Me, Johnny, and The Babe

by Mark Wirtshafter

were standing, as if they were doing reconnaissance on the area. A few seconds later, the door opened again and there was Babe Ruth. He was still dressed in his baseball uniform and it was obvious he had left in haste as his clothes were hanging out all over and the buttons on his shirt were undone. He was trying to tuck his clothes in as he walked out the door.

  “Hey make some room!” one of the police officers shouted.

  “Coming through, coming through,” said another.

  Reverend Casey led the way as the four Philadelphia police officers formed a protective shield as they surrounded Ruth as he walked.

  “Let’s use the Lehigh Avenue exit,” Father Casey said.

  As we hit the street, the people leaving the game notice Ruth right away.

  “Hey look there’s the Babe,” a young girl shouted. “I can’t believe Babe Ruth is standing right there.”

  You could hear people starting to call his name from all around us. Walking down Lehigh Avenue towards 21st Street a crowd swarmed. We kept moving, but the whole pack seemed to be move with us.

  “Please make some room, we need to get through,” Reverend Casey pleaded as he used his arms to try to clear a path. He gently pushed people out of the way. I noticed that the police officers had taken out their wooden sticks and were using them to push back the crowds. Caught in the back end of the crowd, I was pushed from every direction. I could not really walk, as there were people on all sides of me and I felt as though the momentum of the crowd was moving me along.

  Trying my hardest to keep up with our group, I could see that I was separating from them.

  “Hey Babe shake my hand,” a man yelled as he thrust his hand in front of Ruth’s face.

  “Back off or I’ll crack this stick over your head,” one of the police officers hollered.

  There were so many hands bursting through and Ruth shook every one that he could reach. Reverend Casey and the police officers looked as though they were fighting their way through a war zone, but the Babe smiled and seemed to enjoy every moment of the adulation that he was receiving. I guess he was used to this.

  When we reached the corner of 21st and Lehigh, I could see that the two cars we had come in, engines running and waiting for us. There were about ten more Philadelphia police officers surrounding the cars as we made our way to them. By that time, I had worked my way up to where Reverend Casey was. In fact, I had gotten right behind him, and grabbed the back of his suit coat and held on as he walked. I figured if I held on to him, he would lead me to safety.

  The scene had become very chaotic.

  “Can’t you do something about this crowd,” Reverend Casey pleaded with one of the officers as the yelling and pushing grew.

  “We’re doing the best we can, reverend,” the officer replied.

  As we reached the cars, we jumped into them anywhere we could. The police officers tried to keep the fans away, but the cars had become completely engulfed in the crowd. The police pushed them back just enough to pry the doors of the vehicle open. They pushed the Babe into the front seat of the first car, next to Mr. Deegan who was driving. I was still holding on to Reverend Casey as he was thrown into the back seat.

  “I’ll sit on the end,” Reverend Casey said as he pulled me into the middle seat right next to him. “Mr. O’Neill, hurry and shut that door!”

  As soon as the car door shut, the tension dissipated. The noise from the crowd turned into a faint din, and I felt safe from the dangers that swirled all around us. I saw that there were at least two police cars in front of us, and as I looked out the rear window, I saw that there were more police cars following behind our second car.

  “You better drive very slow Mr. Deegan,” Reverend Casey said. “I want to make sure you don’t end up killing anyone. Look ahead; there are more officers out in the street and clearing a path for us.”

  By the time we reached 22nd and Lehigh the crowds were gone. There were a few stragglers walking home from the game, but they just watched from the sidewalks as the parade of cars rolled by.

  That was the moment it hit me. I was sitting in a car with Babe Ruth; in fact, he was less than two feet from where I was sitting. My hand was just inches from where he was, and I had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him to make sure that he was real and that I was not dreaming.

  “It sure was lucky that the game was so short today,” Reverend Casey said to Ruth.

  “I told that son of a bitch Jones to pitch fast as he could because I had a real important game to play this afternoon,” Ruth started. “But I didn’t tell him he had to pitch a damn no-hitter,” Ruth finished laughing as he spoke.

  “I guess that was his idea, maybe I scared him into it,” said the Babe.

  “Scared or not, that was one hell of a pitching performance,” Mr. Deegan said.

  “Yep, Sad Sam is pretty happy tonight,” the Babe, replied.

