将他推荐给巴尔的摩金莺队小联盟的经理。虽然最初抱持着怀疑的态度，在看过鲁斯半个小时左右的练投之后，该经理很快便确信了他有潜能，并立刻与他签下合约。贝比鲁斯展开职业棒球生涯时，他才 19 岁。