  Ruth had a big smile on his face and looked completely relaxed. Reverend Casey still looked quite concerned as he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He pulled out his gold pocket watch and looked at it.

  “Five o’clock sharp,” he said. “We still have to hurry to make this thing work.”

  28

  We drove the car to the Ascension Rectory at the corner of F and Westmoreland Streets. Upon our arrival, we quickly entered the rectory through a side door. It was nearly deserted; everyone was over at Boger Field getting ready for the game. Mrs. Muldoon was standing at the doorway to greet us as we entered.

  “Mrs. Muldoon, I want you to meet our very special guest Mr. Ruth,” Reverend Casey started. “He is the gentleman that I had you make that special uniform for.”

  She held up a brand new, neatly pressed, pinstriped Ascension of Our Lord uniform that she had made herself especially for the Babe. As she handed it to him, he shook his head approvingly.

  “That is one fine uniform ma’am,” the Babe said.

  “Why thank you Mr. Ruth,” Mrs. Muldoon replied. “It was quite an honor for me to get to make it for you.”

  “It will be my honor to wear it ma’am.”

  “Let me show you into the back room where you can change,” Reverend Casey said as he motioned for Ruth to follow him.

  Ruth changed quickly and reappeared in just a few short minutes. The uniform fit him but it seemed just a little too big. It was very baggy around his mid-section and the pant legs seemed far too wide, but as Ruth walked by the hallway mirror, he looked at himself and smiled, seemingly pleased with the look.

  “It’s a perfect fit,” Ruth said to Mrs. Muldoon, although it clearly was not.

  Mrs. Muldoon looked up and down at the uniform with a bit of a scowl on her face.

  “I guess it looks good with you wearing it, and besides the people are going to be there to see you Mr. Ruth, not my uniform,” she replied.

  As we prepared to get back in the cars and head for the field, Reverend Casey handed me a leather bag.

  “Go gather up Mr. Ruth’s Yankee uniform and put it in here so that we can give it back to him after the game,” he said.

  “Sure will,” I replied.

  As I walked into the back room where Ruth had changed, I saw his Yankee uniform lying over the back of the wooden chair in the corner. As I started to reach for it, I felt an unexplained sense of trepidation. I almost could not bring myself to touch it, as my hand began to quiver as I came close to it. Even though I had just been in a car with Babe Ruth, actually touching his sacred Yankee uniform seemed like a bit too much.

  I tried to steady myself and took a deep breath. I slowly picked up his baseball pants, which had grass and dirt stains all over them and carefully placed them into the leather bag. Then I took his shirt and folded it neatly, and put it in. As I removed the shirt from the chair, I noticed that a small wooden pocket comb had fallen out of Ruth’s pants pocket and was lying on the seat.

  I picked up the pocket comb and ran my fingers slowly over it, knowing that the great Babe Ruth himself had used it.

/>   “Well I better put this in my pocket so it doesn’t get lost and I’ll give it back to him with the bag after the game,” I thought to myself.

  When I walked into the main room of the rectory, I saw that the men had already left and were starting to get in the car. I hurried to catch up to them, worrying that I might be left behind. I almost knocked Mrs. Muldoon over in my rush.

  “Don’t worry, they’ll wait for you,” she said as I rushed by.

  “Thanks Mrs. Muldoon,” I replied.

  We loaded back into the car; I got in on the end next to Michael O’Brien who was sitting in the middle. Ruth was back in the front seat dressed in his brand new Ascension uniform. It was a very short drive from the rectory to the field.

  I was sitting quietly, when unexpected, Michael elbowed me in the ribs trying to get my attention.

  “This is unbelievable, sitting here in a car with Babe Ruth,” he whispered in a very hushed tone so that only I could hear him.

  “Yea, I’m having a hard time believing it myself,” I replied in an equally hushed tone.

  “I can’t wait to tell all the kids at school that I drove in a car with the great Babe Ruth,” Michael said.

  “I can’t wait to see Johnny at the game and tell him,” I replied. “You know Johnny was supposed to come with us but he didn’t show up. We had planned this for months and then on the morning of the big day he just disappears.”

  “I’m just glad I’m here,” Michael said.

  Michael and I smiled at each other. I could not help thinking to myself, that